El Gouna Film Festival unveiled the opening slate of 10 films selected for its ninth edition, scheduled to take place October 15-23 in the Red Sea resort town of El Gouna, Egypt. The programming draws from recent major international film festivals, including Cannes, Berlin, Sundance, and Karlovy Vary, and encompasses both acclaimed auteurs and first-time feature filmmakers.
Hamaguchi Ryusuke’s “All of a Sudden” is among the selections, a French-Japanese-German-Belgian co-production featuring Virginie Efira as a nursing home director in the Parisian suburbs who implements a new care approach. The film previously won recognition at Cannes, with both Efira and co-star Okamoto Tao receiving acting honors. Pawel Pawlikowski, known for “Ida” and “Cold War,” is represented with “Fatherland,” a German-Polish-Italian-French production following a post-war European journey and starring Sandra Hüller and Hanns Zischler as Erika and Thomas Mann. The film shared the best director prize at Cannes.
The lineup also includes documentaries and narrative features from international filmmakers. “American Doctor” examines three American physicians working in Gaza, combining dramatic storytelling with investigative elements. Joaquín del Paso’s “The Garden We Dreamed” portrays a Haitian family navigating life in a Mexican forest affected by illegal logging. Additional selections include Mads Mengel’s directorial debut “The Guest,” Myrsini Aristidou’s “Hold Onto Me,” Lance Hammer’s “Queen at Sea” with Juliette Binoche, and Markus Schleinzer’s “Rose,” which represents Austria in the 2027 Academy Awards consideration.
The festival’s artistic director Andrew Mohsen characterized the selections as interconnected through themes of family, identity, and acts of courage. He emphasized the festival’s mission to bring international stories together and facilitate connections between audiences and filmmakers. Additional program announcements are expected in the coming weeks.
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