Egypt’s El Gouna Film Festival will open its ninth edition with French director Marc Fitoussi’s “All About Corinne”, a comedy about the film industry starring Isabelle Huppert and Sandrine Kiberlain, organisers announced on Saturday.
A film about filmmaking for opening night
The Red Sea resort festival, which runs from 15 to 23 October 2026, has chosen a story set in the world of cinema to launch its programme. “All About Corinne” will be screened on Friday, 16 October, the day after the opening ceremony, according to reports published on 10 October by Asharq Al-Awsat and Bawabet Al-Ahram.
Written and directed by Marc Fitoussi, the film stars Isabelle Huppert as Corinne, an actress who has spent years in small supporting roles but still hopes for a breakthrough and a lasting place in French cinema. Her life takes a turn when she meets the well-known actress Sandrine Kiberlain, who appears as herself. A chance encounter grows into an unlikely friendship that leads Corinne to question her career and her standing in the industry.
Why the festival chose it
Andrew Mohsen, the festival’s artistic director, said the team wanted an opening film connected to cinema itself, describing it as well suited to an opening-night audience. He told Asharq Al-Awsat that the film blends comedy with human warmth, and that Huppert’s presence adds to its appeal. In comments carried by Al-Ahram, he described her performance as one of the most sincere of her career.
Fitoussi, for his part, described the film as a story about perseverance that anyone who has chased a dream and faced rejection can relate to. The festival’s co-founder and executive director, Amr Mansi, said the choice reflects the event’s goals, noting that cinema helps audiences understand other people’s hopes, struggles and need to belong.
Nine years of stories
The selection adds a headline title to a programme first unveiled at a press conference in Cairo in late September. This year’s line-up includes nine films in the Feature Narrative Competition, ten in the Feature Documentary Competition and 13 in the Short Film Competition.
Among the titles announced so far are Pawel Pawlikowski’s “Fatherland”, Karim Kassem’s “Pipes”, Mohamed Mostafa’s “Big Boys Don’t Cry” and Ahmed Hassouna’s documentary “Citizen Osama”. Romanian director Cristian Mungiu’s “Fjord”, winner of the Palme d’Or at Cannes this year, is also on the programme.
Honours for Mona Zaki and Mohamed Khan
Egyptian star Mona Zaki will receive the festival’s Creative Achievement Award in recognition of a career spanning film, television and theatre. The edition will also mark the tenth anniversary of the death of director Mohamed Khan, while veteran filmmaker Yousry Nasrallah is set to lead a masterclass on his career.
Organisers have also announced expanded accessibility measures, developed in partnership with the Kaderoon Bikhtelaf Foundation, to widen participation for people with disabilities.
A lighter start
Alongside its screenings, the festival will again host its CineGouna industry programme. With an opening film that turns the camera on the film business itself, organisers are betting on a lighter, cinephile-friendly start before the competition titles take over the screens on the Red Sea coast.