CineGouna Platform presented award to Dead Dog by Sarah Francis at Beirut Cinema Platform (BCP). The award will guarantee the film's automatic selection as part of CineGouna Springboard. "El Gouna Film Festival aims to support Arab filmmakers and Arab cinema through the CineGouna platform; therefore, we are excited to be supporting Beirut Cinema Platform through this award," said El Gouna Film Festival Director Intishal Al Tamimi. The festival's second edition is set to take place from 20–28 September 2018. Dead Dog participated in Cinephilia Bound in collaboration with La Maison Des Scénaristes at the Festival de Cannes in 2017. Sarah Francis is the director, screenwriter, and producer. She grew up in Beirut and has worked as a freelance director since 2015. Her feature-length documentary Birds of September (2013) screened at numerous international festivals and museums, and it won several awards. Dead Dog tells the story of Farid, a 60-year-old man who lives abroad. He decides to visit his wife in their Lebanese mountain home, as he learns that their 16-year-old dog has died. Tensions between him and his wife arise, and Farid confesses he is returning home for good, as the couple explores their relationship for the first time in years.
