CineGouna Funding unveils its line-up for its 8th edition. It will take place from October 16 to 24, 2025. This year, it’s going to present 19 film projects from across the Arab World. We are excited to share the films selected.
CineGouna
CineGouna Funding unveils its line-up for its 8th edition. For instance, the program received over 290 submissions from the Arab World. After a meticulous review process, the panel of experts selected 12 projects in development, consisting of 7 narratives, 4 documentaries, and 1 hybrid. As well as 7 films in post-production, consisting of 1 narrative, 5 documentaries, and 1 hybrid. Further, the selections are made based on content, artistic vision, the talents involved, and financial feasibility.
The chosen projects represent stories from 12 Arab countries, alongside co-productions from 5 international partners, and will compete for a diverse range of cash and in-kind awards.
The CineGouna Funding 8th edition Jury:
Isona Passola – Producer, cinema industry expert, and former President of the Catalan Film Academy from Spain.
Ahmed Amer – Filmmaker, screenwriter, and producer from Egypt.
Lamia Chraibi – Producer and Founder of Tamayouz Atelier from Morocco.
During the program, directors and producers present their projects-in-progress to leading producers, funding bodies, distributors, sales agents, and festival programmers, receiving their professional consultations. Moreover, one-on-one meetings are held with industry experts to review scripts and rough cuts. This significantly strengthens opportunities for international collaboration.
The selected projects
The selected projects will benefit from a valuable mentoring program to develop their pitching skills and film strategies. Furthermore, this program is guided by Ayman El Amir, filmmaker and script expert, and Brigid O’Shea, head of the Documentary Association of Europe (DAE). Additionally, films in post-production are provided with specialized consultations with Heba Othman and Melissa Parry.
Amr Mansi, Co-founder and Executive Director of GFF, comments on CineGona Funding,
“CineGouna Funding continues to achieve success, and we couldn’t be more proud. This is reflected in the enthusiastic participation of Arab filmmakers, the support of numerous cinematic institutions, and, most importantly, the acclaimed films that find their way to a global stage because of it.”
Ahmed Shawky, Head of CineGouna Funding, says,
“Every year, the number of projects applying to participate in CineGouna Funding grows. This not only reflects the program’s success and value to Arab filmmakers but also makes selecting the most suitable applicants more challenging. This year’s process was particularly difficult, but it resulted in the selection of a wonderful group of projects, each poised to make a difference in Arab cinema”.
The List of Selected Projects:
Projects in Development
Feature Narrative
Animals (Egypt) | Director: Morad Mostafa | Producer: Sawsan Yusuf
Asaa (France) | Director: Valentin Noujaïm | Producer: Manon Messiant
Blue Card (Sudan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia) | Director: Mohammed Alomda | Producer: Amjad Abu Alala
Holy Cow (Morocco) | Director & Producer: Asmae El Moudir
I am Afraid to Meet You Someday (Egypt) | Director: Khaled Mansour | Producer: Rasha Hosny
Occupational Hazards (Jordan, Palestine) | Director: Bassel Ghandour | Producer: Rula Nasser
Your Turn, 203 (Lebanon, France) | Director: Cynthia Sawma | Producer: Georges Schoucair & Matthew Gledhill
Feature Documentary
Besso (Iraq, Denmark) | Director: Muslim Habeeb | Producer: Muna Al-Kadhimi & Tamara Amer
Disappeared (France, Syria, Lebanon) | Director: Anas Zawahri | Producer: Ahmad Alhaj
Four Tales of Love (Egypt) | Director: Maged Atta I Producer: Omnia Swedan
Gezira, On the Line (Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Egypt) | Director: Rana Matar | Producer: Lama Jamjoom
Feature Hybrid
The Salt of the South (Tunisia, France, Belgium, Denmark, Qatar) | Director: Rami Jarboui | Producer: Ramzi Laâmour
Films in Post-Production
Feature Narrative
Halima (Morocco) | Director & Producer: Yassine El Idrissi
Feature Documentary
American Dream: The Return of Captain Kabonga (Egypt, Saudi Arabia) | Director: Amir El-Shenawy | Producer: Ahmed Abdelsalam
Concrete Land (Jordan, Palestine) | Director: Asmahan Bkerat | Producer: Ban Maraqa
I am One of Them (Poland, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Syria) I Director: Nadim Suleiman I Producer: Nadim Suleiman & Kasia Kuczyńska
Let’s Play Soldiers (Yemen, Qatar, Norway, France) | Director: Mariam Al-Dhubhani I Producer: Mohammed Al-Jaberi
The North Wind (Lebanon) | Director: Eliane Raheb I Producer: Cynthia Choucair
Feature Hybrid
Pipes (Lebanon) | Director & Producer: Karim Kassem
About El Gouna Film Festival
El Gouna Film Festival is one of the leading festivals in the Middle East and North Africa, aiming to represent many diverse selections of films with a particular focus on Arab cinema. Particularly, the festival seeks to create a cultural exchange through the art of filmmaking, connecting regional filmmakers with their international counterparts in a spirit of collaboration and dialogue. Furthermore, it strives to promote and support the growth of the industry in the region, providing a platform for filmmakers to showcase their work and discover new voices and talents that enrich the world of cinema.