Click Here  for original Egypt Today article  By:  Egypt Today staff   Sun, Aug. 27, 2017 Scene from the film Photocopy Cairo - August 27 2017: The cinema critic Intishal Al Tamimi, director of El Gouna Film Festival, said that choosing the movie Photocopy to compete in the official competition of the features movie came as a confirmation that the festival pays great attention to promising young Egyptian filmmakers.   El Gouna, according to Al Tamimi, will serve as a real and significant outlet for these youths to move towards Arab and international horizons. Photocopy is the first directing experience for its director Tamer Ashry.  Photocopy is a cinematic experience characterized by its non-traditional theme and its deep thought. It is full of human attitudes and the outstanding performance of its stars Mahmoud Hemida, Shireen Reda and the rest of the actors greatly enhanced its value, Al Tamimi said.  Photocopy will...

Click  here  for original article in Egypt Today By:  Hanan Fayed Mon, Aug. 28, 2017 CAIRO - 28 August 2017: The promising El Gouna Film Festival (GFF) hopes to launch an impressive first edition on September 22 through to September 29 to land itself a position amongst successful international screening venues. Among the fields it has put much effort into, screenwriting is an area where it sought partnership with the American Film Showcase (AFS) to invest in emerging film writers, sustaining the industry in the region.    GFF has focused on aspects beyond the red carpet and premiering films, which takes it to the level of successful international film festivals, U.S. embassy cultural attaché Ruth Anne Stevens told Egypt Today on the sidelines of a Cairo press conference announcing the GFF Sunday.  U.S. embassy Cultural Attaché Ruth Anne Stevens at the press conference – Karim Abdel Aziz “It takes a lot of dedicat...

Click  Link Here  to access original article in Egypt Today  By:  Anji Essam CAIRO - 25 August 2017: Inteshal Al-Tamimi, the Iraqi director of El Gouna Film Festival said that there is an international context now that cinema is intercontinental. ‘’We have seen the festivals of Venice and Berlin run by Swiss, I am happy cooperating with Egyptian youth during the events,’’ recounted Al-Tamimi. The director of the festival said that there is a plan that has been developed and is being implemented carefully for the first edition to come in the perfect way they wish.  ‘’We have completed a lot of the plan, the festival management was keen to present an Egyptian film at the opening of the festival which is ‘Sheikh Jackson,’ which received international acclaim during its participation in the Toronto Film Festival in Canada,’’ Al-Tamimi said. Al-Tamimi explained that the festival will include a lot of surprises that they will going to announce ...

Kourtney Kardashian enjoys a quiet breakfast at La Maison Bleue in El Gouna, Egypt 

Last week, three representatives of The Gouna Owners Club (GOC), Mark Pigden, Samia Baladi and Mira Rabih met with Mr. Thomas Azer, El Gouna Deputy General Manager and Electrical Department Manager. The objective of the meeting was to seek clarification for concerns behind the recently announced  Increase in water and electricity prices .  Further to the meeting, the GOC kindly shared the proceedings with Gouna News so that residents of El Gouna can get a better understanding on what drives the prices. Our thanks to Mark, Samia and Mira for preparing this report.  The information provided to GOC, much of it technical, was provided by Mr. Azer in a non-technical way, referring to government documents that were readable by 2 Arabic speaking members.  His time in meeting with GOC was appreciated and he was able to explain the costs of utilities provided from Orascom. After the meeting Thomas Azer kindly took GOC representatives to electricity stations, back up gene...

Read Article Here in Egypt Today Egypt Today - CAIRO – 7 August 2017: The fifth edition of the Italian film workshop “Final Cut in Venice” will feature an Egyptian film, alongside other movies by Arabian directors. Running from September 3-5, the workshop exists for the express goal of finishing up movies in post-production from Africa, Syria, Palestine, Iraq, Jordan and Lebanon, helping to give young global filmmakers a head start. Egypt's contribution titled “Dream Away” is jointly directed by Egyptian Marouan Omara and German Johanna Domke; it is an Egypt/Qatar/German production. The film is a documentary drama about Sharm el-Sheikh, exploring how the employees of a hotel at a resort are dealing with the aftermath of the terror attacks and the complex lives they lead, pulled in opposing directions by family and the Western lifestyle. Other films include Naziha Arebi's “Freedom Films,” a documentary about a group of Libyan women who wish to become Libya's fir...

By:  Egypt Today staff Mon, Jul. 31, 2017 As reported by Egypt Today CAIRO – 31 July 2017: El Gouna Film Festival, taking place from September 22 to 29, closes its door for film submissions on Monday, Egyptian actress Bushra announced on her official Instagram account on Sunday.  “This is your last chance to submit your movie for El Gouna Film Festival if you are a director of a film, documentary, or short docudrama,” she wrote.  The first round of submissions for El Gouna Film Festival opened on May 23. The prize money for the festival exceeds $200,000 combined.  The first round of the festival will be divided into three categories: long feature film, long documentary film and short film.  The judges, who will consist of prominent figures and film professionals, will be giving out the following awards: El Gouna Golden Star, El Gouna Silver Star, El Gouna Bronze Star and Best Arabic Film. The long feature film category will have...

La Maison Bleue welcomes Gounies and their friends to their new and improved residence. Come and try our fabulous restaurant, serving modern contemporary culinary delights, starting with breakfast from 7am. A breakfast fit for royalty, served to you in elegance and style, in a setup like no other. Or join us on Tuesday nights at 7pm, for a romantic dinner under the stars, with a sumptuous menu, and live music. Our doors are open for all Gounies, whether you want to have a delightful meal, chill by the pool, or get pampered at our spa. We look forward to welcoming you all at La Maison Bleue. For any inquiries please contact them at  012 8359 1110 To return to Gouna News - Press Here

To host a domesticated animal, like a dog or cat at home is natural, but to host wild animals like raccoons, foxes, reptiles, snakes, crocodiles, and bats, allowing them to play with her children at home is an exceptional thing, practiced by Egyptian Mrs. Manal Eissa who believes that “love is the basic language in dealing with animals, for they do not take the initiative to harm. They just defend themselves from whoever intends to harm them”. Manal was nicknamed fearless, in reference to her courage, a title she acquired even before hosting her predatory animals. She was the first Egyptian woman to participat e in the world of motor racing, overcoming a lot of men. "I have loved adventure ever since I was young, and took part in a car race without my family's knowledge. It was a surprise to them when they saw me being interviewed on television after my win" she says. At a later stage, Manal started to raise wild animals, and did not abandon them even wh...

El Gouna is graced with a beautiful location on the Red Sea and founders of the town have thankfully incorporated two marinas into its design and expansion.  Gouna News approached Ms. Marta Prusiz, Administrative Assistant Manager at Orascom Marine Management to learn more and we have compiled the following Frequently Asked Questions that Ms. Prusiz gracefully answered.  What are names of the marinas? Does name 'Abu Tig' cover all three basins ? Orascom Marine Management has 2 marinas in El Gouna: Abu Tig Marina (South and North Basin) and Abydos marina.  Approximately how many boats are moored? At the moment we have around: - 130 boats berthing in North Basin of Abu Tig Marina (capacity of 154 boats) - 120 boats berthing in South Basin of Abu Tig Marina (capacity of 133 boats) - 24 boats berthing in Abydos (capacity of 32 boats, currently being upgraded and expanded) What is the maximum draught allowed? Maximum d...