Oscar-nominated documentary by Tunisian filmmaker Kaouther Ben Hania Four daughters and Sudanese director Mohamed Kordofani’s Lupita Nyong’o-EPed drama Goodbye Julia lead the nominations at the eighth edition of the Critics Awards for Arab Films.
Hybrid work Four daughterswhich tells the story of a real-life Tunisian mother who lost two of her daughters to ISIS after they were radicalized by a local preacher, premiered in competition at Cannes last year.
The film won the Cannes Golden Eye for Best Documentary and was subsequently nominated for the 2024 Academy Awards for Best Documentary.
Kordofani’s drama set in Khartoum Goodbye Julia also screened at Cannes in 2023, making history as the first Sudanese film to be screened in the festival’s 76 editions, with its debut in Un Certain Regard. It represented Sudan in the 2023–24 Oscar race but was not nominated.
Set against the backdrop of the 2011 South Sudan independence referendum, the drama examines the country’s North-South divide through the complex relationship between two women from both sides.
Both films received nominations in seven categories.
Other frontrunners include Egyptian director Abu Bakr Shawky Hajj, against the backdrop of the Saudi camel racing scene; Jordanian filmmaker Amjad Al-Rasheed’s female inheritance drama Inshallah a boyand the Palestinian-British director Farah Nabulsi The teacherwith Saleh Bakri as a West Bank teacher committed to political resistance.
The Critics Awards for Arab Films are an initiative of the support organization Arab Cinema Center and its co-founders Alaa Karkouti and Maher Diab.
This year’s edition is open to all Arab films that premiered outside the Arab world in 2023. They are voted on by a jury of 209 critics from 72 countries.
The ever-growing initiative, which aims to spotlight internationally successful Arab independent films, has added a short film category for the first time this year.
“As usual, these films are the best of the best and have been making the rounds at the festival circuit throughout last year, and some of them are still doing well this year,” said Deborah Young, manager of the Critics Awards for Arab Films.
“For this year’s edition, we are also adding another category, Best Short Film, as part of our ongoing desire to cover all bases and talents of the pan-Arab cinema industry,” she added.
The winners will be announced on May 18 at a ceremony at the Arab Cinema Center stand in Cannes.
The final list of nominees is:
Best Feature Film
Goodbye Julia | Mohamed Kordofani Sudan
INSHALLAH A BOY | Amjad Al-Rasheed |Jordan
HAJJAN | Abu Bakr Shawky| Saudi Arabia
THE TEACHER | Farah Nabulsi | Palestine
THE COVERED | Amr Gamal | Yemen
Best Director
Mohamed Kordofani Goodbye Julia | Sudan
Kaouther Ben Hania | FOUR DAUGHTERS | Tunisia
Karim Bensalah | SIX FEET OVER | France
Asmae ElMoudir | THE MOTHER OF ALL LIES | Morocco
Amjad Al-Rasheed | INSHALLAH A BOY | Jordan
Best screenplay
Mohamed Kordofani Goodbye Julia | Sudan
Amr Gamal, Mazen Refaat | THE COVERED | Yemen
Kamal Al-Azrak | DOGS | Morocco
Delphine Agut, Rula Nasser, Amjad Al-Rasheed | INSHALLAH A BOY | Jordan
Omar Shama, Mufarrij Almajfel, Abu Bakr Shawky | HAJJAN | Saudi Arabia
Best Actress
Mouna Hawa | INSHALLAH A BOY | Jordan
Eiman Yousif | Goodbye Julia | Sudan
Hend Sabry | KIRA & EL GIN | Egypt
Hend Sabry | FOUR DAUGHTERS | Tunisia
Adwa Bader | DRAGON | Saudi Arabia
Best actor
Ibrahim Al-Hasawi | HAJJAN | Saudi Arabia
Majd Mastoura FOUR DAUGHTERS | Tunisia
Ayoub Elaid | DOGS | Morocco
Saleh Bakri | THE TEACHER | Palestine
Nazar Goma | Goodbye Julia | Sudan
Best Documentary
FOUR DAUGHTERS | Kaouther Ben Hania | Tunisia
THE MOTHER OF ALL LIES | Asmae ElMoudir | Morocco
Q | Jew Chehab | Lebanon
UNDER THE SKY OF DAMASCUS | Talal Derki, Heba Khaled, Ali Wajeeh | Syria
LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL | Mohamed Jabaly | Palestine
Best Short Film
I PROMISE YOU PARADISE | Morad Mostafa | Egypt
CHENILLS | Noel Keserwany, Michelle Keserwany | Lebanon
The Red Sea makes me cry | Faris Alrjoob | Jordan
SEA SALT | Leila Basma Lebanon
THE KEY | Mayasi Friends | Palestine
Best music
Amine Bouhafa HAJJAN | Saudi Arabia
Amine Bouhafa | FOUR DAUGHTERS | Tunisia
Mazen Hamid | Goodbye Julia | Sudan
Omar Fadel | DRAGON | Saudi Arabia
Alex Baranowski | THE TEACHER | Palestine
Best camera
Farouk Laaridh | FOUR DAUGHTERS | Tunisia
Kaname Onoyama | INSHALLAH A BOY | Jordan
Gilles Porte | THE TEACHER | Palestine
Gerry Vasbenter | HAJJAN | Saudi Arabia
Ahmad Al Morsy | KIRA & EL GIN | Egypt
Best editing
Ahmed Hafez | INSHALLAH A BOY | Jordan
Heba Othman | Goodbye Julia | Sudan
Fahd Ahmed | Q | Lebanon
Sarah Peczek HAJJAN | Saudi Arabia
Qutaiba Barhamji | FOUR DAUGHTERS | Tunisia