CineGouna Market is a hub housing already established segments of the festival: CineGouna Springboard and the CineGouna Bridge activities.

The market will receive a new space under the arches of the Plaza, and will include a large auditorium in which master classes will be held and two smaller venues to conduct daily discussions.

"The Festival Plaza is set to be the go-to destination for festival attendees and a nurturing ground for the next generation of filmmakers in the MENA region," the GFF organizers said in a press statement.

The CineGouna Market introduces a new workspace for both established and emerging voices in the Arab film industry, including producers, distributors, sales agents, and VOD platforms. Booths within the market will serve as a platform for showcasing the line-ups, projects, infrastructure, services, new technologies and initiatives of these organizations and institutions, the statement noted. 

The CineGouna Market aims to provide an environment that encourages networking and relationship-building among filmmakers, distributors, sales agents, investors, and other key stakeholders, within the region as well as internationally.

The press release added: "A highlight within the market will be the CineGouna Short Film Lounge, where a curated selection of short films will be available for viewing with dedicated screening times during the day."

Following the postponement of the 2022 edition, El-Gouna Film Festival announced its sixth edition will take place between 13 and 20 October 2023.

The festival continues to be held under the patronage of El Gouna founder, engineer Samih Sawiris and is presented by Orascom Development, a leading developer of fully integrated destinations in Europe and the Middle East and North Africa, with the support of festival founder, engineer Naguib Sawiris.