There is no doubt that the ongoing pandemic has impacted the festival circuit, just like it has the rest of the world. At El Gouna Film Festival (GFF), the operations team is putting in place several plans that will ensure—first and foremost—the safety of all festival participants and guests. As previously announced, the festival is now scheduled to take place from October 23 to 31, 2020. The GFF team is utilising the time gained to learn about the social distancing protocols and health and safety regulations issued by the authorities to be implemented during the period of the festival. GFF is also planning to create pleasant outdoor screening venues and equip them with state-of-the-art sound and projection systems. The opening and closing ceremonies and other key networking events will take place in large outdoor spaces, and less than half of the total capacity of the indoor cinemas will be used to insure social distancing. GFF is also working on enhancing its virtual capabilities so any guests who are not able to come to El Gouna will have the chance to participate in the festival online. Following the recent announcements made, El Gouna Film Festival continues to unveil new additions and changes in its leadership team and senior management during the 4th edition of the festival. These changes underscore the festival’s commitment to explore new opportunities for growth that will enable it to make a useful contribution for the development of regional and international networks in the cinematic landscape. Orascom Development Holding (ODH)—the mother company of GFF which has been associated with the festival since its inception—will play a bigger and more influential role in supporting and managing the event this year, under the auspices of El Gouna Founder, Engineer Samih Sawiris. GFF will continue to receive support by Festival Founder, Engineer Naguib Sawiris. The core team has been working diligently, preparing for this much-awaited edition, under the leadership of Festival Director, Intishal Al Timimi; Co-founder and Chief Operations and Foreign Relations Officer, Bushra Rozza; Artistic Director, Amir Ramses; and Festival Co-founder Kamal Zadeh acting as the Financial Advisor. An executive committee has been formed to oversee the festival’s progress. The committee includes Amal El Masri, former CEO of J. Walter Thompson, who has been appointed as the General Coordinator of GFF andFestival Co-founder Amr Mansi who will act as an Executive Advisor, among other key members.
