Egypt’s El Gouna Film Festival has now been postponed indefinitely due to the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas.
The festival was previously rescheduled to Oct. 27- Nov. 2 from its original dates of Oct. 13- 20. Organizers announced on Thursday that the fest had been postponed and a new date has not been set. The festival has also donated LE 5 million (Egyptian pounds) to aid “the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Gaza.”
“In light of the deeply distressing circumstances prevailing in Gaza, the management of El Gouna Film Festival has made the conscious decision to postpone the forthcoming sixth edition of the festival,” the statement reads. “A charitable amount of LE 5 Million has been donated to fortify the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Gaza, in partnership with the Sawiris Foundation for Social Development and the Egyptian Red Crescent Society. These measures resonate profoundly with the spirit of solidarity extended by the El Gouna Film Festival’s administration toward the Palestinian people and the civilian population of Gaza. El Gouna Film Festival has, since its inception, adopted the principle of ‘Cinema for Humanity’ as a core belief bolstering all humanitarian understanding values. The GFF management aspires for the resumption of the 6th edition, when the situation stabilises in the Palestinian lands.”
El Gouna’s lineup this year includes tributes to Egyptian director Marwan Hamed, the Sudanese Film Group and Jane Birkin.
On Wednesday, Cairo Film Festival announced that it has canceled its upcoming 45th edition, which was scheduled to take place from Nov. 15 to 24.
