Buckets are frantically dipped into the water and hurled towards the flames. The men join forces to try to put out the fire.
Just one day before the grand opening ceremony, a fire broke out on Wednesday in the main hall for the El Gouna Film Festival (GFF) in Egypt. Videos show the desperate attempt to get the flames under control.
The pictures look bad. But nobody was injured in the fire. The quick commitment of the helpers has paid off.
Nothing will be seen of the fire
The festival does not fall into the water, but can take place, as the Egyptian investor and GFF co-founder, Samih Sawiris (64), announced at noon.
Because the stage for the press conference and opening was not affected by the fire. “Tonight everything will be back to normal. Tomorrow people will arrive and say they only saw the fire on TV, ”said the 64-year-old in a video posted on Twitter.
How it came to the fire is still unclear.
Sawiris is primarily known in Switzerland for its hotels and holiday apartment complexes in Andermatt UR. The billionaire and his company Andermatt Swiss Alps have been investing in the tourism expansion of the region since 2009. He has already invested more than 1.2 billion Swiss francs in his mega-project – making the mountain village of Andermatt a tourist hotspot.
Top-class guests at the festival
The GFF is taking place for the fifth time this year. As every year, top-class guests are expected. International stars like director Oliver Stone (75) or actors like Forest Whitaker (60) and Michael Madsen (64) came for the first edition.
The aim of the El Gouna Film Festival is to present a diverse range of films for a creative and experienced audience. «The GFF is aimed at artists and filmmakers and aims to promote communication between cultures and filmmakers in order to enrich the industry and our region through the art of filmmaking, by connecting filmmakers from the region with their international colleagues in a spirit of collaboration and culture Exchange brings together », write the GFF makers on the official website.
Founders proud of the fifth edition
The fifth edition will take place from October 14th to 22nd. Various films will be presented and then awarded prizes, including prizes worth the equivalent of CHF 207,000.
GFF co-founder Naguib Sawiris (67) is extremely pleased that the festival is now taking place for the fifth time. He and his brother Samih started the festival.
«I have always dreamed of making El Gouna a center for the arts and culture. The GFF will make the city more complete and we have almost achieved our overall vision of building a fully integrated society. I’ve always been a film lover, and GFF is the perfect setting for how I want to see the film industry in Egypt and the region, ”he said at the opening of the first 2017 edition. (jmh)