El-Gouna Film Festival's jury members of the fourth edition, taking place between 23 and 31 October, have been announced on Monday merging a group of internationally-acclaimed filmmakers and critics to judge the three main competitions.

The Feature Narrative Competition jury, headed by English filmmaker Peter Webber, of Kingdoms of Fires, combines acclaimed Egyptian actor and filmmaker Asser Yassin, award-winning Sudanese filmmaker Amjad Abu Alala, of You Will Die at Twenty in addition to acclaimed Rodrigo Sepúlveda, from Chile of My Tender Matador (2020) and producer Thierry Lenouvel, of Mediterranean Film Festival of Montpellier.

Under the helm of producer Marie-Pierre Macia, of Cannes' Quinzaine des Réalisateurs, the Feature Documentary Competition jury consists of acclaimed Egyptian director Marianne Khoury and award-winning Lebanese editor and director Simon El-Habre, of The One Man Village and Gate #5.

Also among the jury are Bernard Karl, director of the Berlin-based independent film festival 'Around The World in 14 Films' and  the head of the International Program at the Munich International Film Festival (Filmfest München), and Freddy Olsson, the Swedish producer and programmer of Göteborg Film Festival. 

The short film competition combines renowned Indian actor Ali Fazal, French screenwriter and producer Guillaume de Seille, Syrian actress Kinda Alloush and Senegalese actress Mareme N'Diaye, under the leadership of Tunisian filmmaker Raja Amari, who was announced a member of the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences.

For the second year in a row, the GFF hosts the Network for the Promotion of Asian Cinema (NETPAC) jury, consisting of Moscow-based film critic Andrey Vasilenko, Rome-based director and curator Italo Spinelli; and Egyptian writer and film critic Magdy El-Tayeb as well as the International Federation of Film Critics (FIPRESCI) jury; critics Rami El-Metwalli, Bitopan Borborah,; and director Pierre-Simon Gutman.

With at least 45 films set to screen, the fourth edition of the El-Gouna Film Festival will see strict safety measures in addition to minimised capacity to many outdoor activities amid the “challenging circumstances” of the coronavirus pandemic.

The festival is held in El-Gouna, a luxurious Red Sea resort town established by businessman Samih Sawiris. The film festival’s activities are organised by the CineGouna Platform and sponsored by Orascom Development Holding.

Amid strict safety measures to avoid the spreading of COVID-19, Egypt resumed cultural activities in July with most public events held at outdoor venues.

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