CineGouna Funding announces the selected project 2025

El Gouna Film Festival is proud to announce the projects selected for CineGouna Funding as part of its 8th edition taking place from October 16 to 24, 2025. This year, the program received over 290 submissions from across the Arab world. Following a rigorous review process, a panel of distinguished experts selected 12 projects in development (7 narratives, 4 documentaries, and 1 hybrid) and 7 films in post-production (1 narrative, 5 documentaries, and 1 hybrid). Selections were 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.

CineGouna Funding 8th edition jury will consist of:

Isona Passola - Producer, cinema industry expert, and former President of the Catalan Film Academy (Spain)

Ahmed Amer - Filmmaker, screenwriter, and producer (Egypt)

Lamia Chraibi - Producer and Founder of Tamayouz Atelier (Morocco)

During the program, directors and producers present their projects-in-progress to leading producers, funding bodies, distributors, sales agents, and festival programmers, receiving invaluable professional consultations. One-on-one meetings are also held with industry experts to review scripts and rough cuts, significantly strengthening opportunities for international collaboration.

The selected projects will benefit from a valuable mentoring program, to develop their pitching skills and film strategies, with the guidance of Ayman El Amir, filmmaker and script expert, and Brigid O'Shea, head of the Documentary Association of Europe (DAE). In addition, for films in post-production, expert editors Heba Othman and Melissa Parry will provide specialized consultations.


Speaking about CineGouna Funding, Amr Mansi, Co-founder and Executive director of El Gouna Film Festival said, "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, commented: "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".


Here is the list of the selected projects:

PROJECTS IN DEVELOPMENT


1. 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 Laâmouri


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. It aims to present a diverse selection of films from around the world, with a particular focus on Arab cinema, to an engaged and knowledgeable audience. The festival seeks to foster 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.