The fifth edition of the El Gouna Film Festival kicked off on Thursday and will run till October 22, with the participation of filmmakers from 44 countries around the world.

The opening ceremony started with a speech delivered by Red Sea Governor Amr Hanafy who welcomed the attendees and foreign guests, noting that Egypt is safe despite the world countries’ suffering from the coronavirus.

This year, the festival honors Egyptian Actor Ahmed El-Sakka and Palestinian actor, director and producer Muhammad Bakri, who will receive the Creative Achievement Award, an award dedicated to filmmakers whose work and commitment to cinema has left an indelible mark in their creative career.

Also, a documentary film was screened about the theatrical, dramatic and cinema works of late actor Samir Ghanem who died from a coronavirus infection several months ago.

According to a statement, the festival this year is witnessing the addition of a new competition, the “Green El Gouna Star” for environmental and wildlife films, and the sciences related to them. “Hidden Demons,” the Dutch film “The Silence of the Waves,” and the “Costa Brava,” a Lebanese-French-Spanish-Norwegian co-production.

This year, 16 films will participate in the feature film competition, 10 films will be shown in the long documentaries competition, 23 films will participate in the short films competition, 20 films will be shown in the official selection screening program, and 12 films will compete for prizes. The list of the special screening program includes six films from each of: Germany, Poland, Denmark, Switzerland, France and Norway.

Source: State Information Service Egypt