13 Films in El Gouna’s Short Film Competition
The El Gouna Film Festival is presenting a selection of short cinematic works as part of its ninth edition, with 13 films competing in the Short Film Competition.
The competition provides filmmakers with a platform to present stories built around concise narratives, focused characters and carefully developed visual ideas.
Among the selected films is “City of Owls,” a French-German-Italian production that tells a human story centered on two sisters during a night filled with emotion, uncertainty and an impending departure.
🎬 “City of Owls”.. A Story About Departure and Secrets
Directed by Genia Kazankina, “City of Owls” is a narrative short film released in 2026.
The film has a runtime of 14 minutes and is presented in the Russian language.
Its story begins on the last night before Vera leaves, when she puts her younger sister to bed and attempts to hide the real reason behind her departure.
Rather than revealing what is happening, Vera tells her sister a bedtime story about a city swallowed by eternal darkness.
The fictional tale becomes a way for Vera to protect her younger sister from a difficult truth.
🌙 A Bedtime Story Hides the Reality of Departure
“City of Owls” builds its drama around the contrast between the story Vera tells her sister and the reality she is trying to keep hidden.
As Vera prepares to leave, she turns to imagination as a way of protecting the younger girl from discovering the real reason behind her departure.
The story of the city consumed by endless night therefore becomes an important part of the film’s emotional structure.
Through the fictional tale, feelings of separation, fear and the desire to protect someone we love are expressed without being stated directly.
❤️ Reality and Imagination in “City of Owls”
The film moves between reality and imagination, beginning with a realistic situation involving departure before entering the symbolic world of Vera’s bedtime story.
The fictional setting becomes a way for the character to express emotions that may be difficult to communicate directly.
At the same time, the reality of the departure remains present in the background, creating a connection between the two narrative layers.
This approach allows the film to focus on emotional details and the relationship between the sisters rather than relying on a large number of events.
🌍 A French-German-Italian Production
“City of Owls” has an international production background, bringing together France, Germany and Italy.
The multinational production adds another layer to its presence within El Gouna’s Short Film Competition, which brings together films representing different cinematic cultures and creative approaches.
The use of Russian as the film’s language adds another cultural dimension to the project.
🎭 Short Cinema and Concentrated Storytelling
The Short Film Competition gives filmmakers the opportunity to build compact and focused narratives, often making small details and specific moments central to the storytelling.
“City of Owls” reflects this approach by developing its story around a single night and a specific relationship between two sisters.
The film uses a short runtime to explore themes of departure, emotional protection and the difficulty of facing the truth.
Short films are particularly important within festival programs because they can introduce new filmmakers, storytelling techniques and ideas through formats that do not require feature-length running times.
⭐ “City of Owls” in the Ninth Edition Selection
“City of Owls” is one of 13 films competing in the Short Film Competition during the ninth edition of El Gouna Film Festival.
While the selected films represent different subjects, countries and cinematic styles, Kazankina’s film focuses on an intimate human moment and uses fantasy to conceal a painful reality from a younger sister.
Its inclusion gives audiences the opportunity to discover a short film that combines a realistic emotional situation with an imaginative story.
✨ El Gouna Continues to Support Short Films
The presence of 13 films in the Short Film Competition highlights the festival’s continued space for works built around concise stories and different cinematic perspectives.
The competition also allows audiences to discover emerging filmmakers and works representing different countries and cultures.
Ultimately, “City of Owls” stands out as one of the films selected for the Short Film Competition, presenting a story that begins on the eve of a departure and uses a bedtime fantasy to hide the truth from a younger sister, creating an intimate narrative centered on separation, protection and emotion.
Do you enjoy short films that tell concentrated human stories like “City of Owls”? 🎬💬
