El Gouna's new chief bets on discovery and wider Arab line-up
El Gouna Film Festival has a new leader with a simple pitch: find the films other stages missed.
Andrew Mohsen is running his first edition as artistic director, the person who shapes the line-up, at the ninth El Gouna Film Festival, which runs from October 15 to 23, 2026 in the Red Sea town of El Gouna, Egypt, Mohsen told Variety.
Mohsen succeeded Marianne Khoury. He knows the festival well. He has attended since its 2017 launch, joined its programming team in 2023 and later became head of programming. Before that he worked with the Cairo International Film Festival and as a film critic.
The build-up began in spring. The festival opened submissions for its ninth edition in an announcement dated April 16, 2026, according to the festival. Mohsen said at the time his focus would be on new horizons of cinematic discovery. Day to day, executive director Amr Mansi leads the festival team.
Discovery sits at the heart of his plan. Mohsen said El Gouna is trying to draw attention to films that did not have the same coverage elsewhere. Genre cinema, meaning horror, thriller, comedy and other audience-led styles, has a larger presence in this year's selection.
That focus also widens the map. Last year the festival had only one non-Egyptian Arab film in narrative competition, for story-led features competing for jury prizes, and one in documentary competition. This year Mohsen wants more voices from across the Arab world to break through. He gave a detailed breakdown of this year's programme in an interview published by Cineuropa on October 14, 2026.
The opening night sets the tone. The French feature 'All About Corrine', directed by Marc Fitoussi and starring Isabelle Huppert and Sandrine Kiberlain, opens the ninth edition, according to the festival. Egypt is in the main race too, with 'Safe Exit' selected for feature narrative competition.
Off screen, the business continues. CineGouna is the festival's industry and talent-development arm, where filmmakers meet producers, funders and distributors. Its CineGouna Emerge strand acts as a talent incubator for young and emerging filmmakers and creatives.
For audiences, this means a broader hunt. Less red-carpet routine. More first finds.
