Marking a decade of celebrating excellence in Arab cinema, the Arab Cinema Center (ACC) has announced the nominees for the 10th edition of its annual Critics Awards for Arab Films, with the winners set to be unveiled on May 16th at a special ceremony during this year’s Cannes Film Festival at the Plage des Palmes.
With a record‑breaking international jury of 307 film critics from 75 countries voting on the standout Arab films of the past year, the final list of nominations reveals that PALESTINE 36 had the biggest share with six nominations, followed by CALLE MÁLAGA with five; ALL THAT’S LEFT OF YOU with four; and YUNAN, MY FATHER’S SCENT, and ONCE UPON A TIME IN GAZA with three each.
Close behind with two nominations apiece are PROMISED SKY, THE VOICE OF HIND RAJAB, A SAD AND BEAUTIFUL WORLD, THE PRESIDENT’S CAKE, THE SETTLEMENT, HIJRA, and AISHA CAN’T FLY AWAY.
This year’s nominations span a range of categories, including Best Feature Film, Best Documentary, Best Short Film, Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Cinematography, Best Editing, and Best Music, showcasing the depth and diversity of the storytelling craft from across the Arab region.
Launched on the margins of the 70th Cannes Film Festival, the Critics Awards for Arab Films is organized annually in partnership with Festival Scope and honors the best Arab productions of the previous year. With its 10th edition, the ACC reaffirms its mission to champion Arab filmmakers and amplify their voices on the global stage.
Here’s the final list of nominees:
Best Feature Film
ONCE UPON A TIME IN GAZA | Tarzan and Arab Nasser | Palestine
PALESTINE 36 | Annemarie Jacir | Palestine
ALL THAT’S LEFT OF YOU | Cherien Dabis | Palestine
CALLE MÁLAGA | Maryam Touzani | Morocco
COTTON QUEEN | Suzannah Mirghani | Sudan
Best Screenplay
Amer Nasser and Marie Legrand| ONCE UPON A TIME IN GAZA
Cherien Dabis | ALL THAT’S LEFT OF YOU
Annemarie Jacir | PALESTINE 36
Maryam Touzani and Nabil Ayouch | CALLE MÁLAGA
Ahmed Amer and Mohamed Siam | MY FATHER’S SCENT
Best Director
Maryam Touzani | CALLE MÁLAGA
Cherien Dabis | ALL THAT’S LEFT OF YOU
Tarzan and Arab Nasser | ONCE UPON A TIME IN GAZA
Annemarie Jacir | PALESTINE 36
Kaouther Ben Hania | THE VOICE OF HIND RAJAB
Best Actress
Deborah Christelle Naney | PROMISED SKY
Mounia Akl | A SAD AND BEAUTIFUL WORLD
Yasmine Al Massri | PALESTINE 36
Carmen Maura | CALLE MÁLAGA
Baneen Ahmad Nayyef | THE PRESIDENT’S CAKE
Best Actor
Adham Shukr | THE SETTLEMENT
Nawwaf Aldaferi | HIJRA
Dhafer L’Abidine | PALESTINE 36
Georges Khabbaz | YUNAN
Ahmed Malek | MY FATHER’S SCENT
Best Music
Armand Amar | HIJRA
Suad Bushnaq | YUNAN
Amine Bouhafa | AISHA CAN’T FLY AWAY
Omar El-Deeb | THE PRESIDENT’S CAKE
Freya Arde | CALLE MÁLAGA
Best Editing
Ameer Fakher Eldin | YUNAN
Ahmed Hafez | MY FATHER’S SCENT
Qutaiba Barhamji, Maxime Mathis, and Kaouther Ben Hania | THE VOICE OF HIND RAJAB
Heba Othman | THE SETTLEMENT
Zeina Aboul Hosn | DEAD DOG
Best Cinematography
Hélène Louvart | PALESTINE 36
Mostafa El Kashef | AISHA CAN’T FLY AWAY
Joe Saade | A SAD AND BEAUTIFUL WORLD
Christopher Aoun | ALL THAT’S LEFT OF YOU
Frida Marzouk | PROMISED SKY
Best Documentary
THE LIONS BY THE RIVER TIGRIS | Zaradasht Ahmed | Iraq
KHARTOUM | Anas Saeed, Rawia Alhag, Ibrahim Snoopy, Timeea Mohamed Ahmed, and Phil Cox | Sudan
50 METERS | Yomna Khattab | Egypt
LIFE AFTER SIHAM | Namir Abdel Messeeh | Egypt
DO YOU LOVE ME | Lana Daher | Lebanon
Best Short Film
L’MINA | Randa Maroufi | Morocco
IT'S SO BEAUTIFUL HERE | Basma Alsharif and Kamal Aljafari | Palestine
CONTROL ANATOMY | Mahmoud Al Haj | Palestine
I’M GLAD YOU’RE DEAD NOW | Tawfeek Barhom | Palestine
SOUS LES RUINES | Nadhir Bouslama | Tunisia
