FRANCE / At Cannes, critics give awards to Arab films

On May 21^st , the ACC (Arab Cinema Centre) organized their first Critics’ Awards in Cannes, with a jury of critics allocating awards to the best films produced in the Arab world the previous year.

24 Arab, European and American critics, representing 15 countries, chose the 5 award-winners, who each received their trophy at a late-morning ceremony in the Palais des Festivals on Sunday May 28^th, the final day of the Cannes Film Festival.

The Critics Award for Best Film of 2016 went to an Egyptian-Emirati film, “In the Last Days of the City”, directed by Tamer El Said: a fictional film-maker from Cairo struggles to capture the soul of a city in his work while dealing with loss in his personal life. It will be released in French cinemas on July 5th.

“Clash”, by the Egyptian Mohamed Diab, won two awards at the ceremony: Best Director and Best Scenario. Filmed entirely inside a police van in Cairo during the riots of July 2013, the film was presented at Cannes last year in the section Un Certain Regard.

A third Egyptian film to be honoured was Mohammed Hammad’s “Withered green”. Lead actress Heba Ali won Best Actress award.

Finally, Majd Mastoura won Best Actor award for his performance in Mohamed Ben Attia’s Tunisian picture, “Hedi”.

The Arab Cinema Centre was created in 2015, and its two co-founders, Alaa Karkouti and Maher Diab, intend to continue the Critics Awards “every year during the Cannes Film Festival”, to “help spread Arab cinema and establish its presence” internationally.

Sources: Webdo, L’Expression, Arab Cinema Centre