British director Joanna Hogg (“The Souvenir,” “The Eternal Daughter”) will preside over the jury of Egypt’s El Gouna Film Festival, which runs Oct. 15-23.
Hogg, who is one of the U.K.’s leading auteurs, will also be giving a masterclass titled “Life Into Film” during the festival. Joining Hogg on the El Gouna jury panel will be Egyptian actress Nahed El Sebaie (“19 B”); Egyptian composer Khaled Hammad, whose career spans three decades and comprises “The Yacoubian Building” and “The Inevitable Journey to Find a Wedding Dress”; Iraqi-Kurdish filmmaker Shawkat Amin Korki (“Memories on Stone,” “The Exam”); and Turkish auteur Yeşim Ustaoğlu, whose drama film “What Remains” recently premiered positively at San Sebastian.
The fest, held in the Red Sea resort roughly 250 miles south of Cairo, also announced the composition of the other jury rosters for its ninth edition.
The Swiss-Iraqi filmmaker, producer, and multidisciplinary artist known as Samir will preside over El Gouna’s feature documentary competition and “Green Star” jury, which will judge films competing for the documentary prizes and also the fest’s award recognizing the best film addressing environmental issues. Joining him on this jury panel are Afghanistan-born, Netherlands-based filmmaker Aboozar Amini (“Kabul, Between Prayers”); Belgian producer Julie Frères (“From Abdul to Leila,” “The Other Side of the Sun”); Zurich Film Festival director and co-owner Reta Guetg; and Lebanese film editor Gladys Joujou (“Talking About Trees,” “Bye Bye Tiberias”).
Finally, El Gouna’s short films competition jury is made up of groundbreaking Saudi director Meshal AlJaser (“Naga”); Tunisian director Amel Guellaty (“Where the Wind Comes From”); and Greek actor and director Christos Passalis, who starred in “Dogtooth” and Sundance Audience Award winner “Hold Onto Me.”