Mohamed Kordofani’s Goodbye Julia and Kaouther Ben Hania’s Four Daughters lead the nominations for the 8th Critics Awards for Arab Films, which will be held during the upcoming Cannes Film Festival.
Both features picked up seven nominations apiece for the awards, focused on Arab films that were produced and premiered outside of the Arab world in 2023. Overseen and run by the Cairo-based Arab Cinema Centre (ACC), it was voted on by 209 critics from 72 countries and the winners will be announced during Cannes on May 18.
Scroll down for full list of nominations
This year’s nominees range from Sudan, Jordan, Saudi Arabai and Palestine to Yemen, Tunisia, Morocco, Egypt, Syria and Lebanon. The awards have introduced a category for short films for the first time.
Jointly leading the pack is Goodbye Julia, which became the first Sudanese feature to ever play at Cannes when it premiered at the festival last year, winning the freedom prize in the Un Certain Regard section, and going on to be submitted by Sudan for the Oscars.
It has secured nominations for best feature, director, screenplay, music and editing. Actress Eiman Yousif and actor Nazar Goma have also been nominated for their performances in the film about a northern Sudanese retired singer in a tense marriage — who is wracked by guilt after covering up a murder. In an bid to make amends, she takes in the deceased’s southern Sudanese widow and son into her home but is unable to confess.
Also securing seven nods is Tunisian doc-drama hybrid Four Daughters. The film also played at last year’s Cannes, winning the Golden Eye for director Ben Hania, and secured an Oscar nomination for best documentary feature.
The film spotlights a family whose two elder daughters have disappeared — interviewing the mother and remaining two sisters, and using actors to play the departed pair. It has been nominated for best documentary, director, music, cinematography and editing as well as for actress Hend Sabry and actor Majd Mastoura.
Further multiple nominees include Amjad Al-Rasheed’s Jordanian feature Inshallah A Boy and Abu Bakr Shawky’s Saudi film Hajjan, of which both received six nods.
Previous best film winners at the awards include The Last Days Of The City (2017), Wajib (2018), Yomeddine (2019), It Must Be Heaven (2020), Gaza Mon Amour (2021), Feathers (2022), and Hanging Gardens (2023).
8th Critics Awards for Arab Films nominations
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 Burdened, 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 Burdened, Yemen
Kamal Al-Azrak, Hounds, 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, Naga, Saudi Arabia
Best Actor
Ibrahim Al-Hasawi, Hajjan, Saudi Arabia
Majd Mastoura, Four Daughters, Tunisia
Ayoub Elaid, Hounds, 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, Jude Chehab, Lebanon
Under The Sky Of Damascus, Talal Derki, Heba Khaled, Ali Wajeeh, Syria
Life Is Beautiful, Mohamed Jabaly, Palestine
Best Music
Amine Bouhafa, Hajjan, Saudi Arabia
Amine Bouhafa, Four Daughters, Tunisia
Mazen Hamid, Goodbye Julia, Sudan
Omar Fadel, Naga, Saudi Arabia
Alex Baranowski, The Teacher, Palestine
Best Cinematography
Farouk Laâridh, Four Daughters, Tunisia
Kanamé 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
Best Short Film
I Promise You Paradise, Morad Mostafa, Egypt
Les Chenilles, Noel Keserwany, Michelle Keserwany, Lebanon
The Red Sea Makes Me Wanna Cry, Faris Alrjoob, Jordan
Sea Salt, Leila Basma, Lebanon
The Key, Rakan Mayasi, Palestine
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