BEST ARAB NARRATIVE FILM
Normal
Merzak Allouache / Feature Narrative / Algeria, France / 2011 / 111 min / Color / HDCAM
As the Arab Spring begins in Tunisia and Egypt, Fouzi gathers a group of actors to show them footage of a documentary he started shooting two years ago about the disillusionment of youth seeking to express their artistic ideas. He searches for an alternative ending, relying on the actors’ reactions to the historical changes currently taking place.
(Centre) Director of Best Arab Narrative Film 'Normal', Merzak Allouache speaks on stage with the cast of the film (behind).
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BEST ARAB NARRARTIVE FILMMAKER
Director Roschdy Zem for Omar Killed Me.
Omar Killed Me (Omar m'a tuer)
Roschdy Zem / Feature Narrative / France, Morocco / 2011 / 84 min / Color / 35 mm
The film tracks the investigation of a gardener wrongly convicted for the murder of his employer, a rich heiress. A journalist convinced of his innocence defends his case, uncovering one of the most shocking violations of justice in the last 20 years. The film explores a universal problem – that there are two standards of justice in the world: one for the powerful and one for the poor.
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BEST ARAB DOCUMENTARY FILM
The Virgin, the Copts and Me (La Vierge, les Coptes et Moi)
Namir Abdel Messeeh / Feature Documentary / France / 2011 / 85 min / Color / HDCAM
Namir is a French filmmaker of Egyptian origin. One day he watches a videotape of the Virgin Mary’s apparition in Egypt with his mother who, like millions of other Copts, (Egypt’s Christians) sees the Virgin on the screen while he sees nothing. Skeptical about the videotape, Namir travels back to Egypt, to make a film about the bizarre occurrence of these apparitions.
Best Arab Documentary Film “The Virgin, The Copts and Me” Director, Namir Abdel Messeeh speak on stage.
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BEST ARAB DOCUMENTARY FILMMAKER
Director Rania Stephan for The Three Disappearances of Soad Hosni (Ikhtifa’aat Hosni Alt-Thalathat).
The Three Disappearances of Soad Hosni (Ikhtifa'aat Soad Hosni Alt-thalathat)
Rania Stephan / Feature Documentary / Lebanon / 2011 / 68 min / Color and B&W / HDCAM
“The Three Disappearances of Soad Hosni” is an elegy to a rich era of film production in Egypt, seen through the work of one of its most revered actresses. Soad Hosni embodied the complexity of the modern Arab woman. Pieced together exclusively from archival footage of her films, it tells the story of Hosni’s life up until her tragic end in 2001.
Filmmaker Rania Stephan accepts award for Best Documentary Filmmaker during the Arab Film Competition Awards.
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BEST FILM, MADE IN QATAR SERIES
Falcon, A Revolution (Is Saqar wa Is Sawra)
Directed by Mohamed Rezwan Al Islam and Jassim Al Romaihi
Hassan, an egyptian falcon trainer lives in Doha. He has been in Qatar since he was 16. Struck by corruption and forced by hunger, Hassan moved to Qatar in search for his daily bread. Reminiscent of the good and bad times, he watches and reacts to the fallen regime of former Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak. Hassan compares the actions of the government with falconry and training falcons. Optimistic, he stares in to greenery hoping for a prosperous future.
Directors of Best Made In Qatar Film “A Falcon, A Revolution”, Jassim Al Romaihi (left) and Mohamed Rezwan Al Islam (right) speak on stage.
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BEST ARAB SHORT
Where are You? (Wenak?)
Abdullaziz Al-Nujaym / Short Narrative / Saudi Arabia / 2011 / 9 min / Color and B&W / HDCAM
The film takes place in modern day Riyadh as Aziz, a loner, has isolated himself in his apartment and watches old silent films. A friend calls to invite him to an illegal party in the desert but Aziz is nowhere to be found.
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Honourable Mention for "My Father is Still a Communist - Intimate Secrets to be Published"
Ahmad Ghossein / Short Documentary / UAE, Lebanon / 2011 / 32 min / Color / HDCAM
All that remains of Rashid Ghossein and Maream Hmadeh's relationship is a large collection of recorded messages, which capture their 10 years together during the height of the Lebanese civil war.
Director Ahmad Ghossein (right) speak on stage with actors Omar Sharif (center) and Antonio Banderas (left).
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BEST PERFORMANCE
Sami Bouajila for Omar Killed Me