Returning with a dynamic lineup and expanded programming, this year’s edition reaffirms GFF’s status as one of the most important cultural events in the Arab world and a key platform for both international and regional cinema.
The festival will open with Happy Birthday, a film by Egyptian director Sarah Goher that has already won awards at the Tribeca Film Festival, where it premiered.
The festival will then showcase a wide range of films, including several world premieres such as Burning Dust (Kurdistan) directed by Ibrahim Saeedi, Love Imagined (Egypt) by Sarah Rozik, and Tomoshibi (Italy) by Lorenzo Squarcia.
One of the most anticipated films is The Gentlemen (Al Sadah Al Afadel), an Egyptian production directed by Karim El-Shenawy.
The Feature Narrative Competition presents 13 films that showcase global voices, with a focus on personal, political, and socially resonant stories.
Highlights include Jim Jarmusch’s Venice-winning Father Mother Sister Brother (USA), Mohamed Siam’s My Father’s Scent (Egypt), and the emotional debut Lucky Lu (USA, Canada) by Choi Lloyd Lee.
The Feature Documentary Competition features 12 films, including Gianfranco Rosi’s Below the Clouds (Italy), Sepideh Farsi’s Put Your Soul on Your Hand and Walk (France), and the Egyptian entry Life After Siham by Namir Abdel Messeeh (France, Egypt). These documentaries address urgent issues ranging from Gaza to climate change, with a focus on human rights and resilience.
It is also worth underlining other Egyptian titles that will be screened across competitive and official sections.
The Feature Narrative Competition includes The Settlement, Mohamed Rashad’s debut thriller. Inspired by real events, the film delves into the mystery surrounding a workplace death.
The Feature Documentary Competition also presents an intimate, deeply personal story: 50 Meters by Yomna Khattab, a film which captures a journey of family reconciliation.
Window on Palestine
Now in its third year, the Window on Palestine programme remains one of the GFF's most powerful and timely sections.
The 2025 edition features From Ground Zero, a compilation of films selected by Rashid Masharawi under the Masharawi Fund for Films and Filmmakers in Gaza.
Produced under extreme conditions, these works offer raw, intimate glimpses into the everyday lives, struggles, and resilience of Palestinians living amid ongoing devastation.
As Artistic Director Marianne Khoury stated, "cinema has a profound power to document and to heal" — a sentiment echoed by Masharawi, who called these films a "lifeline when the world failed us."
In addition to Window on Palestine, another film, Put Your Soul on Your Hand and Walk, by Iranian director Sepideh Farsi, depicts life in Gaza during the Israeli war, told through video calls with Palestinian photojournalist Fatima Hassouna, who was tragically killed by Israeli forces shortly after the film’s Cannes selection.
Honourees
This year’s Career Achievement Award will be presented to acclaimed Egyptian actress Menna Shalaby, honouring over two decades of work across film and television.
The festival also welcomes two-time Academy Award winner Cate Blanchett as its Guest of Honour.
A UNHCR Global Goodwill Ambassador, Blanchett’s presence highlights the festival’s theme of Cinema for Humanity.
Blanchett will also receive the inaugural Champion of Humanity Award during the El Gouna Film Festival.
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