The ceremony started with Ahmed Al-Ghandour – known for his famous internet show Al-Daheeh – performance with his unique style telling a story about the art of cinema, followed by a short film screening Asl Al-Hekaya (The Origin of the Story), GFF’s made film about the tales and themes of cinema.  

The ceremony was presented by actors Basma and Sedky Sakhr, who introduced the official sponsors of the GFF for this edition. Following that, a musical medley was performed by singers Mohamed Al-Sharnouby, Nouran Abu Taleb, and Hana Yousry, presenting several timeless songs from Egyptian cinema. 

Following its annual practice, the GFF screened a short video In Memory of the Departed for cinematic figures who passed away last year. 

Director Inas El-Degheidy took the stage to deliver the Creative Achievement Award to the renowned actor Mahmoud Hemeida after very touching words about the artist who offered a lot to Egyptian cinema. This was followed by a tribute video showcasing some of his powerful film scenes. 

"I want to thank the renowned actors, Yousra, Lebleba, Elham Shaheen, and Hussein Fahmy,” Hemeida said.

“I always dreamt that I would found a film festival in a coastal city and I had in mind Marsa Allam in particular, but I couldn’t achieve my dream, but I’m happy that Naguib and Samih Sawiris did it and made this dream a reality and I’m looking forward for more success and years to come for the GFF," he added.

Founder of the GFF Naguib Sawiris along with his brother founder of El Gouna City Samih Sawiris gave a humorous joint speech where the latter said, “GFF is more than just an artistic event; it manifests our dream of creating a community that brings together artists from around the world to help in deeper understanding between nations.”

 “We are here today to affirm that cinema is not merely entertainment, but a genuine tool for change and human connection. Through the El Gouna Festival, we open doors for creativity and enhance cultural dialogue; the world has enough wars and we all hope that the world would come to peace soon after the horrific events that have been taking place in Gaza and Lebanon,” Naguib then stated.

Executive Director of the El Gouna Festival Amr Mansi and the Artistic Director of GFF Marianne Khoury also took the stage together.

"Over the past years, the GFF has become a platform and a mirror of the humanitarian issues that affect us all. Today, we embark on the festival's seventh edition after much effort from our entire team to deliver a true cinematic experience. I would like to extend my greetings to the Lebanese people for their resilience," Mansi noted.

Khoury expressed her happiness to launch the GFF’s 7th edition, saying: “I am proud to launch the seventh edition despite the numerous challenges facing the festival industry in Egypt and the Arab world. GFF succeeded in creating a balanced programme of 83 films from 48 countries, including feature films, documentaries, and short films.” 

Khoury also announced this year’s juries who are cinema industry professionals from different places around the world. The Feature Narrative Competition jury includes Nandita Das, president of the jury, an actress, and film director from India, with members like Charles Tesson, a film critic and an academic from France; Sibel Kekilli, an actress from Germany; Algerian director Sofia Djama; and the Egyptian actress Menna Shalaby.

For the Feature Documentary Competition, the jury is headed by Lebanese filmmaker Eliane Raheb alongside Moroccan director and producer Hicham Falah, film industry consultant Jérôme Paillard, Tunisian filmmaker Nejib Belkadhi, and German director and producer Steffi Niederzoll. 

The Short Film Competition jury members include Egyptian actress Amina Khalil, Palestinian actress and filmmaker Lina Soualem, Egyptian actor Amir El-Masry, Sam Manasca, a producer and a film programmer from the Philippines, and Jordanian actress Rakeen Saad. 

El Gouna Green Star jury members include Egyptian actress Tara Emad, Annemiek van der Hell, a producer from the Netherlands, and Egyptian actor and filmmaker Ahmed Magdy.

The FIPRESCI jury members who recognize exceptional cinema among debut filmmakers from Africa, Asia, and South America are headed by Sudanese film critic Arwa Tag Eldeen, Portuguese film critic Francisco Ferriera, and Brazilian film critic Leticia Alassë. 

And finally, the NETPAC jury is headed by Azerbaijani filmmaker Asif Rustamov, Slovakian film curator Ludmila Cvikova, and Iraqi-Swedish journalist and film critic Kais Kasim. 

The ceremony concluded with the screening of the 14-minute short Croatian film The Man Who Couldn’t Remain Silent, directed by Nebojsa Slijepcevic.