El Gouna Takeaways: ‘Safe Exit’ Wins Top Prize, Arab TV Seeks New Talent and Egyptian Filmmakers Push Boundaries

Oct 24, 2026 3:23am PT El Gouna Takeaways: ‘Safe Exit’ Wins Top Prize, Arab TV Seeks New Talent and Egyptian Filmmakers Push Boundaries

By Essie Assibu

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Essie Assibu

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Egypt’s El Gouna Film Festival wrapped its ninth edition Friday after nine days of screenings, industry activity and a closing night that spread its top prizes across the Middle East and beyond.

Mohammed Hammad’s “Safe Exit,” a psychological drama about a young Coptic security guard in Cairo confronting trauma rooted in religious violence, won the Golden Star for best narrative feature. Ahmed Hassouna’s “Citizen Osama,” following a Gaza photojournalist balancing his work with family life amid war, took both the Golden Star for documentary and best Arab documentary. Anders Davidsen’s “Stolen Memories,” in which the discovery of childhood photographs leads an 18-year-old to question his past, won the Golden Star for short film. Rakan Mayasi’s Bekaa Valley-set “Yesterday the Eye Didn’t Sleep” was named best Arab narrative, while Marie Rose Ousta’s “One Day Born,” about an 11-year-old boy living under the constant threat of warplanes in Lebanon, took best Arab short.

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