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Safe Exit, by Egyptian director Mohammed Hammad, won the Golden Star for best narrative film on Friday, 23 October, as the ninth El Gouna Film Festival closed on Egypt’s Red Sea coast, with Palestinian documentary Citizen Osama taking two awards, according to Asharq and Al-Ahram.
A home win in the main competition
The award, worth $50,000, crowns a festival run for Safe Exit that began at the Berlin International Film Festival in February and continued with its Asian premiere at the Shanghai International Film Festival in June, according to the festival’s own presentation of the film. Produced by Kholoud Saad among others, the film stars Marawan Walid and Nora Ahmed and was the Egyptian entry in El Gouna’s narrative feature competition.
Al-Ahram hailed the result as a victory for independent cinema, while the festival’s other prizes highlighted Palestinian stories in several sections.
The Silver Star, worth $25,000, went to A Little Light by Ali Asgari, while the jury gave a special mention to Halima, by Moroccan filmmaker Yassine Idrissi. In the acting categories, Jordanian actress Rakeen Saad was named best actress for her role in Bomah, directed by Zaid Abu Hamdan, and Jovan Ginic won best actor for After Three Weeks.
Arab features and Palestinian stories stand out
The Golden Star for best Arab feature, carrying $20,000, was awarded to Yesterday the Eye Didn’t Sleep by Rakan Mayasi, a co-production between Belgium, Lebanon, Palestine, Qatar and Saudi Arabia.
In the documentary competition, Ahmed Hassouna’s Citizen Osama won both the Golden Star for best documentary, worth $30,000, and the award for best Arab documentary, worth $10,000. Whispers in May by Dongnan Chen took the silver prize and A War on Women by Rasha Shirazi the bronze.
Palestinian-themed work also featured among the short films: Kentucky Gaza, a Jordanian short by Omar Rammal, received a special mention. The best Arab short film award, worth $5,000, went to One Day Born by Marie-Rose Osta, while the overall Golden Star for shorts was won by Stolen Memories.
Audience and environmental prizes
The Cinema for Humanity audience award, worth $20,000 and voted on by festival-goers, went to American Doctor, directed by Poh Si Teng. The Green Star, which honours films dealing with environmental issues, was given to Nuisance Bear, a Canadian-American production.
Looking ahead to a tenth edition
The festival, held from 15 to 23 October in the resort town of El Gouna, combined screenings with its CineGouna industry platform, which connects filmmakers with funders and supports projects at different stages of development. Organisers told reporters that attendance had grown compared with previous years, with many screenings sold out, and said preparations for the tenth edition would begin quickly.
Since its launch in 2017, El Gouna has become one of the main showcases for Arab cinema alongside the Cairo, Red Sea and Marrakech festivals, and a regular stop for Arab films returning home after premieres in Europe and Asia. This year’s awards list, led by an Egyptian
