28/10/2025 - El Gouna Film Festival’s lab and pitching platform handed prizes to projects from the MENA region with European participation

The 2025 edition of CineGouna Funding (17-23 October), a lab and pitching platform for projects in development and post-production organised during the El Gouna Film Festival (16-24 October) in Egypt, just opened an autumn season of big festivals in the Arab region, as it will be followed by gatherings in Marrakesh, Cairo, Doha, Jeddah and Tunis. These festivals come along with industry events and labs that offer both cash and in-kind support for projects at different stages of development and production.

This year, CineGouna Funding saw a record number of over 200 applications, which shows not only that film production in the region is consistently growing, but also that there is interest in seeking European partners. Ahmed Shawky, head of CineGouna Funding, said: “During this edition, the filmmakers of the 19 participating projects held 114 individual meetings with companies, institutions and international festivals participating in the festival. They benefited from a training program designed according to the needs of each project, which makes everyone a beneficiary, whether they win one of the platform’s prizes or not.”

The jury consisting of producers Isona Passola (Spain), Lamia Chraibi (Morocco) and writer, director and producer Ahmed Amer (Egypt), after consulting with the sponsoring companies, distributed 29 awards to 17 out of 19 projects selected this year.

The main prize, the CineGouna Platform Award of 15,000 USD in cash for a project in development, went to hybrid film The Salt of South (Tunisia/France/Belgium/Denmark/Qatar) directed by Rami Jarboui. The documentary The North Wind (Lebanon), directed by Eliane Raheb, received the same award, but as a project in post-production.

Other fiction projects in development awarded are I Am Afraid to Meet You Someday (Egypt) directed by Khaled Mansour (Seeking Haven for Mr. Rambo), which won a 10,000 USD cash grant from Film Square. Another Egyptian project, Animals by Morad Mostafa (Aisha Can’t Fly Away), bagged awards for in-kind services from Shift Studios and invitation to a French film festival from the French embassy and the French Institute.

Director Cynthia Sawma, working on Your Turn, 203 (Lebanon/France), was given three cash grants: from Arab Radio&Television (ART), the Red Sea Foundation and Rise Studios. Asaa (France) directed by Valentin Noujaïm received a script development grant from Sard and a MG for sales and distribution from MAD Solutions. Blue Card (Sudan/Egypt/Saudi Arabia/Germany), directed by Mohammed Alomda, won a cash grant from Big Bang Studios. Holy Cow (Morocco), directed by Asmae El Moudir (The Mother of All Lies) received an invitation to the Durban Film Mart and an online invitation to TFL Next from Torino Film Lab & IEFTA. Occupational Hazards (Jordan/UK/Saudi Arabia), directed by Bassel Ghandour, pocketed a cash grant from New Century Production.

Among the selected documentaries in development, Besso (Iraq/Denmark), directed by Muslim Habeeb, Disappeared (France/Syria/Lebanon/Iraq), directed by Anas Zawahri, Four Tales of Love (Egypt), directed by Maged Atta, and Gezira, On the Line (Saudi Arabia/Egypt/Sudan), directed by Rana Matar, were singled out with grants and invitations.

Finally, projects in post-production were awarded, too: the feature hybrid Pipes (Lebanon) by Karim Kassem, the narrative feature Halima (Morroco) by Yassine El Idrissi, the feature documentary Concrete Land (Jordan/Palestine) by Asmahan Bkerat, and the feature documentary American Dream: The Return of Captain Kabonga (Egypt/Saudi Arabia) directed by Amir El-Shenawy.  

The full list of award winners:

Cinegouna Platform Award for a project in development 
The Salt of the South - Rami Jarboui (Tunisia/France/Belgium/Denmark/Qatar)
Production: Ramzi Laâmouri (Phi Films)

Cinegouna Platform Award for a project in post-production 
The North Wind - Eliane Raheb (Lebanon) 
Production: Cynthia Choucair (Road2Films)

Film Square Cash Grant
I am Afraid to Meet You Someday - Khaled Mansour (Egypt) 
Production: Rasha Hosny (The Rambo’s Production)

Abou Ghaly Motors Cash Grant
American Dream: The Return of Captain Kabonga - Amir El-Shenawy (Egypt/Saudi Arabia)
Production: Ahmed Abdelsalam (Digital Tales Productions)

Arab Radio & Television (ART) Cash Grant
Your Turn, 203 - Cynthia Sawma (Lebanon/France) 
Production: Georges Schoucair (About Productions), Matthew Gledhill (Wheelhouse Productions)

Blue Bee Productions Cash Grant 
Besso - Muslim Habeeb (Iraq/Denmark)
Production: Muna Al-Kadhimi, Tamara Amer (Ishtar Iraq Film Production)

Sawiris Foundation for Social Development and Drosos Foundation Cash Grant
American Dream: The Return of Captain Kabonga - Amir El-Shenawy

Big Bang Studios Cash Grant
Blue Card - Mohammed Alomda (Sudan/Egypt/Saudi Arabia/Germany) 
Production: Amjad Abu Alala (Station Films)

Red Sea Foundation Main Cash Grant
Your Turn, 203 - Cynthia Sawma

Red Sea Foundation Secondary Cash Grant
Pipes - Karim Kassem 
Production: Karim Kassem (Screen Productions)

New Century Production Cash Grant
Occupational Hazards - Bassel Ghandour (Jordan/UK/Saudi Arabia)
Production: Rula Nasser (Imaginarium Films)

Rise Studios Cash Grant
Your Turn, 203 - Cynthia Sawma

Sard Cash Grant
American Dream: The Return of Captain Kabonga - Amir El-Shenawy

Script Development Services from Sard 
Asaa - Valentin Noujaïm (France) 
Production: Manon Messiant

MAD Solutions - MG for Sales and Distribution
Asaa - Valentin Noujaïm

Bee Media Productions post-production services
Halima - Yassine El Idrissi (Morocco) 
Production: Yassine El Idrissi (Saffron Film Production)

Four Tales of Love - Maged Atta (Egypt) 
Production: Omnia Swedan (Pumps Films)

Shift Studios DCP Package services
Animals - Morad Mostafa (Egypt) 
Production: Sawsan Yusuf (Bonanza Films)

Shift Studios full promotion package services
American Dream: The Return of Captain Kabonga - Amir El-Shenawy

Big Bang Studios post-production services
American Dream: The Return of Captain Kabonga - Amir El-Shenawy

Four Tales of Love - Maged Atta

The Sound of Egypt sound services
American Dream: The Return of Captain Kabonga - Amir El-Shenawy

Four Tales of Love - Maged Atta

Rotterdam Film Lab invitation
Gezira, On the Line - Rana Matar (Saudi Arabia/Egypt/Sudan) 
Production: Lama Jamjoom (Dar Dowar)

TFL NEXT invitation
Holy Cow - Asmae El Moudir (Morocco) 
Production: Asmae El Moudir (Insightfilms)

French Embassy and French Institute invitation
Animals - Morad Mostafa

MediMed Lab 2025 invitation 
Concrete Land - Asmahan Bkerat (Jordan/Palestine) 
Production: Ban Maraqa

Durban Film Mart invitation
Holy Cow - Asmae El Moudir

Documentary Association of Europe (DEA) One-year free membership
Disappeared - Anas Zawahri (France/Syria/Lebanon/Iraq) 
Production: Ahmad Alhaj (WIND CINEMA)