Still from the Golden Star winning film The Blind Man Who Did Not Want to See Titanic
The 5th El Gouna Film Festival kicked off on 16 October, a day after a fire erupted on its Plaza Theatre causing partial damage that was quickly renovated before the opening.
During the closing ceremony, the founder of El Gouna Samih Sawiris honoured workers from Orascom and firefighters who put down the fire. He also thanked the health ministry saying “the ministry of health supported the festival and I can announce that by the end of the festival, we recorded only four cases of coronvirus.”
Founder of the festival Naguib Sawiris announced the Cinema for Humanity Award paying tribute for his late father Onsi Sawiris that went for the film Ostrov-Lost Island.
Actress Elham Shahine was welcomed on stage, paying a tribute to late script writer Wahid Hamed and later a short documentary was screened featuring the work of Hamed alongside some comments by actors like Youssra, Mona Zaki, filmmaker Mohamed Yassin and his son director Marwan Hamed.
The awards of 5th El Gouna Film Festival are as follows:
Feature Narrative competition
Golden Star
The Blind Man Who Did Not Want to See Titanic
by Teemu Nikki
Silver Star
Sun Down
by Michel Franco (Mexico, France, Sweden)
Bronze Star
Captain Volkongov Escaped
by Aleksey Chupov, Natasha Merkulova
(Russia, Estonia, France)
Best Arab Narrative Film
Feathers
by Omar El Zohairy (Egypt)
Best Actress
Petri Poikolainen for Playground
Best Actor
Perri Poikonainen for The Blind Man Who Did Not Want to See Titanic
Feature Documentary Competition
Gold
Life of Ivana
by Renato Borrayo Serrano
(Russia, Norway, Estonia, Finland)
Silver
Ostrov - Lost Island
by Svetlana Rodina, Laurent Stoop
(Switzerland)
Bronze
Sabaya
by Hogir Hirori
(Sweden)
Best Arab Documentary Film
Captains of Za’atari
by Ali El Arabi
Special Mention
The Rain Will Never Stop
by Alina Gorlova
Short Film Competition
Special Mention
actress Aisha Al Rifaectress for Nour Shams directed by FaizaAmbah
(Saudi Arabia, United Kingdom, United States)
Best Arab Short Film
Cai-Ber
by Ahmed Abdelsalam
(Egypt, United Kingdom)
Bronze
On Solid Ground
by Jela Hasler
(Switzerland)
Silver
Holy Son
by Aliosha Massine
(Italy)
Gold
Katia
by Andrey Natotcinskiy
(Russia)
NetPac - Special Mention
Once Upon a Time in Calcutta
byAditya Vikram Sengupta
(India)
NetPac Award
Captain Volkongov Escaped
by Aleksey Chupov, Natasha Merkulova
(Russia, Estonia, France)
FIPRESCI award and the Green Star
Costa Brava
by Mounia Akl
(Lebanon)
Khaled Beshara Award
Adel
by Dina El Elimy
El Gouna Green Star
Costa Brava
by Mounia Akl
(Lebanon)
Cinema For Humanity award
Ostrove: Lost Island
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