Aspiring Filmmakers Can Now Attend GFF Free of Charge

CairoScene

5 days ago

Aspiring Filmmakers Can Now Attend GFF Free of Charge
El Gouna Film Festival (GFF) has opened applications for the 2025 edition of its CineGouna Emerge programme, offering young filmmakers, actors, critics, and content creators from Egypt, the Arab world, and Africa the chance to attend the festival entirely free of charge.
Backed by the Sawiris Foundation for Social Development and the European Union in Egypt, the programme provides a full scholarship covering festival accreditation, domestic travel, accommodation, meals, and access to screenings, masterclasses, and networking events.
'CineGouna Emerge is the closest initiative to our heart,' GFF's Executive Director Amr Mansi tells CairoScene. 'By expanding it into a multi-track umbrella, we're ensuring every young talent—from filmmakers to actors, from critics to content creators—finds a place to learn, grow, and shine at GFF.'
For 2025, the programme introduces several tracks. The flagship programme immerses filmmakers and industry newcomers in the festival's activities, while the SeeMe Track spotlights emerging actors, and Perspectives invites young photographers, journalists, and critics to cover the festival alongside GFF's media team. New this year is Emerge: Take Two, which welcomes alumni back as peer mentors.
'Many of our alumni now work actively in the film industry, and this year's expansion is about giving back,' adds Marianne Khoury, GFF's Artistic Director.
Applicants must be aged 18–35, be students or graduates of film and media programmes, have worked on at least one publicly screened film or series, or be developing a cinema-related project. For the first time, the programme is also welcoming a new category: 'early-career filmmakers', open to those launching their careers regardless of age.
Applications are open via the El Gouna Film Festival website until August 17th, 2025, with the festival scheduled to run from October 16th to November 24th.