Egypt’s El Gouna Film Festival is to appoint a new artistic director following the departure of Marianne Khoury after three years in the role.
The Egyptian filmmaker, who took up the position in 2023 and oversaw three editions of the festival, said: “I’ve made the difficult decision to step away from my role as artistic director of El Gouna Film Festival. As I reach the end of this remarkable chapter, I find myself reflecting with profound gratitude on the three extraordinary years I spent in this tenure.”
Khoury took up the role during a challenging period for the festival, which was founded in 2017 and takes place in the Red Sea resort town of El Gouna, 250 miles south of Cairo. The festival had postponed its 6th edition in 2022 to review its “artistic and organisational side” and eventually took place as a scaled-down version in December 2023.
During her tenure, Khoury worked to reshape the festival into a more film-centric cinematic environment, while strengthening its role as a hub for networking, industry development and the nurturing of emerging voices.
She expressed pride in the festival’s accomplishments, particularly its role in building a strong creative community.
“Having stepped in at a critical time, when the challenging task of strategic repositioning was necessary, I feel that I contributed what I could for the love of GFF and cinema,” added Khoury. “It is now the right time to step aside, paving the way for new perspectives.”
Marianne Khoury is the niece of late Egyptian director Youssef Chahine and manager of Cairo-based Misr International Films, which Chahine founded. Khoury’s departure statement opened with three Arabic words meaning “Chahine is calling me”. This year, the company is celebrating the 100th anniversary of Chahine’s birth.
Prior to El Gouna, Khoury directed several documentaries including Let’s Talk, which premiered at IDFA in 2019 won the audience award at Cairo International Film Festival (CIFF). She has also produced around 30 Arab films and documentaries, and launched Zawya, Egypt’s first arthouse cinema circuit. Khoury was previously artistic director at CIFF during a tumultuous period after the 2011 Tahrir Square uprising.
Amr Mansi, co-founder and executive director of El Gouna, expressed appreciation for Khoury’s contribution during her tenure.
“The festival highly values the significant efforts made by director Marianne Khoury during the period in which she served as artistic director,” said Mansi.
“She worked alongside the team to deliver successful editions of the festival. While we deeply appreciate her dedication, we wish her continued success in her future endeavours.”
Mansi added that the festival’s management will announce a successor at a later date.
The 9th edition of El Gouna Film Festival is set to run from October 15-23. Last year’s edition screened 82 films and recorded a year-on-year increase in ticket sales from 20,000 to 33,000.
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