The Zurich Film Festival (ZFF) and Egypt’s El Gouna Film Festival (GFF) have entered into a strategic partnership designed to strengthen connections between film communities across Europe, the Middle East and Africa.
The collaboration will focus on programming, talent exchange and greater cooperation between filmmakers and industry professionals. The partnership will formally begin during the 22nd edition of the Zurich Film Festival, taking place from 24 September to 4 October.
The first joint initiative will see the feature documentary Dolphins: My Close Encounters premiere at Zurich before travelling to Egypt for its Middle East and North Africa (MENA) premiere at the El Gouna Film Festival, scheduled for 15–23 October.
Directed by Barny Revill and produced by Silverback Films, with Keith Scholey as executive producer, the documentary follows Swiss marine biologist and conservationist Angela Ziltener and her more than 15 years of research into wild dolphins in Egypt’s Northern Red Sea.
The film combines Ziltener’s scientific work with a more personal exploration of her relationship with the dolphins, examining the boundaries between scientific observation, intuition and human-animal connection.
According to the two festivals, the new partnership will create opportunities for films and talent to move between their respective markets, while strengthening relationships between European filmmakers and industry professionals and their counterparts in Egypt, the Middle East and Africa.
For ZFF, the agreement expands its international network and provides greater access to films, filmmakers and creative talent from the region. For GFF, the partnership offers closer links to European festival networks and the wider international film industry.
ZFF CEO Christian Jungen described the arrangement as a mutually beneficial partnership that would allow both festivals to share expertise, films and talent while opening new perspectives on the African and Middle Eastern film landscape.
El Gouna Film Festival founder and board chairman Samih Sawiris said the partnership supports the festival’s founding mission of connecting regional and international film industries through cinema, dialogue and social impact.
GFF artistic director Andrew Mohsen added that the partnership would create new opportunities for filmmakers from the region to collaborate with international industry professionals and bring regional stories to wider global audiences.
ZFF festival director Reta Guetg said the collaboration reflects the role of film festivals in building cultural bridges and using cinema as a vehicle for international exchange.
The partnership also has a personal connection between the two organisations. Sawiris, who spends part of the year in Switzerland, is a member of ZFF’s Golden Eye Circle patrons’ association.
Beyond film screenings and talent exchanges, the festivals said the collaboration will provide opportunities to engage with major studios, global streaming platforms and international film-industry stakeholders while preserving the independence of both institutions.
The alliance reflects the growing importance of international festival partnerships in creating new routes for films and filmmakers to reach audiences beyond their home markets. By connecting Zurich with El Gouna, the initiative aims to strengthen the flow of creative talent, stories and industry relationships between Europe, the Middle East and Africa.
