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