The International Emerging Film Talent Association (IEFTA) Celebrates Its Partnership With The El Gouna Film Festival (GFF)

The International Emerging Film Talent Association (IEFTA) Celebrates Its Partnership With The El Gouna Film Festival (GFF) In The Fifth Year Of Their Collaboration On The GFFs CineGouna Platform & The Third Year Of The IEFTA & UNHCR Refugee Voices In Film Program Being Part Of The Cinema For Humanity Mandate Of The El Gouna Film Festival

 

The International Emerging Film Talent Association (IEFTA) returns to the Egyptian Resort town on the banks of the Red Sea with two ongoing partnerships at the upcoming El Gouna Film Festival (October 14-22).

 

For the 5^th year, IEFTA and its GFE (Global Film Expression) Mentorship program will be on hand to participate in the Festival’s CineGouna Platform - a project development and co-production lab that enables Arab film directors and producers with projects in development or films in post-production to find creative and financial support.

 

IEFTA has been selecting two filmmakers for its GFE mentorship from this program each year since the inception of the El Gouna Film Festival and this year continues its successful collaboration with Festival, the CineGouna program, and the region’s talented directors and producers.

 

Among the filmmakers and their films IEFTA has chosen from its partnership with GFF that have found international distribution are:

 

Ali El Arabi (Egypt)*, Captains of Zaatari; Kesmat El Sayed (Egypt), My Mohamed Is Different; May Odeh (Palestine), 200 Meters; Ruba Atieh (Lebanon), A Home of One’s Own.

 

·      In its MENA Premiere, the aforementioned IEFTA selected Captains Of Zaatari, a heartwarming and uplifting feature documentary following the lives of two soccer-obsessed Syrian friends living in Jordan's Zaatari Refugee Camp; will be presented in competition at the 5^th El Gouna Film Festival. The film will also be eligible for the festival’s annual Cinema for Humanity Audience Award dedicated to films that exemplify humanitarian themes.

-       link to captioned photos: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/d3vh9sgjfihzkhs/AADt-DWzRd221dEdBXZRlDRza?dl=0

 

There are many more filmmakers and projects that IEFTA and its mentorship consultants are currently involved with from the previous CineGouna programs and are excited about adding this year’s duo.

 

The Global Film Expression (GFE) initiative of IEFhttps://www.iefta.org) discovers, nurtures and empowers emerging filmmakers from less fortunate economies. Established in 2006, IEFTA has driven broad, institutional change and built robust programs by partnering with acclaimed festivals and film labs across the world. Through these partnerships, IEFTA continues to fulfill its mission to engage in the art of filmmaking.

 

This year, hosted by Cinema Gouna Platform, IEFTA and UNHCR are presenting the world premiere of the 5th edition of Refugee Voices in Film.  From the Horn of Africa to the MENA region, Europe to Japan, this year’s program explores the creative methods filmmakers used to tell stories from around the world, using Narrative, Documentary and Animation formats, representing untold stories of refugees around the globe.

 

First presented in collaboration with the Marché du Film at the Festival de Cannes, this will be the third edition to be presented in El Gouna and is an example of GFF’s mandate on Cinema For Humanity. The one-hour screening will follow a moderated 30-minute panel and Q&A with UNHCR representatives and the filmmakers who collaborated on these stories.

 

The short stories presented in this curated panel include:

 

The Journey

The Journey depicts a refugee’s path from conflict to international competition, revealing the power of sport to change the lives of forcibly displaced people everywhere.

 

Samira’s Story 

When Samira got pregnant without being married, her family wanted to kill her. She fled for her life, leaving her baby twins behind. During her long journey across many countries, Samira was kidnapped and abused by traffickers before reaching safety in Tunisia. She hopes to reunite with her own children who are in an orphanage in Somalia.

 

Zahra & Nura’s Story 

Nura is only 10 years old and about to undergo FGM when together with her friend, Zahra, they decide to flee. Inspired by true events, this is a tale of survival and hope. A story of the many children on the move, smuggled, trafficked and exploited.

 

Haweya’s Story 

A short testimony of a single mother of 5 who struggles to support her children and live with the grief and hardship of not knowing where her son is after he embarked on tahriib. 

 

Teklebrhan’s Story 

After multiple attempts to flee Eritrea through irregular movement and experiencing many horrors in a Libyan prison, Teklebrhan applied for asylum and was resettled in Sweden.

 

Eritrean Stories - Narratives inspired by True Events - Khadija’s Story 

Performed by Eritrean actors, this play shares the true story of Khadija, an Eritrean girl living in a refugee camp in Sudan after fleeing the marriage her father arranged for her to and old man. After running away, Khadija met a woman who promised to take her to Europe, only to learn she was meant to be taken to Libya and sold as a slave.

 

Amina & Sahra's Story

An animation inspired by true events of the story of two friends from Somalia who embark on a dangerous journey for different reasons: one is escaping an early marriage and another desires a new life. The story is narrated by Amina's mother.