From 80 films to new industry programmes, El Gouna is ready for October.
- Around 80 films will bring fresh voices to El Gouna.
- CineGouna expands with new support for regional filmmakers.
- Mona Zaki receives this year’s Career Achievement Award.
- AI, accessibility and storytelling take centre stage this year.
There’s a particular charm to watching cinema beside the Red Sea, especially when an entire town begins to fill with filmmakers, actors and industry conversations. El Gouna Film Festival 2026 returns from October 15 to 23, bringing around 80 films to El Gouna while giving the region’s filmmakers an even bigger space to be heard.
Now in its ninth edition, GFF continues to build around its “Cinema for Humanity” theme, but this year’s programme reaches well beyond screenings. Narrative features, documentaries and shorts sit alongside conversations about the future of filmmaking, creating an experience that feels as much about people and ideas as it is about premieres.
Mona Zaki is also taking a place in the spotlight, receiving the festival’s Career Achievement Award after more than two decades across Egyptian film and television. Her masterclass adds another layer for audiences who want to look beyond the finished performance and into the craft behind it.
Away from the evening crowds, CineGouna is where the industry side gets particularly interesting. CineGouna Series makes its debut with six television projects from Egypt, Lebanon and Saudi Arabia, while CineGouna Funding considered more than 310 submissions across development and post-production.
There’s plenty happening behind the scenes.
Two new funding programmes, Egyptian Voices and Safe Harbour MENA, also widen the support available to filmmakers, including those who are forcibly displaced or at risk. For emerging creators across the Middle East, these programmes offer something far more valuable than a festival badge: access, mentorship and a route towards getting stories made.
Then there’s CineGouna Emerge. More than 1,000 applications arrived this year, with 118 participants from 14 nationalities selected to connect with industry leaders and develop their work. That makes the festival particularly relevant to the next generation of Arab cinema, not just established names walking the red carpet.
The conversations themselves are getting sharper too. CineGouna Forum will host around 35 engagements covering everything from gender and box office performance to who gets to tell a story, AI’s impact on cinema and even the export of laughter. Meanwhile, CineGouna Market will bring matchmaking, producer meetings and technical masterclasses into the mix.
Accessibility is another important part of this edition. Working with the Sawiris Foundation and Together Inclusive, GFF has developed The Plaza according to international accessibility standards, with the aim of creating a festival experience that welcomes audiences with disabilities.
By October, El Gouna will once again become a meeting point for cinema, creativity and conversation. With new programmes, established stars and a wider selection of regional voices, the ninth edition gives audiences plenty of reasons to make the Red Sea their next cultural escape!
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