The growing conflict between Israel and Hamas has now forced Egypt’s El Gouna Film Festival to be postponed indefinitely.
The event was earlier moved from its original dates of Oct. 13–20 to Oct. 27–Nov. 2. The festival has been postponed, and a replacement date has not yet been determined, the organisers said on Thursday. Also contributed by the festival was LE 5 million (Egyptian pounds), which will go towards “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.”
The Sudanese Film Group, Egyptian filmmaker Marwan Hamed, and actress Jane Birkin are all honoured this year at El Gouna.
The 45th edition of the Cairo Film Festival, which was supposed to run from November 15 to 24, was postponed, the festival said on Wednesday.
