A total of 22 European films, including eight Oscar nominees for Best International Feature Film, are competing for the Arab Critics' Awards for European Films, which is jointly hosted by European Film Promotion (EFP) and the Arab Cinema Center (ACC) for the six time.
All of the 22 films which were nominated by EFP’s members, the national film promotion institutes from throughout Europe, have premiered or screened at leading international film festivals, winning several awards. They include films such as, Loveable by Lilja Ingolfsdottir from Norway (Special Jury Prize, Best Actress / Helga Guren, Grand Prize of the Ecumenical Jury, Fipresci Award / Karlovy Vary International Film Festival), Three Days of a Fish by Peter Hoogendoorn from The Netherlands (Best Actor Award / Karlovy Vary International Film Festival), The Village Next to Paradise by Mo Harawe (Heart of Sarajevo for Best Actress / Anab Ahmed Ibrahim / Sarajevo Film Festival) or Reinas by Klaudia Reynicke from Switzerland (Grand Prix of the International Jury for the Best Film in Generation Kplus / Berlinale)). Eight of the nominated films have been submitted to the Academy Awards in the Best International Feature Film category, e.g. Julie Keeps Quiet by Leonardo van Dijl (Belgium), Waves by Jiri Madl (Czech Republic), The Girl with the Needle by Magnus von Horn (Denmark), 8 Views of Lake Biwa by Marko Raat (Estonia), The Seeds of The Sacred Fig by Mohammad Rasoulof (Germany), Semmelweis by Lajos Koltai (Hungary), Flow by Gints Zilbalodis (Latvia) and Family Therapy by Sonja Prosenc (Slovenia).
87 of the most prominent and influential Arab film critics from 15 Arab-speaking countries will decide on three favourites before announcing the winning film during the El Gouna Film Festival (24 October – 1 November).
“We are extremely grateful to the Arab film critics and journalists who watch a fine selection of 22 films from 22 different European countries. And we appreciate the opportunity to make these films visible in the Arab world, thanks to the collaboration with the Arab Cinema Center and to the El Gouna Film Festival who hosts the Award Ceremony for the final winner”, says EFP Managing Director Sonja Heinen.
ACC co-founders and managing partners Alaa Karkouti and Maher Diab expressed their excitement of yet another year of the Arab Critic’s Awards. “As always, it’s a great pleasure to join forces with EFP and GFF for the sixth year in a row, but it’s an even bigger pleasure to have the opportunity to once again, amplify European cinema through our very own Arab critics and continue to expand the horizons for European films and filmmakers in the Arab-speaking region.”
The Arab Critics’ Awards for European Films was launched in 2019 by EFP and the ACC. It is a spin-off from the ACC’s well-established Critics' Awards to boost the diversity of films in the region and raise the interest of sales companies and the industry for outstanding European films. This initiative also wishes to cast a spotlight onto distinguished film critics from 15 Arab-speaking countries and their important role of introducing new perspectives and bridging cultural differences and characteristics. Previous winners included, God Exists, Her Name Is Petrunya by Teona Strugar Mitevska (2019), Undine by Christian Petzold (2020), 107 Mothers by Peter Kerekes (2021), EO by Jerzy Skolimowski (2022) and Fallen Leaves by Aki Kaurismäki (2023).