It was during a ceremony organized on the sidelines of the 77th edition of the Cannes Film Festival, and more precisely on May 18 at the Palmes beach, that the center of Arab cinema announced the winners of the 8th edition of criticism prices for Arab films 2023 (Arab Critics Awards).
This year, the international jury was made up of 209 film critics from 72 countries, testifying to the importance and the growing recognition of Arab cinema on the world scene.
The appointments had been announced at the end of April (click here), generating anticipation and excitement among moviegoers. This year’s winners have distinguished themselves by their excellence and their remarkable contribution to the Arab cinema.
The winners of the 8th edition of the Arab Critics Awards
– Goodbye Julia (Sudan): Best fiction film and best script
– The girls of Olffa (Tunisia) : Best documentary, best director and best editing
– I Promise you paradise (Egypt): Best short film
– Hajjan (Saudi Arabia): Best music for Amine Bouhafa
– Inshallah a boy (Jordan): Best actress for Mouna Hawa and Best Photography
– The Teacher (Palestine): Best actor for Salah Bakri
The triumph of Tunisian cinema
This year, Tunisians therefore particularly shone with winning four prices: three prices for Olffa’s girlsdirected by Kaouther Ben Hania, and a prize for composer Amine Bouhafa.
The winning films and their journey at the Cannes Film Festival
Four of these winning films had been selected at the 76th Cannes Film Festival:
– The girls of Olfa, Directed by Kaouther Ben Hania, had already been selected in official competition, where he had won four awards in the parallel sectionsconsolidating its international reputation.
– Goodbye Juliaproduced by Mohamed Kordofani, had won the Liberty Prize in the A certain Regard section.
– I Promise you paradisethe Egyptian short film directed by Morad Mostafa, was honored with the Golden Rail for the best short film and the Critics’ Public Prize in Cannes.
– Inshallah a boy, Directed by Amjad Al Rasheed had marked the story by becoming the first Jordanian film selected in Cannes, all sections combined, and had been rewarded by the Gan Foundation Prize for broadcasting.
An initiative that celebrates Arab cinema
The first edition of criticism prizes for Arab films took place on the sidelines of the 70th Cannes Film Festival. These prices are awarded each year to the best Arab cinematographic productions in several categories. To be eligible, films must be long or short fiction or documentaries, having been presented at first during an international cinema festival outside the Arab world, and at least one of the production companies must be Arab.
In addition, since last year, the center of Arab cinema has chosen to honor two criticisms each year by awarding them a prize of excellence for international critic and a prize of excellence for Arabic critic. This year, the two honored criticisms are Peter Bradshaw (England) and Nadim Jarjoura (Lebanon).
All the details on the names named and the list of criticism members of the jury are published in n ° 22 of the Arab Cinema Magazine which has just been published and which is distributed at the Cannes Film Festival.
A decade of promoting Arabic cinema
By celebrating its 10th anniversary, the Center for Arab Cinema continues to play a crucial role in the promotion and recognition of Arab cinema on an international scale. The 8th edition of the Arab Critics Awards once again highlighted the vitality and diversity of Arab cinema. The awards awarded to Tunisian, Sudanese, Egyptian and Jordanian films underline the excellence and creativity of Arab filmmakers. The success of Tunisians with four important prizes strengthens the preponderant place of Tunisia in the Arab and international cinematographic panorama.
Neïla Driss
