9th El Gouna Film Festival opens in Egypt with All About Corinne
The 9th El Gouna Film Festival opened on 15 October in Egypt's Red Sea resort, with Mona Zaki honoured and Marc Fitoussi's All About Corinne as opening film. It is the first edition under artistic director Andrew Mohsen.
1 / 2
The story, neutrally told
Mixed · 2The 9th El Gouna Film Festival opened on Thursday 15 October in the Egyptian Red Sea resort of El Gouna, and runs until 23 October. DeadlineN “The Middle East and North Africa’s 2026 fall film festival season gets underway today with the 9th El Gouna Film Festival.” Read at Deadline ↗ Arab NewsRC “Running until Oct. 23 under the theme “Cinema for Humanity: Archiving Narratives,”” Read at Arab News ↗ Mixed · 2French director Marc Fitoussi's drama All About Corinne, starring Isabelle Huppert, is the opening film; Arab News adds that Sandrine Kiberlain also stars and says its official screening was set for Friday, while Deadline describes a red-carpet gala screening as the opening. DeadlineN “the festival opens with a red-carpet gala screening of French director Marc Fitoussi’s drama All About Corinne, starring Isabelle Huppert” Read at Deadline ↗ Arab NewsRC “starring French actresses Isabelle Huppert and Sandrine Kiberlain, was selected as the opening film, with its official screening set for Friday.” Read at Arab News ↗ Mixed · 2This is the first edition under artistic director Andrew Mohsen, who replaced Marianne Khoury; Deadline says Khoury stepped down earlier this year, and that Mohsen has been on the programming team since 2023 after working at the Cairo Film Festival. DeadlineN “This edition is Andrew Mohsen’s first in the role of artistic director, replacing respected distributor and exhibitor Marianne Khoury who stepped down from the position earlier this year.” Read at Deadline ↗ Arab NewsRC “is the first under artistic director Andrew Mohsen, who succeeded Egyptian filmmaker Marianne Khoury.” Read at Arab News ↗
Right · 1At the opening ceremony at the Festival Plaza, hosted by Yasmina El-Abd, actress Mona Zaki received the Creative Achievement Award from director Mohamed Shaker Khodeir, and told younger performers: "Don’t let fear control you." Arab NewsRC “with Egyptian actress Mona Zaki receiving the festival’s Creative Achievement Award during the opening ceremony.”““Don’t let fear control you. Fear restrains and limits you,” she said.” Read at Arab News ↗ Mixed · 2Zaki is also this year's guest of honour and is giving a masterclass; the ceremony also honoured lighting technician Hassan El-Sayed for a four-decade career. DeadlineN “a masterclass with this year’s guest of honor, acting star Mona Zaki” Read at Deadline ↗ Arab NewsRC “The ceremony also paid tribute to veteran Egyptian lighting technician Hassan El-Sayed for his four-decade career” Read at Arab News ↗ Mixed · 2The programme size is reported differently: Deadline says 49 features and 19 shorts, while Arab News says 77 films across competitions, special presentations and out-of-competition titles. DeadlineN “El Gouna will showcase 49 features and 19 shorts across the feature narrative, documentary, and short film competitions” Read at Deadline ↗ Arab NewsRC “the festival is screening 77 films across narrative, documentary and short film competitions” Read at Arab News ↗
Centre · 1Thirteen films compete, including Mohammed Hammad's Egyptian drama Safe Exit, Rakan Mayasi's Yesterday the Eye Didn't Sleep, Markus Schleinzer's Rose and Paweł Pawlikowski's Fatherland; British director Joanna Hogg presides over the jury. DeadlineN “The competition will showcase 13 films ranging from local drama Safe Exit by Mohammed Hammad”“UK director Joanna Hogg is president of the jury” Read at Deadline ↗ Centre · 1Out of competition titles include Cristian Mungiu's Palme d'Or winner Fjord and Ryusuke Hamaguchi's All of a Sudden; Mohsen said it is the sixth time in nine editions that the festival has secured the MENA premiere of a Palme d'Or winner. DeadlineN ““It’s the sixth time across nine editions, that we’ve secured the MENA premiere of Palme d’Or winner,” comments Mohsen.” Read at Deadline ↗ Mixed · 2Arab News says the lineup has 10 Arab films, the most in the festival's history, and that the Window on Palestine programme returned for a fourth year; Mohsen told Deadline that Arab-language production has not had a big year and he did not know whether the war in the region or a cycle was to blame. Arab NewsRC “This year’s lineup includes 10 Arab films, the highest number in the festival’s history” Read at Arab News ↗ DeadlineN ““I feel production is affected. I don’t know if this is because of the war and what’s happening in the region nowadays, or if it’s cyclical,” he says.” Read at Deadline ↗
Mixed · 2The industry arm CineGouna has added a Series strand, and its Funding strand hosts 19 projects chosen from 300 submissions; Deadline notes El Gouna is the first major festival of the region's autumn calendar, ahead of Cairo, Doha, Marrakech and Carthage, and that the Red Sea Film Festival, due 3-12 December, has been shelved this year. Arab NewsRC “CineGouna Series, a development program and market for Arabic-language television projects.” Read at Arab News ↗ DeadlineN “The Cinegouna Funding strand is hosting 19 projects this year, 13 films in development and six in postproduction, selected from 300 submissions.”“has been shelved this year.” Read at Deadline ↗
Every sentence links to the reporting it rests on. The pill in front of each says where its sources sit: Left, Centre or Right when one side supplies at least half of them, Mixed when they are evenly split. The number is how many outlets it cites.
Left0 outlets
No left outlet in our sources has covered this story yet.
Centre1 outlet
- Framing
- Industry-trade preview that places El Gouna as the start of the MENA autumn festival season, built around interviews with Andrew Mohsen and CineGouna's Ahmed Shawky.
- Emphasis
- Programming, premieres, Oscar contenders, the regional festival calendar, industry strands and the state of Arab production.
- Leaves out or plays down
- Does not describe the opening ceremony or the Creative Achievement Award to Zaki.
- Charged language
- “buzzy”“A-list”
Right1 outlet
- Framing
- Ceremony report centred on Mona Zaki's honour and the evening's performances and tributes.
- Emphasis
- Zaki's emotional speech, the festival theme, the record 10 Arab films and the Window on Palestine programme.
- Leaves out or plays down
- Gives little on competition titles, jury or the wider festival calendar, and does not mention the shelved Red Sea Film Festival.
- Charged language
- “emotional”
What every side reports
- The 9th El Gouna Film Festival opened on 15 October in El Gouna, Egypt.
- Marc Fitoussi's All About Corinne, starring Isabelle Huppert, is the opening film.
- It is Andrew Mohsen's first edition as artistic director, succeeding Marianne Khoury.
- Mona Zaki is the festival's honoured guest and gives a masterclass.
- CineGouna launched a new Series strand.
Where accounts differ
-
Size of the programme
- Centre
- Deadline: 49 features and 19 shorts.
- Right
- Arab News: 77 films.
-
Timing of the opening film's screening
- Centre
- Deadline: the festival opens with a red-carpet gala screening of All About Corinne.
- Right
- Arab News: the official screening of the opening film was set for Friday, after the Thursday ceremony.
El Gouna Film Festival event
Through artistic director Andrew Mohsen, the festival presents itself as the region's first major autumn festival, with strong premieres and a growing industry programme; its theme is "Cinema for Humanity: Archiving Narratives".
““We are the first major international film festival into the region in the last quarter,” he says.” — Deadline
“under the theme “Cinema for Humanity: Archiving Narratives,”” — Arab News
Left0 articles
No coverage yet.
Centre1 article
-
Neutral Trade-press preview of the lineup and industry programme, driven by festival officials' comments.
Right1 article
-
Mona Zaki honored as El Gouna Film Festival opens 9th edition
Sympathetic Warm ceremony report focused on Zaki's honour and emotional speech.
- 15 Oct 19:13 First DeadlineN Egypt’s El Gouna Kicks Off MENA Fall Film Festival Season With Local Breakouts, Oscar Contenders & Emerging Talents
- 16 Oct 11:34 +16h 21m Arab NewsRC Mona Zaki honored as El Gouna Film Festival opens 9th edition
Times are when each article was published, or when we first saw it if the outlet gave no time.
Ask about this story
Loading…