The Special Edition will include a special programme dedicated to Palestinian cinema, organized in collaboration with the Palestine Film Institute.
This segment aims to "shed light on the current situation and inhumane conditions in Gaza," the festival revealed.
The festival will also hold a fundraising dinner during which donations for humanitarian aid efforts in Gaza will be collected and presented to the Egyptian Red Crescent.
While the festival is known for its glamourous red carpet and parties, the Special Edition will not hold any celebrations, "reaffirming El-Gouna Film Festival's solidarity with the Palestinian people," the festival’s press release added.
While focusing on Palestinian cinema, the Special Edition will also proceed with its regular programming of film screenings, workshops, etc, announced prior to the festival's postponement.
This year’s edition of the festival was originally scheduled to take place 13-20 October but was postponed only three days before it was set to open till the end of October, with the organizers citing the outbreak of the Israeli war on Gaza.
A few days later, the festival was postponed indefinitely, with the organizers announcing that they would donate EGP 5 million ($161,000) "to fortify the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Gaza, in partnership with the Sawiris Foundation for Social Development and the Egyptian Red Crescent Society."
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