EgyptsEl Gouna Film Festival, which put itssixth edition on hold in Octoberdue to theIsrael-Hamas conflict, has announced it will run a special edition from December 14 to 21.
The festival, unfolding in its namesake Red Sea resort ofEl Gouna, announced the news on its website over the weekend.
Related Stories
No Other Land Filmmaker Recounts Israeli Settlers Mocking Him For Oscar Win Amid Attack, Calls For Continued International Attention On Palestine
Tunisia Cancels Carthage Film Days As Middle Easts Packed Fall Film Fest Season Shuts Down Due To Israel-Gaza Conflict Update
The revised edition will feature a special focus on Palestinian cinema, put together with thePalestineFilm Institute, aiming to shed light on the current situation and inhumane conditions in Gaza, the event said.
The TeacherGoodfellas
Watch on Deadline
Additionally, a fundraising dinner is planned to gather donations for humanitarian aid efforts in Gaza in coordination with the Egyptian Red Crescent during the festival.
The festival, which mixes show biz glamor with support of the regions indie cinema scene, said it would not be running its famously glitzy red carpets this year.
This edition will be held without any celebrations, reaffirming El Gouna Film Festivals solidarity with the Palestinian people, the festival said.
El Gouna was among a number of Middle East and North Africa film festivals put on ice in October due to the Israel-Hamas conflict, sparked by a Hamas terror attack on southern Israel on October 7, which killed 1,200 people and resulted in the taking of more than 240 hostages.
Israels retaliatory blockade of the Gaza Strip and military campaign aimed at wiping out Hamas and getting the hostages home, has displaced two-thirds of the Palestinian territorys 2.3 million population and killed 15,000 people, according to the latest figures of the Hamas-controlled health authorities.
El Gounas announcement and plans for a Palestinian focus comes amid a fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, in which the latter has released hostages in return for aid being allowed into Gaza and the release of a number of Palestinian prisoners in Israel.
