El Gouna Film Festival has announced the selection of 13 films that are competing for the highly coveted “El Gouna Star” awards in the highly anticipated seventh edition, taking place from October 24th to November 1st. This year’s selection, both narrative and documentary films, represent some of the finest works showcased by international cinema in the past year.
Marianne Khoury, Artistic Director of El Gouna Film Festival, expressed,
“Since its inception, El Gouna Film Festival has been committed to serving as a bridge between cultures and a platform for emerging filmmakers. This year’s selection reaffirms that dedication.”
Regarding the selection, Andrew Mohsen, Head of Programming at GFF, added,
“We strive to maintain El Gouna Film Festival’s reputation for hosting the Arab premiere of the most notable films of the year, while also spotlighting fresh cinematic voices competing for various awards.”
The films competing for “El Gouna Star” Awards come from diverse parts of the world, many of which will offer audiences a unique and unfamiliar experience, ensuring a rich and comprehensive cinematic journey.
The Substance
Director: Coralie Fargeat
Country: United Kingdom, United States, France
A fading celebrity decides to use a black-market drug, a cell-replicating substance that temporarily creates a younger, better version of herself.
Soundtrack To a Coup D’etat
Director: Johan Grimonprez
Country: Belgium, France, Netherlands
The incredible story of how jazz music and soft power were used on both fronts of America’s ideological battles during the Cold War – including in Congo. An epic, original and supremely stylish trip through the 20th century from an original angle.
Elementary / Apprendre
Director: Claire Simon
Country: France
In the Makarenko public elementary school in the Paris outskirts, children want to learn and to be cheered up while teachers know they do not only teach, they also educate. With care, tenacity and effort, children are trained to become not only responsible citizens but also human beings.
Stranger
Director: Zhengfan Yang
Country: United States, China, Netherlands, Norway, France
The hotel room is a place where everybody is a stranger. A place that is yours for just a moment. Each part of the episodic Stranger is set in just such a place. One episode equals one shot. One shot equals one story.
Girls Will Be Girls
Director: Shuchi Talati
Country: India, France, USA, Norway
In a strict boarding school nestled in the Himalayas, 16-year-old Mira discovers desire and romance; but her sexual, rebellious awakening is disrupted by her mother who never got to come-of-age herself.
Toxic
Director: Saulė Bliuvaitė
Country: Lithuania
Dreaming of an escape from the bleakness of their hometown, two teens form a unique bond at a local modeling school, where the promise of a better life pushes girls to violate their bodies in increasingly extreme ways.
Ghost Trail/ Les fantômes
Director: Jonathan Millet
Country: France, Germany, Belgium
Hamid is part of a secret group pursuing the Syrian regime’s fugitive leaders. His mission takes him to France, on the trail of his former torturer, whom he must confront.
Dying / Sterben
Director: Matthias Glasner
Country: Germany
The Lunies family has not really been a family for a long time. Confronted with death, the estranged family members finally meet again.
Bird
Director: Andrea Arnold
Country: United Kingdom, France
12 year old Bailey lives with her single dad Bug and brother Hunter in a squat in North Kent. Bug doesn’t have much time for his kids and Bailey who is approaching puberty seeks attention and adventure elsewhere.
A Traveller Needs
Director: Hong Sangsoo
Country: South Korea
Nobody knows where the woman comes from. With no money or means of supporting herself, she turns to teaching French. She relies on the Korean alcoholic drink of makgeolli to provide a bit of comfort every day.
Caught By The Tides
Director: Jia Zhang-Ke
Country: China
An enduring but fragile love story set in China, from the early 2000s to the present day. Caught up in each other, Qiaoqiao and Bin enjoyed all that the city had to offer, singing and dancing. Until one day, Bin finds himself wanting to try his luck in a bigger place than Datong. He left without any notice. Sometime later, Qiaoqiao decides to go on a journey to look for him.
Flow
Director: Gints Zilbalodis
Country: Latvia, Belgium, France
Cat is a solitary animal, but as its home is devastated by a great flood, he finds refuge on a boat populated by various species, and will have to team up with them despite their differences
Sons/ VogterDirector: Gustav Müller
Country: Denmark, Sweden
Eva, a prison officer with an idealistic approach to life, faces the dilemma of her life when a young man from her past is transferred to the prison where she works.