The 36th edition of the Carthage Cinematographic Days ended in Tunis with the proclamation of a prize list marked by the diversity of perspectives and writings. The Golden Tanit for fiction feature film was awarded to an Egyptian work, confirming the vitality of contemporary Arab and African cinema.
The coronation of Abu Bakr Shawky
The Golden Tanit for fiction feature film went to The Stories, by Egyptian director Abu Bakr Shawky. The film was crowned during the closing ceremony organized at the Théâtre de l’Opéra in Tunis, the high point of a particularly artistically rich edition.
The Silver Tanit was awarded to My Father’s Shadow by Nigerian Akinola Davies Jr, also awarded the Tahar Chériaa Prize for best first work. The Bronze Tanit went to the Jordanian film Sink, directed by Zain Duraie.
Tunisian presence noted on the list
The Jury’s Honorary Prize went to The Voice of Hind Rajab by Tunisian director Kaouther Ben Hania. The Audience Prize was awarded to Where the Wind Comes From by Amel Guellaty, who also won the Best Screenplay Prize, confirming the film’s favorable response from spectators.
The acting awards recognized Saja Kilani for best female performance in The Voice of Hind Rajab and Nawwaf Aldaferi for best male performance in Hijra.
On the technical and artistic level, Assem Ali received the Best Decor Award for My Father’s Scent (Egypt). The Chadian film Diya stood out with two awards, for best editing and best music, while the Best Image Award went to Miguel Ioann Littin Menz for Hijra.
Documentaries and short films in the spotlight
In the feature documentary competition, the Golden Tanit was awarded to Liti Liti by Senegalese Mamadou Khouma Gueye. The silver Tanit went to The Lions by the River Tigris by the Iraqi Zaradasht Ahmed and the bronze Tanit went to On the Hill by the Tunisian Belhassen Handous, with a special mention for Our Seed by Anis Lassoued.
In short films, 32 B by Egyptian director Mohamed Taher won the Golden Tanit, followed by Coyotes by Palestinian Said Zagha (Silver Tanit) and She’s Swimming by Lebanese Liliane Rahal (Bronze Tanit). Special mentions were also awarded to Tunisian and Senegalese works.
The Tahar Chériaa Prize confirmed My Father’s Shadow as the revelation of this edition. The TV5 Monde Prize went to Cotton Queen by Sudanese director Suzannah Mirghani, while the Ciné-Promesse Prize went to Pierre-Feuille-Ciseaux by Tunisian director Cherifa Benouda.
A festival true to its DNA
Created in 1966, the Carthage Cinematographic Days remain a reference for Arab and African cinema. This 36th edition brought together more than 200 films from 44 countries, confirming the role of the JCC as a privileged space for dialogue between artistic creation, memory and contemporary realities.
Results of the 36th JCC
■ Feature fiction films
- Golden Tanit: The Stories, Abu Bakr Shawky (Egypt)
- Silver Tanit: My Father’s Shadow, Akinola Davies Jr (Nigeria)
- Bronze tanit: Sink, Zain Duraie (Jordan)
- Honorary prize of the jury: The Voice of Hind Rajab, Kaouther Ben Hania (Tunisia)
- Audience Award: Where the Wind Comes From, Amel Guellaty (Tunisia)
— Artistic awards
- Prize for best screenplay: Amel Guellaty, Where the Wind Comes From (Tunisia)
- Best female performance: Saja Kilani, The Voice of Hind Rajab (Tunisia)
- Best male performance: Nawwaf Aldaferi, Hijra (Saudi Arabia)
- Prize for best decoration: Assem Ali, My Father’s Scent (Egypt)
- Prize for best editing: Guillaume Talvas, Diya (Chad)
- Best Image Award: Miguel Ioann Littin Menz, Hijra (Saudi Arabia)
- Best Music Prize: Afrotronix, Diya (Chad)
■ Feature-length documentaries
- Golden Tanit: Liti Liti, Mamadou Khouma Gueye (Senegal)
- Silver Tanit: The Lions by the River Tigris, Zaradasht Ahmed (Iraq)
- Bronze tanit: On the Hill, Belhassen Handous (Tunisia)
- Special mention: Our Seed, Anis Lassoued (Tunisia)
■ Short films (fiction and documentaries)
- Golden Tanit: 32 B, Mohamed Taher (Egypt)
- Silver Tanit: Coyotes, Said Zagha (Palestine)
- Bronze tanit: She’s Swimming, Liliane Rahal (Lebanon)
Special mentions:
- The Burden of the Wings, Rami Jarboui (Tunisia)
- Coffee?, Bamar Kane (Senegal)
■ First Work Competition
- Tahar Chériaa Prize: My Father’s Shadow, Akinola Davies Jr (Nigeria)
- TV5 Monde Prize: Cotton Queen, Suzannah Mirghani (Sudan)
■ Ciné-Promesse
- Prize: Pierre-Feuille-Ciseaux, Cherifa Benouda (Tunisia)
Mentions:
- Was Never Her Choice, Marguerita Nakhoul (Lebanon)
- Search Abbas Saber, Dina Hassan Aboelea (Egypt)
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