Sawiris Foundation, the “Impact & Accessibility Partner” of the ninth edition of the El Gouna Film Festival, announced the expansion of its partnership with the Festival this year through two new tracks: enhancing the accessibility of the Festival experience for people with disabilities in partnership with Qaderoon Bekhtelaf,and extending access to the Festival and cinema experience to wider audiences beyond El Gouna. In parallel, the Foundation continues to support filmmakers and young talents, handicrafts and creative industries, alongside a broader presence for the Sawiris Cultural Award at the Festival’s CineGouna platform. The ninth edition of the Festival will take place from October 15 to 23, 2026.
In numbers, this year’s partnership includes support for around 120 emerging filmmakers through CineGouna Emerge, more than 30 artisans and exhibitors through The Handicrafts Cabana, a wider handicrafts track benefiting 240 artisans and household members overall, and a cinematic journey reaching six governorates beyond El Gouna, alongside enhanced accessibility across the Festival to ensure a more inclusive experience for people with disabilities and visitors from diverse backgrounds.
This expansion comes as Sawiris Foundation celebrates its 25th anniversary, reflecting its vision of development as an investment in people, their capabilities, and their opportunities, as well as its belief in the role that culture and the arts can play in nurturing talent, creating professional and economic pathways, preserving heritage, and expanding participation in cultural and artistic life.
This year’s partnership introduces the GFF Accessibility Initiative, focused on enhancing accessibility for people with disabilities. In this context, Sawiris Foundation is working with the Festival to develop a more accessible experience through physical and non-physical accessibility measures, including improving mobility and access across Festival spaces, providing appropriate ramps and pathways, sign language services, and enhancing the accessibility of content and digital platforms, in collaboration with Qaderoon Bekhtelaf and with technical implementation by Together Inclusive. The initiative is rooted in a vision that considers accessibility an integral part of the Festival experience, ensuring that participation goes beyond simply being able to enter the event, to enabling people with disabilities to experience and participate in it with greater independence and inclusivity.
As part of its continued support for emerging filmmakers, Sawiris Foundation is supporting CineGouna Emerge, which provides mentorship and industry engagement for more than 120 emerging filmmakers, with post-Festival follow-through for alumni, in partnership with the European Union (EU). The initiative provides participants with opportunities to develop their skills, build professional networks, and engage directly with the film industry.
The Foundation also continues its support for the Cinema for Humanity Award, which recognizes the film that most substantively addresses humanity-centered themes, highlighting the ability of cinema to address important human and social issues and create spaces for dialogue and engagement.
Under CineGouna Funding, the Foundation is providing a production grant supporting one Egyptian film, building on last year’s support for Captain Cabonga by Amir Elshinawy. The Foundation is also supporting the Sawiris Screenplay Lab pitching session for the winners and shortlisted writers in the Best Screenplay category of the Sawiris Cultural Award, delivered in partnership with Sard by Mariam Naoum. The initiative provides participants with an opportunity to further develop their projects and present them to producers and film industry professionals, creating a practical bridge between writing and the screen.
This year also marks a broader presence for the Sawiris Cultural Award at the Festival through The Sawiris Cultural Awards booth, a dedicated space marking more than two decades of the Award and promoting its role in supporting writers and creators. The booth also highlights the Sawiris Screenplay Lab and its role in creating a bridge from writing to the screen, while strengthening the Award’s presence within a platform that brings together filmmakers, producers, and industry professionals from Egypt, the region, and around the world.
Building on the Foundation’s longstanding support for handicrafts through its partnership with the Festival, this year’s initiative includes The Handicrafts Cabana, featuring more than 30 Egyptian exhibitors, delivered in partnership with Tawasol as part of a wider handicrafts track benefiting 240 artisans and household members overall. The Cabana provides participants with a platform to showcase their products to a wider audience and connect with new customers, markets, and opportunities. This reflects the Foundation’s vision of combining the preservation of Egyptian crafts and heritage with the creation of meaningful and sustainable economic opportunities for those working in the sector.
The Foundation is also continuing its collaboration with Tawasol through the GFF Bag, the Festival’s official bag, which is handmade by 30 women artisans. The initiative brings together support for handicrafts and the creation of economic opportunities for women artisans, while giving their work greater visibility among Festival audiences.
Through the Audience Reach initiative, the partnership also aims to broaden access to the Festival experience for wider audiences, while extending the cultural experience beyond the Festival’s immediate setting. This initiative complements the Foundation’s broader vision of using culture and cinema to create opportunities for wider participation and engagement.
In this context, Laila Hosni, Executive Director of Sawiris Foundation, said: “As Sawiris Foundation celebrates its 25th anniversary this year, our participation reaffirms our belief that culture and the arts are not separate from development, but an integral part of investing in people and their ability to express themselves, create, and participate. Cinema, literature, and the arts not only preserve the memory and identity of communities, but also create spaces for dialogue, nurture talent, and open new opportunities and pathways for individuals and communities.”
She added : “Our partnership with El Gouna Film Festival this year, as its ‘Impact & Accessibility Partner,’ builds on this vision. Through this partnership, we are working to remove barriers that may limit access to the festival experience, enhance accessibility for people with disabilities, and extend the festival’s impact to wider audiences beyond El Gouna. At the same time, we continue to support emerging talent, filmmakers, and artisans, creating broader pathways for them to grow and build sustainable careers.”
From his side, Amr Mansi, Co-Founder and Executive Director of El Gouna Film Festival, expressed his pride in the long-standing partnership, saying: “We value our strategic partnership with Sawiris Foundation and are proud of the role the Foundation plays in supporting and bringing to life the festival’s mission, ‘Cinema for Humanity.’ This collaboration continues to grow year after year, strengthening the festival’s focus on accessibility and social impact, whether by creating new opportunities for young people, emerging talent, and filmmakers, or by expanding access to cinema and making the festival experience more accessible to diverse audiences.”
The partnership reaffirms Sawiris Foundation’s commitment to harnessing culture and the arts to create opportunities and broaden participation. Through its support for emerging talent and filmmakers, the empowerment of artisans, its support for Egyptian cinema, and its efforts to enhance accessibility, the Foundation continues to expand access to cultural and artistic experiences for wider audiences.
