The El Gouna Film Festival has officially announced its first 10 selections for the upcoming ninth edition, scheduled to take place from October 15 to 23 in the scenic Red Sea resort town of El Gouna, Egypt. This year’s lineup features a diverse array of films from both established masters and first-time feature directors, showcasing movies that have made headlines at prestigious festivals such as Cannes, Berlin, Sundance, and Karlovy Vary.
A Celebration of Global Cinema
Among the noteworthy titles is Hamaguchi Ryusuke’s “All of a Sudden,” a French-Japanese-German-Belgian co-production. The film stars Virginie Efira as a nursing home director in the Parisian suburbs who faces resistance while implementing a humane care approach; her life undergoes a profound transformation after encountering a terminally ill Japanese playwright played by Okamoto Tao. At Cannes, the film garnered a best actress award for both Efira and Okamoto.
Pawel Pawlikowski, known for his acclaimed works “Ida” and “Cold War,” makes his presence felt with “Fatherland.” This German-Polish-Italian-French production stars Sandra Hüller and Hanns Zischler as Erika and Thomas Mann, who embark on a road trip across post-war Europe. The film received a shared best director prize at Cannes.
Compelling Narratives and Diverse Perspectives
Another prominent entry is “American Doctor,” directed by Poh Si Teng. The documentary follows three American doctors of various backgrounds who enter Gaza to save lives, risking everything to shed light on the truth. Teng, who previously produced the Oscar-nominated “St. Louis Superman” and served as an Emmy-winning executive producer on “Patrice: The Movie,” premiered this film at Sundance, where it won both the Amnesty International Award and the Peter Wintonick Audience Award at the Thessaloniki International Documentary Festival.
Joaquín del Paso’s “The Garden We Dreamed” tells the story of a Haitian family that settles in a forest in Mexico ravaged by illegal logging, depicting their fragile moments of love and resilience. This film, which screened at Berlinale, won the Golden Biznaga for Best Ibero-American Film and received Silver Biznaga honors for Best Director and Cinematography at the Málaga International Film Festival.
Emerging Talents and Debut Features
Mads Mengel’s feature debut “The Guest” focuses on new parents whose plans to reveal their baby’s name are disrupted when the father’s estranged mother shows up unannounced. This Danish film won the Best Director Prize and a Special Jury Award at Karlovy Vary.
Myrsini Aristidou’s debut feature “Hold Onto Me” revolves around an 11-year-old girl who seeks out her estranged father to form a bond with him. This Cyprus-Denmark-Greece co-production won the audience award in the World Cinema Dramatic category at Sundance.
A Rich Tapestry of Stories
In “Queen at Sea,” Juliette Binoche stars in a poignant narrative about a family pushed to their limits as a mother’s worsening dementia raises challenging questions about care decisions. This U.K.-U.S. production won the Silver Bear Jury Prize at Berlinale, alongside a Silver Bear for Best Supporting Performance awarded to Tom Courtenay and Anna Calder-Marshall.
Markus Schleinzer’s “Rose,” Austria’s submission for the Best International Feature at the 2027 Academy Awards, centers on a stranger who infiltrates a war-torn village under the guise of a farmer while hiding a significant deception. Sandra Hüller earned a Silver Bear for Best Leading Performance for her role at Berlinale.
The lineup is rounded out by “Who Killed Alex Odeh?” directed by William Lafi Youmans and Jason Osder. This documentary revisits the cold case of the Palestinian American community leader Alex Odeh, who was killed in a bombing four decades ago. A journalist uncovers buried records in an effort to solve the mystery, earning the Jury Award for Journalistic Excellence and the Producers Award for Nonfiction at Sundance.
Exciting Future Announcements
Completing the initial selection is İlker Çatak’s “Yellow Letters,” a German-French production that examines the strain on a celebrated artist couple’s marriage following a troubling incident at their play’s premiere. This film secured the Golden Bear at Berlinale.
As El Gouna’s artistic director Andrew Mohsen noted, “These 10 films speak to each other in unexpected ways, through family, identity, and the quiet acts of courage it takes to hold onto both or to pursue the truth. That’s what El Gouna has always been about, bringing stories from all over the world into the same room, connecting audiences and filmmakers.” Further additions to the program are expected to be revealed in the coming weeks.
