Hollywood superstar Partick Dempsy will be the guest of honor at this year s Gouna Film Festival, the festival s official website announced.
In a press conference, singer and actress Boshra (the festival s co-founder) announced Dempsy s participation, referring to his character in the popular medical drama, “Grey s Anatomy”.
“I have an announcement that I bet will be interesting, especially to the lady attendees of the festival! This year we will be having doctor McDreamy!”
She added that not only would Dempsey attend, but he would be bringing over his latest film, which had not yet aired in cinemas.
“Patrick Dempsey is not only coming to honor the red carpet by his attendance, but he is bringing a gift along with him: for the first time in the Middle East, El Gona will be screening what we ll call a sneak peek into his new TV series with MGM: The Truth about the Harrica Bear s Affair.”
Dempsey made his name playing Dr. Derek Shepard in Grey s Anatomy, starring opposite Ellen Pompeo (Merideth Grey). For his role as Shepard, Dempsey earned several awards, including a two-time-nomination for the prestigious Golden Globe, as well as a Screen Actor Guild Award.
Among Dempsey s other popular works are his romantic comedies “Enchanted” (opposite Amy Adams) and “Made of Honor” (opposite Michelle Monaghan). He also played billionaire villain Dylan Gould in “Transformers: Dark of the Moon.”
“We hope the presence of a huge star like Dempsy will help put a spotlight on the festival internationally.”
Boshra added that “The Truth about the Harrica Bear s Affair” is based on the novel of the same name, and directed by Jean-Jacques Annaud.
The internationally-acclaimed Frenchman also directed “Enemy At the Gates” in 2001, as well as Brad Pitt s “Seven Years in Tibet” in 1997. In 1998, he won an National Academy of Cinema award in France for his movie “L ours” (The Bear).
Boshra went on to announce that Annaud would be giving a class: “Mr. Jean-Jacques Annaud will also be honoring us and sharing his experience through a masterclass on 23 September, under the Cini-Gona umbrella.”
During the conference, which took place on Tuesday, other aspects of the festival were announced, including its eight-day duration – a day longer than the Al-Gouna Film Festival of 2017.
According to Festival President Intishal Al-Tamimi, it will also feature 80 movies, ten more than last year.
Abu Bakr Shawky s award-winning “Youmeldin” will also air in the festival, Tamimi continued. The movie will be screened in the “Short Film” category, alongside eight other Arab movies.
This year s festival will take place from 20 to 28 September, and will honor acclaimed Egyptian director Dawood Abdel Sayed, Tamimi said.
