Cannes 2023 Titles ‘Goodbye Julia’ & ‘Four Daughters’ Lead Prizes At 8th Critics Awards For Arab Films

Tunisian filmmaker Kaouther Ben Hania’s  Four Daughters and Sudanese director Mohamed Kordofani’s drama Goodbye Julia topped the prizes at the 8th Critics Awards for Arab Films, which were announced on the fringes of the Cannes Film Festival on Saturday.

Goodbye Julia won Best Feature Film and Best Screenplay. Four Daughters, which was nominated for best documentary feature at this year’s Academy Awards won for Best Director, Best Documentary and Best Editing.

Both films world premiered in Cannes Official Selection in 2023.

In other prizes, Mouna Hawa won Best Actress for her performance in Jordanian director Amjad Al-Rasheed’s inshallah A Boy, which also clinched Best Cinematography. Saleh Bakri was named Best Actor for his lead role in West Bank drama The Teacher by UK-Palestinian director Farah Nabulsi.

year’s edition of the Critics’ Awards for Arab Films introduced a new Best Short Film category which was won by the Morad Mostafa’s I Promise You Paradise. Other winners included Amin Bouhafa’s Saudi feature Hajjan, which won Best Music.

Organized by the Arab Cinema Center, in collaboration with MAD Solutions, the International Emerging Film Talent Association, and NEFT Emerging Film Talent International Competition, the 8th edition of the awards was voted on by more than 200 film critics from around the world.

The 2024 nominees and winners (in bold)

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 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

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