The opening started with a grand ceremony at Sunrise Garden Beach Resort attended by several notable guests, including Amr Hanafi, the Governor of the Red Sea Governorate; the festival's president Mohamed El Bassousi, alongside several distinguished guests from the worlds of film and media. 

The ceremony included a performance by Ahmed Al-Jabali, who played pieces from the soundtracks of five internationally renowned films.

Honours and tributes
 

During the evening, the festival honoured several figures in the film industry, celebrating their contributions to cinema: Egyptian film producer Hisham Abdel-Khalek, film director Sandra Nashaat, and Lebanese actress Diamand Bou Abboud.

Born in 1979, Abdel-Khalek is the founder of Al Masa Media Production in Abu Dhabi, Dubai, and Egypt, and a member of the Egyptian Chamber of Cinema Industry. 

He is known for producing celebrated films, such as Tito, El-Gezira 1 & 2, and The Passage. He was also among the producers of Sheikh Jackson (2017), selected as the Egyptian entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 90th Academy Awards, but it was not nominated.

Abboud's acting career spans nearly 30 films and television series. She came to the international limelight with Ziad Doueiri's film The Insult (2017), which screened in the main competition section of the 74th Venice International Film Festival, and was selected as the Lebanese entry for the Best Foreign Language Film, after which the film was nominated for the Oscar at the 90th Academy Awards.

The same year she starred alongside Hiam Abbass, in Belgian director Philippe Van Leeuw's film Insyriated, which screened in the Panorama section at the 67th Berlin International Film Festival, where it won the Audience Award. The film won her the Best Actress Award at the Cairo International Film Festival.

Lessons from the best
 

A recent addition to this edition is the festival’s establishment of an annual programme to highlight the graduation projects of leading directors from the Higher Institute of Cinema, who have played a significant role in the evolution of the film industry throughout its history.

This year, the graduation projects of three renowned directors will be screened: Sandra Nashaat’s Last Winter, starring Mona Zaki; Hany Lasheen’s The Boat, starring Omar Sharif; and Amir Ramsis’s Downtown, starring Amr Saad.

This programme aligns with the festival’s tribute to Nashaat, who is celebrated for her iconic films such as Malaky Eskendria (2005) starring Ahmed Ezz, Nour, Ghada Adel, Khaled Saleh, Mohamed Ragab, and Reham Abdel-Ghafour. Her film Masgoon Tranzit (2008) featured Ahmed Ezz and Nour El-Sherif, while El-Maslaha (The Deal, 2012) starred Ahmed El-Sakka, Ahmed Ezz, and Hanan Turk. 

Lasheen's The Boat was his first collaboration with Sharif. The duo met again in Ayoub (1983), a film based on a novel by Naguib Mahfouz, and then in their most remarkable work The Puppeteer (Al-Aragoz, 1989). Lasheen also directed numerous television series, with his latest ones being Back to You, Alexandria (2005) and The Pasha's House (2010). 

47 films in competition
 

The festival will showcase 47 films across its various competitions, including feature films, short films, and student projects.

The Feature Film Competition will present nine entries from across the globe. Highlights include the Egyptian film Trocadero, directed by Gasser Gado, and the Moroccan film The Slave, directed by Abdellah El Jouhary.

Other notable films include Russia’s The Challenge by Klim Shipenko, the Indian film Poovu by Aneesh Babu, and Malaysia’s Oppa by Daniel Chong.

The feature films competition jury includes filmmakers Hany Lasheen (Egypt), Liela Ibrahim (Sudan), Emanuele Gerosa (Italy), Sandra Gysi (Switzerland), and Dean of the Higher Institute of Cinema Eman Younis (Egypt).

In the Short Film Competition, 20 films from different countries will vie for top honours.

Italian cinema is represented by The Stolen Embrace, directed by Simone Gazzola, and Run, directed by Filippo Lupino. Argentina contributes Cecilia’s Diary by Valerie Leonisberg, while Syria enters with Bitter Sweetness by Zaher Quseibati, I Could Have Lived Because of You by Hossam Jalilati, and Amani directed by Mohamed Samir Tahan.

Additionally, films from Morocco, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Oman, and Egypt round out the competition, offering stories that explore the human experience from diverse perspectives.

The jury in charge of choosing the best short film consists of directors Khaled Bahgat (Egypt), Hammad Alzoubi (Jordan), and Nazar Shaheed (Iraq).

Eye on youth
 

An important component of the festival is films by the up-and-coming young directors. 

The Student Film Competition will highlight 18 films, featuring international works like the German film Inside the Box, directed by Yazan Al Naqdali, and Three Colours from Croatia, directed by Lina Gredelic. Tunisian filmmaker Momen Mansour competes with Naturalis.

Egypt’s presence is strong, with entries such as Phantom by Ziad Al-Azzazi, Super Bad Boy by Mohamed Adel, and Before I Forget by Ghazal Abdullah, all spotlighting the creativity of the nation’s emerging talents.

The Egyptian filmmaker Omar Abdelaziz, producer Mohamed El-Adl, and cinematographer Hussein Bakr are the jury members in charge of the student films competition.

The festival emphasizes youth-focused themes and recognizes the significance of first-time filmmakers. Besides its major awards, this year, the festival will also present the "Green Award," a special prize for films that promote environmental awareness and climate preservation.

Hurghada Youth Film Festival 2nd edition continues until 25 September. The festival is organized by the Arts for Culture and Media Foundation and supported by the Ministries of Culture, Tourism, Youth, and Sports, the Red Sea Governorate, alongside several sponsors.