El-Gouna Film Festival’s  announced 11 Internationally award-winning films in the lineup of its second edition, which opens 20 September.

The films were featured top festivals this year, such as Cannes, the Berlinale, Sundance, and Rotterdam, with productions from Japan, Italy, Poland, Australia and Denmark, among others.

Several films have won awards at Cannes, including the winner of the Palme d’Or, Shoplifters, directed by Hirokazu Kore-eda, which, according to the press release, is a highlight in the festival's selection.

This year, the festival is eliciting high expectations.

“El-Gouna Film Festival has unlimited ambitions and the ability to fulfill them. We set the bar high in our inaugural edition and are working hard to raise it a notch or two this year," festival director Intishal El-Tamimi has said.

The line up of award-winning international films includes:

Shoplifters, directed by Hirokazu Kore-eda
Japan
Winner of the Palme d’Or at Cannes

Cold War, directed by Pawel Pawlikowski
Poland, France, UK
Winner of Best Director Award at Cannes

Dogman, directed by Matteo Garrone
Italy, France
Winner of Best Actor Award for Marcello Fonte at Cannes

Happy as Lazzaro, directed by Alice Rohrwacher
Italy, Switzerland, France, Germany
Winner of Best Screenplay at Cannes

Samouni Road, directed by Stefano Savona
Italy
Winner of the Golden Eye Documentary Prize at Cannes

All These Creatures, directed by Charles Williams
Australia
Winner of the Short Film Palme d’Or at Cannes

Mug, directed by Małgorzata Szumowska
Poland
Winner of the Silver Bear Award at the Berlinale

The Heiresses, directed by Marcelo Martinessi
Paraguay
Winner of the Silver Bear for Best Actress and Alfred Bauer Prize at the Berlinale

Of Fathers and Sons, directed by Talal Derki
Syria, Germany
Winner of Best Documentary at Sundance

Winter Flies, directed by Olmo Omerzu
Czech Republic
Winner of Best Director at the Karlovy Vary Festival

The Guilty, directed by Gustave Moller
Denmark
Winner of Audience Award at the Rotterdam Film Festival and Sundance

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