El Gouna Film Festival 2025: Full Jury Lineup Announced
📅 Dates & Place
The 8th El Gouna Film Festival will take place in El Gouna, Egypt from October 16–24, 2025. The festival revealed the juries for all competitions: Feature Narrative, Feature Documentary, and Short Films—plus the Green Star prize and the NETPAC award for Best Asian Film.
🏆 Feature Narrative Competition Jury
President: Laila Eloui (Egypt) — beloved Egyptian star with 70+ films, 18 TV series, and 9 plays. Worked with icons like Youssef Chahine (Destiny), Sharif Arafa (Ya Mahla El Ayam), and Raafat El-Mihi (A Little Love… A Lot of Violence).
- Giona A. Nazzaro (Switzerland) — Artistic Director of the Locarno Film Festival; former Venice Critics’ Week general delegate; member of the European Film Academy.
- Rashid Masharawi (Palestine/France) — pioneering Palestinian filmmaker; Haifa (first Palestinian film in Cannes competition, 1996); recent collective film Zero Distance (2025) about Gaza.
- Kani Kusruti (India) — award-winning actor across Malayalam, Tamil, Hindi, and French cinema; won Kerala State Award and Moscow IFF Best Actress for Biriyaani (2020); active voice for equality and human rights.
- Nahuel Pérez Biscayart (Argentina) — acclaimed actor of 120 BPM (Cannes Grand Prix 2017), See You Up There, Persian Lessons (2020), and The People Next Door (2024).
🎥 Feature Documentary Competition Jury
President: Nicolas Philibert (France) — master of humanist documentaries like Louvre City and In the Land of the Deaf.
- Asmae El Moudir (Morocco) — director of the multi-award-winning The Mother of All Lies (Cannes 2023; Eye on Films, Golden Eye; Oscars shortlist).
- Sona Karapoghosyan (Armenia) — critic & programmer at Golden Apricot Yerevan IFF; curates programs for leading European archives and institutions.
- Mohamed Saïd Ouma (Réunion/Comoros) — executive director of Documentary Africa; long-time champion of African nonfiction cinema.
- Hala Galal (Egypt) — filmmaker and founder of Semat for indie production & distribution; awards for Women’s ChitChat and From Cairo.
🎬 Short Film Competition Jury
President: Mahdi Fleifel (Denmark/Palestine) — filmmaker of A World Not Ours and To an Unknown World (Directors’ Fortnight 2024; 20+ awards).
- Andrea Gatopoulos (Italy) — producer/director/distributor; 100+ shorts and 4 features; Cannes 2022 with the in-game film Happy New Year, Jim.
- Juliette Kahn (France) — Head of Short Films, Cannes Critics’ Week; leads the “Next Step” feature-development lab.
- Suad Bushnaq (Jordan/Canada) — multi-award-winning composer for 60+ films, screened at Venice, Locarno, Hot Docs, and more.
- Mostafa El Kashif (Egypt) — cinematographer/producer; Cairo IFF Best Artistic Contribution (19B); repeated selections at Cannes.
🌱 Green Star Award Jury
- Jana Wahbe (Lebanon) — producer and cultural activist; industry lead at Doha Film Institute’s Qumra.
- May Elghety (Egypt) — actor and EU Goodwill Ambassador for water conservation; known for socially impactful roles.
- Niklas Engstrøm (Denmark) — Artistic Director of CPH:DOX, one of the world’s leading documentary festivals.
🖊️ FIPRESCI (International Critics) Jury
- Omneya Adel (Egypt) — critic/programmer; executive editor of Al-Film; programmer at Aswan IFF and Cairo IFF.
- Pamela Cohn (Germany) — Berlin-based writer & story consultant; author of Lucid Dreaming: Conversations with 29 Filmmakers.
- Ramasanthan (Ramachandran) Pisharody (India) — National Film Award-winning critic (2006); author of 10 books on South Asian cinema.
🌏 NETPAC Jury (Best Asian Film)
President: Anne Démy-Geroe (Australia) — co-chair of NETPAC; co-director, APSA Screen Lab; founding artistic director of Brisbane IFF; scholar and educator of Asia-Pacific cinema.
- Jean-Marc Thérouanne (France) — co-founder & director of Vesoul International Film Festival of Asian Cinema; honored by Korea and France for cultural contributions.
- Hala Khalil (Egypt) — leading Egyptian director highlighting women’s voices; debut feature Best of Times (2004).
The NETPAC award honors the Best Asian Film.
🗣️ From the Artistic Director
Marianne Khoury said: “We are honored to welcome such a distinguished group of filmmakers and critics. Their diverse experience and deep love for cinema will help discover the strongest voices of this edition. El Gouna’s awards are a key launchpad for films and their creators.”
🎟️ Why It Matters
These juries bring global experience, fresh vision, and strong values—spanning art, craft, and sustainability. Their choices will shape careers and spotlight powerful stories from the region and the world.
📢 Final Thoughts
El Gouna Film Festival welcomes all jury members and thanks them for their commitment. Their work is a cornerstone of the festival’s mission: to celebrate cinema and deepen cultural exchange across the region.
