El Gouna Artistic Director Andrew Mohsen Puts ‘Discovery’ First: ‘We’re Trying to Draw Attention’ to Overlooked Films

For his first edition at the helm of Egypt’s El Gouna Film Festival, artistic director Andrew Mohsen wants to widen the scope of what, and who, audiences discover on the shores of the Red Sea. “Discovery,” Mohsen asserts, sits at the heart of that vision, which builds on the festival’s established place as a showcase […] El Gouna artistic director Andrew Mohsen talks discovery, championing overlooked films, Arab cinema, genre movies, and event's industry expansion. For his first edition at the helm of Egypt’s El Gouna Film Festival, artistic director Andrew Mohsen wants to widen the scope of what, and who, audiences discover on the shores of the Red Sea.

“Discovery,” Mohsen asserts, sits at the heart of that vision, which builds on the festival’s established place as a showcase for prize winners and standout titles from Cannes, Venice and Berlin, while expanding the emphasis on emerging filmmakers and films that might otherwise escape the spotlight. It’s an evolution rather than a break with El Gouna’s past. Succeeding Marianne Khoury, Mohsen, a Cairo International Film Festival vet, who joined the El Gouna programming team in 2023 and later served as head of programming, is looking to deepen the festival’s ties to Arab filmmakers