Joanna Hogg on Jury Duty and the Craft of Personal Filmmaking at El Gouna

Joanna Hogg is serving as president of the Feature Narrative Competition jury at the ninth El Gouna Film Festival in Egypt. The British filmmaker tells Variety she avoids reading synopses or background material before screenings, preferring to encounter each film with fresh eyes and no preconceptions about the story.

Hogg describes the process of turning personal stories into fiction as a continual relearning. She says each project requires starting from scratch, navigating the delicate balance between autobiography and invention without a fixed method to rely on.

The festival runs through October 25 in El Gouna, a Red Sea resort town. Hogg's jury role places her at the center of a competition showcasing narrative features from across the Arab world and beyond.

This brief draws on reporting from Variety.