Since its inception, several CineGouna Platform alumni have made their mark regionally and internationally by winning acclaim and awards at prestigious international film festivals.
El Gouna Film Festival has announced the upcoming sixth edition of CineGouna SpringBoard, a project development and co-production platform. CineGouna SpringBoard is scheduled to run from October 14 to 19, 2023.
With more than 160 submissions received from across the Arab world, CineGouna SpringBoard underwent a rigorous selection process led by an expert committee. This review culminated in the selection of 13 projects in development, including seven narratives and six documentaries, along with seven films in post-production, encompassing two narratives and five documentaries. These chosen projects hail from nine Arab countries and are poised to compete for an array of cash and in-kind awards, totalling over $380,000.
Directors and producers behind these selected projects will have the opportunity to showcase their works in progress to producers, funding agencies, distributors, sales agents, and festival programmers. This platform provides a chance to receive constructive feedback, enabling them to refine their projects. Private meetings are also slated for filmmakers to engage with experts and mentors, facilitating the fine-tuning of their scripts or rough cuts, with the aim of improving their chances of regional and international cooperation. Ultimately, all the selected projects in development and films in post-production will contend for awards, decided by a jury of industry experts.
The distinguished jury for CineGouna SpringBoard 2023 comprises Tunisian producer Habib Attia, French producer Guillaume de Seille, and Egyptian director and screenwriter Hala Khalil.
The outstanding project in development and film in post-production will each secure a CineGouna Platform certificate along with a substantial cash prize of $15,000. Furthermore, additional awards and cash prizes will be presented through partnerships with local, regional, and international institutions.
To further enrich the creative journey, three cinema experts will guide the selected projects through direct supervision sessions aimed at nurturing the filmmakers’ capabilities. The experts for this sixth edition of CineGouna SpringBoard are Egyptian director Jihan El Tahri, French producer Marie Balducchi, and Palestinian director Najwa Najjar.
Intishal Al Tamimi, Director of El Gouna Film Festival, said: “We initially had concerns about the impact of the economic situation on the enthusiasm of partners and film institutions to support the projects participating in CineGouna SpringBoard, but we were surprised by the large turnout that brought the sum of awards to a record compared to all previous editions, which will certainly contribute to helping projects and supporting Arab cinema in general.”
The roster of selected projects for CineGouna SpringBoard 2023 includes a diverse array of titles, such as A Tale of a Feather and a Fish (Egypt), directed by Ahmed El-Hawarey; Assa, a Fish in a Bowl (Lebanon, France, Denmark), directed by Dahlia Nemlich; Girl of Wind (Tunisia), directed by Moufida Fedhila; So the Lovers Could Come Out Again (Lebanon), directed by George Peter Barbari; Specters of Alhoot (Sudan), directed by Ahmad Mahmoud; Crocodopolis (Egypt, Germany, USA), directed by Omar Manjouneh; In the Name of Safia (Belgium, France), directed by Safia Kessas; The 4 Choices of Albert (Egypt), directed and produced by Hala Galal; Spring Came on Laughing (Egypt, France), directed by Noha Adel; Tunis-Djerba (Tunisia, France, Qatar), directed by Amel Guellaty; Land of Women (Egypt, France, Denmark, Saudi Arabia, Qatar), directed by Nada Riyadh and Ayman El Amir; and Sudan, When Poems Fall Apart (France, Tunisia), directed by Hind Meddeb, among many others.
