Mohammad Rahal " Arab Critics Awards Celebrate Film Stars at Cannes"

 

Arab Critics Awards Celebrate Film Stars at Cannes

Hussein Fahmy Honored, Palestine Wins Top Awards

Mohammad Rahal

The Arab Cinema Center (ACC) celebrated the 10th edition of the Critics Awards for Arab Films at a ceremony held on the Plage des Palmes beach in Cannes, France, as part of the Cannes Film Festival's film market. The event was attended by a large number of Arab and international filmmakers and critics.

This year's edition honored a selection of the most prominent independent Arab film productions, as well as celebrating individuals who have played influential roles in supporting the film industry in the region.

The Arab Cinema Center presented the "Game Changer" award to Vincenzo Bugno in recognition of his efforts to promote Arab cinema globally, while actor Hussein Fahmy received the "Personality of the Year" award in recognition of his artistic career and ongoing contributions to supporting Arab cinema.

The Arab Cinema Center also awarded its 2026 Criticism Achievement Award to critic Tarek El Shenawy, along with Turkish critic Alin Taşçıyan, in recognition of their careers and contributions to supporting film criticism both regionally and internationally.

Alaa Karkouti and Maher Diab, co-founders of the Arab Cinema Center, stated that the award continues its mission of supporting the best Arab films and talents, providing them with a wider platform to reach global audiences. They emphasized that the tenth edition reflects the significant growth the awards have achieved in recent years.

They added that this year's jury comprised 307 film critics from 75 countries, representing one of the largest critical participations in the awards' history.

This year's winners included several prominent works, with the Palestinian film "Once Upon a Time in Gaza" by directors Tarzan Nasser and Arab Nasser winning the Best Feature Film award, while Annemarie Jacir received the Best Screenplay award for "Palestine 36." Shirin Daibis won the Best Director award for her film "What's Left of You," while Deborah Christelle Nanny won Best Actress for "A Sky Without Earth," and Adham Shukr won Best Actor for "The Colony."

Souad Bouchnak won Best Music for "Greece," while Amir Fakhreddine won Best Editing for the same film, and Helene Louvar won Best Cinematography for "Palestine 36."

In the documentary category, the Iraqi film "Lions on the Banks of the Tigris" by Zaradasht Ahmad won Best Documentary, while the Best Short Film award went to "I'm Glad You're Dead Now" by Tawfiq Barhoum.