Joanna Hogg to head El Gouna festival jury in Egypt
British film-maker Joanna Hogg will preside over the main jury at Egypt's El Gouna Film Festival, Variety reported on Oct. 14.
That job puts her at the centre of awards week. The jury watches the competition line-up together and votes for the winners.
The ninth edition runs Oct. 15-23, according to the same report. It is held in El Gouna, a Red Sea resort town roughly 250 miles south of Cairo.
Hogg is a film director from the United Kingdom. Joining her on the main competition panel are Nahed El Sebaie, Khaled Hammad, Shawkat Amin Korki and Yeşim Ustaoğlu.
The list was part of a wider jury announcement. The festival said on Oct. 13 that it had named the juries for its various competitions for the ninth edition.
Hogg will do more than judge. She will also give a masterclass titled "Life Into Film" during the festival. A masterclass is a public, on-stage conversation in which a film-maker explains how work gets from idea to screen.
Documentaries get their own jury. Film-maker Samir will preside over the feature documentary competition and the Green Star jury, Variety reported.
The Green Star recognises the best film addressing environmental issues. Serving with Samir are Aboozar Amini, Julie Frères, Reta Guetg and Gladys Joujou.
Short films have a separate panel. That competition, for films usually made at much shorter length than features, will be judged by Meshal AlJaser, Amel Guellaty and Christos Passalis.
The festival's own site lists French feature All About Corrine, directed by Marc Fitoussi and starring Isabelle Huppert and Sandrine Kiberlain, as the opening film of the ninth edition, El Gouna Film Festival. It also lists Egyptian film Safe Exit in the feature narrative competition.
What makes this stand out for audiences is proximity. El Gouna mixes public screenings, industry meetings and open talks in one resort town. Prizes do not secure a cinema release on their own, but they give winning titles early attention with distributors and festival programmers watching on.
