El Gouna Film Festival Emphasizes Humanitarian Causes in 8th Edition

The eighth edition of the El Gouna Film Festival (GFF) opened in Hurghada, Egypt, with a significant focus on humanitarian issues, particularly food security, through a partnership with the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP). The festival's central theme, "Cinema for Humanity," aligns with the WFP's mission, and the "Bread" Short Film Competition serves as a platform to raise awareness and drive action against regional food insecurity. The festival aims to foster emerging film talents and support various causes, including refugees, women empowerment, and sustainability.

Key Takeaways:

• The El Gouna Film Festival has adopted food security as its central theme for the 2025 edition, aligning with the United Nations World Food Programme's mission.
• The festival's "Bread" Short Film Competition serves as a platform to inspire Arab filmmakers to raise awareness and drive action against regional food insecurity.
• The festival features around 70 films from around the world and various activities held under the CineGouna Platform, aiming to foster emerging film talents with 20 selected projects.
• Co-founder Naguib Sawiris emphasized the importance of addressing food insecurity in countries such as Gaza and Sudan, highlighting the festival's focus on humanitarian causes.
• The GFF started in 2017 with "cinema for humanity" as its permanent cause, and has been supporting various humanitarian causes, including refugees, women empowerment, and sustainability.

Statistics:

• The festival will run until October 24, 2025.
• The festival features around 70 films from around the world.
• The CineGouna Platform aims to foster emerging film talents with 20 selected projects.
• The festival has been in operation since 2017, with a permanent cause of "cinema for humanity."
• The WFP reportedly works in over 80 countries worldwide.

Sources:

• [Xinhua via COMTEX, October 17, 2025]