El Gouna's Amr Mansi on CineGouna's expansion, new partnerships and building "the industry as our hero"

Egypt's El Gona Film Festival kicks off its 9th edition with a mix of major international titles, including Cannes award winners "At Once" and "Banimana," with mega star power, and the glamor of the Red Sea woven into its DNA. Amr Mansi, co-founder and CEO, wants to expand these founding elements and expand the GFF industry […]

Amro Mansi, co-founder and executive director, wants to expand on these founding elements, expand the GFF's industrial ambitions and forge new partnerships in its quest to become a major player in the regional film space beyond the annual nine-day event. Related stories Judge blocks Trump White House ban CNN, MS NOW and Politico Donald Trump praises newly merged Paramount-Warner Brothers: 'They're great people and it's going to be a great company.'

"We want the industry to be our hero," Mansi asserts in an interview with Variety. We are trying to build the ecosystem with filmmakers, producers and everyone in the industry, but at the same time balance it with attractiveness and so on. "In the end, business partners are needed to keep the festival alive to showcase filmmakers." Popular in Variety

The expansion continues to evolve, with CineGouna, the festival's industry arm, growing in financing, talent development and its marketplace, while this year it moved into TV series and streaming for the first time.

CineGouna Funding received more than 310 film submissions from across the Arab world, selecting 13 projects in development and six films in post-production. The new Voice of Egypt initiative adds four internal projects to receive support in the field of production, packaging and co-production. The CineGouna series, proposed by Egyptian screenwriter and president of the CineGouna community, Maryam Naoum, attracted more than 125 submissions for six spots in its new development lab and industrial market.

Alongside GFF's expanding industrial ambitions is its long-standing mission of "cinema for humanity," reflected for example in the newly launched Safe Harbor MENA initiative, which brings four displaced filmmakers from the region to El Gona for training and networking. "We're trying to be a voice for people who don't have a voice, a place to share their stories," Mansi emphasizes.

CineGouna dates back to the inaugural edition of the GFF in 2017, with new programs planned for its landmark 10th edition next year, including funding, a forum, a marketplace and an emerging talent program.

For Mansi, the effort to establish the GFF as an industry hub and expand its regional and international reach ultimately serves the more tangible goal of funding more filmmakers and their projects.

"I believe with our positioning, we can increase the amount of money we make each year to support more filmmakers and more perspectives," he asserts.

Business partners are increasingly part of this equation. Mansi points to sponsors who provide direct financial aid and give most of the festival's commercial support directly to the filmmakers. "It was never a conversation I could have dreamed of five, six years ago," he reflects.

GFF is also establishing long-term partnerships with festivals abroad. In August, it announced a strategic partnership with the Zurich Film Festival, focusing on cooperation in programming as well as the exchange and recommendation of films, talent and jury members. Mansi hopes to establish similar collaborations elsewhere, helping emerging talent move more easily between festivals, making industry connections and creating opportunities for career growth internationally.

With more festivals competing for films, projects and talent across the SWANA (Southwest Asia and North Africa) region, Mansi says the proximity of El Gouna's venues offers the advantage of screenings, meetings and networking within minutes of each other, and away from many international festivals.

This festival also attracts more and more audiences every year. Mansi says GFF sold more than 40,000 tickets and issued more than 7,000 credentials last year, a 30 percent increase in attendance over the previous edition. Its 1,400-seat outdoor plaza was packed with festival goers every day, a level of engagement he notes the GFF had never seen before.

Mansi also wants the El Gona Film Festival to reach audiences that may never reach its Red Sea region. An agreement with Cairo's art cinema Zawya brings part of its program to the capital as the festival is miles and miles away. Meanwhile, official broadcast partner Al Nahar TV Network is set to cover the festival's activities daily. Across Egypt, GFF will also broadcast selected panels and masterclasses on its digital platforms, part of a wider effort to make the festival and its industry dialogue more accessible beyond El Gona to the general Egyptian public and beyond.

These efforts contribute to a long-term plan to expand El Gona's regional and global footprint beyond its annual festival. With its 10th edition on the horizon, Mansi wants to build a year-round film and industry gathering place that can support filmmakers, connect industry players and extend the reach of GFF long after each edition ends.