Intishal Al-Timimi Steps Down As El Gouna Film Festival Director, Transitions To Strategic Advisor Role

Melanie Goodfellow
·2-min read

Intishal Al-Timimi, the long-time director of Egypt’s El Gouna Film Festival, is stepping down from the role he has held since the event’s launch in 2017 in the Red Sea resort town of El Gouna.

The respected Iraqi-born, Netherlands-based festival programmer will continue to work closely with the festival as a member of the International Advisory Board, in the new role of Strategic Advisor under which he will offer guidance to the team and help develop the event.

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Al-Timimi has played a key role in building the El Gouna Film Festival, which was spearheaded by the El Gouna resort’s creator Samih Sawiris and his brother, media and property tycoon Naguib Sawiris.

“I would like, on behalf of each one of us at El Gouna Film Festival, to express our deepest appreciation to Intishal Al-Timimi for his outstanding leadership and countless contributions,” said Samih Sawiris.

“His passion for cinema and commitment to excellence have been instrumental to the positioning of GFF. We are very grateful for the profound impact Intishal has had as Festival Director on GFF’s growth and identity and I am delighted that he continues to be part of the festival in another strategic role.”

Naguib Sawiris, who is the festival’s official founder and selected Al-Timimi for the role of festival director said seasoned film industry professional had more than fulfilled his remit.

“From the outset, my sole criteria in choosing the festival firector was to find the best-suited person for the job at hand. In Intishal, I saw not only the qualifications but also the passion and dedication necessary to lead the festival to success. I am proud to say that my decision was the right one, and Intishal’s tenure has only reinforced that confidence,” he said.

Amr Mansi, will continue to lead the GFF team as Executive Director. He will be supported by Marianne Khoury as Artistic Director and Andrew Mohsen, as Head of Programming “to ensure a seamless transition” for the the festival’s seventh edition scheduled to take place from October 24 to November 1, 2024.

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