Tunisian filmmaker Kaouther Ben Hania’s Four Daughters and Sudanese director Mohamed Kordofani’s drama Goodbye Julia topped the prizes at the 8th Critics Awards for Arab Films, which were announced on the fringes of the Cannes Film Festival on Saturday.
Goodbye Julia won Best Feature Film and Best Screenplay. Four Daughters, which was nominated for best documentary feature at this year’s Academy Awards won for Best Director, Best Documentary and Best Editing.
Both films world premiered in Cannes Official Selection in 2023.
In other prizes, Mouna Hawa won Best Actress for her performance in Jordanian director Amjad Al-Rasheed’s inshallah A Boy, which also clinched Best Cinematography. Saleh Bakri was named Best Actor for his lead role in West Bank drama The Teacher by UK-Palestinian director Farah Nabulsi.
year’s edition of the Critics’ Awards for Arab Films introduced a new Best Short Film category which was won by the Morad Mostafa’s I Promise You Paradise. Other winners included Amin Bouhafa’s Saudi feature Hajjan, which won Best Music.
Organized by the Arab Cinema Center, in collaboration with MAD Solutions, the International Emerging Film Talent Association, and NEFT Emerging Film Talent International Competition, the 8th edition of the awards was voted on by more than 200 film critics from around the world.
The 2024 nominees and winners (in bold)
Best Feature Film
GOODBYE JULIA | Mohamed Kordofani | SudanINSHALLAH A BOY | Amjad Al-Rasheed | Jordan HAJJAN | Abu Bakr Shawky| Saudi ArabiaTHE TEACHER | Farah Nabulsi | PalestineTHE BURDENED | Amr Gamal | Yemen
Best Director
Mohamed Kordofani | GOODBYE JULIA | Sudan Kaouther Ben Hania | FOUR DAUGHTERS | Tunisia Karim Bensalah | SIX FEET OVER | FranceAsmae ElMoudir | THE MOTHER OF ALL LIES | MoroccoAmjad Al-Rasheed | INSHALLAH A BOY | Jordan
Best Screenplay
Mohamed Kordofani | GOODBYE JULIA | Sudan Amr Gamal, Mazen Refaat | THE BURDENED | YemenKamal Al-Azrak | HOUNDS | MoroccoDelphine Agut, Rula Nasser, Amjad Al-Rasheed | INSHALLAH A BOY | JordanOmar Shama, Mufarrij Almajfel, Abu Bakr Shawky | HAJJAN | Saudi Arabia
Best Actress
Mouna Hawa | INSHALLAH A BOY | JordanEiman Yousif | GOODBYE JULIA | SudanHend Sabry | KIRA & EL GIN | EgyptHend Sabry | FOUR DAUGHTERS | TunisiaAdwa Bader | NAGA | Saudi Arabia
Best Actor
Ibrahim Al-Hasawi | HAJJAN | Saudi ArabiaMajd Mastoura | FOUR DAUGHTERS | TunisiaAyoub Elaid | HOUNDS | MoroccoSaleh Bakri | THE TEACHER | PalestineNazar Goma | GOODBYE JULIA | Sudan
Best Documentary
FOUR DAUGHTERS | Kaouther Ben Hania | TunisiaTHE MOTHER OF ALL LIES | Asmae ElMoudir | MoroccoQ | Jude Chehab | LebanonUNDER THE SKY OF DAMASCUS | Talal Derki, Heba Khaled, Ali Wajeeh | SyriaLIFE IS BEAUTIFUL | Mohamed Jabaly | Palestine
Best Short Film
I PROMISE YOU PARADISE | Morad Mostafa | EgyptLES CHENILLES | Noel Keserwany, Michelle Keserwany | LebanonTHE RED SEA MAKES ME WANNA CRY | Faris Alrjoob | JordanSEA SALT | Leila Basma | LebanonTHE KEY | Rakan Mayasi | Palestine
Best Music
Amine Bouhafa | HAJJAN | Saudi ArabiaAmine Bouhafa | FOUR DAUGHTERS | TunisiaMazen Hamid | GOODBYE JULIA | SudanOmar Fadel | NAGA | Saudi ArabiaAlex Baranowski | THE TEACHER | Palestine
Best Cinematography
Farouk Laâridh | FOUR DAUGHTERS | TunisiaKanamé Onoyama | INSHALLAH A BOY | JordanGilles Porte | THE TEACHER | PalestineGerry Vasbenter | HAJJAN | Saudi ArabiaAhmad Al Morsy | KIRA & EL GIN | Egypt
Best Editing
Ahmed Hafez | INSHALLAH A BOY | JordanHeba Othman | GOODBYE JULIA | SudanFahd Ahmed | Q | LebanonSarah Peczek | HAJJAN | Saudi ArabiaQutaiba Barhamji | FOUR DAUGHTERS | Tunisia
