The Malmo Arab Film Festival concludes its 14th edition:

The 14th edition of the Malmö Arab Film Festival concluded with the announcement of awards at a grand ceremony held at the Royal Cinema , one of the largest cinema in Sweden.

After the red carpet ceremony, the event began with a speech by the Founder – Management and Artistic Consultant, director Mouhamad Keblawi. He thanked the audience of Malmo city and all the Swedish entities supporting the festival, including sponsors, authorities, institutions, Swedish and Arab production companies that contributed to presenting the Malmo Days awards for the cinema industry. He expressed gratitude to the staff and volunteers of the festival, considering the end of the 14th edition of the festival as the beginning of preparations for the 15th edition next April. He also thanked all the festival guests, considering the days of the festival so far as a wonderful experience for cultural exchange.

Then, the short film jury was invited to the stage to announce the awards. The jury, comprised of actor Ashraf Barhom, festival director Fatema Nouali Azar, producer and director Ali Kareem, presented the awards as follows:

Best Short Film (15,000 Swedish Krona) went to “Wishes For My Heart” directed by Shireen Magdy Diab (Egypt).
Jury Award (10,000 Swedish Krona) went to “Transit” directed by Baqer Al-Rubaie (Iraq).
The film “I Promise You Paradise” directed by Morad Mostafa (Egypt) received a special mention from the jury.
Similarly, the film “The Red Sea Makes Me Wanna Cry” directed by Faris Alrjoob (Germany, Jordan) also received a special mention.
Next, the feature film jury, chaired by Egyptian director Khairy Beshara, alongside Palestinian producer and director May Odeh, Saudi film critic Dr. Mohamed Albshair, Tunisian actress Souhir Ben Amra, and Emirati director and producer Nahla Alfahd, announced and presented the awards for feature films:

Best Film (35,000 Swedish Krona): “The Mother of All Lies” by Moroccan director Asmae El Moudir (Morocco, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Qatar).
Jury Award (25,000 Swedish Krona): “The Burdened” by Yemeni director Amr Gamal (Yemen, Sudan, Saudi Arabia).
Best Non-Fiction Film (15,000 Swedish Krona): “Bye Bye Tiberias” by Lina Soualem (France, Belgium, Qatar, Palestine).
Best director : Tunisian director Kaouther Ben Hania for the film “Four Daughters”.
Best screenwriter: Sudanese director and screenwriter Mohamed Kordofani for the film “Goodbye Julia”.
Best Actor: Palestinian actor Saleh Bakri for the film “The Teacher”.
Best Actress: Palestinian actress Muna Hawa for the film “Inshallah A Boy” by Jordanian director Amjad Al Rasheed.
Special mention: actress Siran Riyak for the Sudanese film “Goodbye Julia” and Saudi actor Mohamad Aldokhei in the film “Night Courier”.

Then, Ann Körling, Strategic developer of film area Film Malmö, presented the Audience Award, worth 25,000 Swedish Krona, to the Egyptian film “A Nose and Three Eyes” directed by Amir Ramses.

After the awards presentation, the festival’s board members – Ayla Mahmoud, Mustafa Kaoud, Aleaa Al-Tamimi, Birgitta Severinsson, and Athir Abbas – honored the former chairman of the festival’s board, Amal Severinsson Keblawi, for her efforts in developing the festival over the years.

Theria Al-Shaikh and Ikhlas Batta, on behalf of the Arab Women’s Associations in Malmö, presented a tribute card to Mouhamad Keblawi, the founder of the Malmö Arab Film Festival.

The closing ceremony concluded with a presentation by the Saudi production team of the closing film “Hajjan,” followed by the screening of the film.

The full list of winning films at the 14th Malmö Arab Film Festival is as follows:

Feature Film Competition:

Best Film (35,000 Swedish Krona): “The Mother of All Lies” by Moroccan director Asmae El Moudir (Morocco, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Qatar).

Jury Award (25,000 Swedish Krona): “The Burdened” by Yemeni director Amr Gamal (Yemen, Sudan, Saudi Arabia).

Best Non-Fiction Film (15,000 Swedish Krona): “Bye Bye Tiberias” by Lina Soualem (France, Belgium, Qatar, Palestine).

Best director : Tunisian director Kaouther Ben Hania for the film “Four Daughters”.

Best screenwriter: Sudanese director and screenwriter Mohamed Kordofani for the film “Goodbye Julia”.

Best Actor: Palestinian actor Saleh Bakri for the film “The Teacher”.

Best Actress: Palestinian actress Muna Hawa for the film “Inshallah A Boy” by Jordanian director Amjad Al Rasheed.

Special mention: actress Siran Riyak for the Sudanese film “Goodbye Julia” and Saudi actor Mohamad Aldokhei in the film “Night Courier”.

Short Film Competition:

Best Short Film (15,000 Swedish Krona) went to “Wishes For My Heart” directed by Shireen Magdy Diab (Egypt).
Jury Award (10,000 Swedish Krona) went to “Transit” directed by Baqer Al-Rubaie (Iraq).
The film “I Promise You Paradise” directed by Morad Mostafa (Egypt) received a special mention from the jury.
“The Red Sea Makes Me Wanna Cry” directed by Faris Alrjoob (Germany, Jordan) also received a special mention.
Audience Choice Award (25,000 Swedish Krona): “Nose and Three Eyes” directed by Egyptian filmmaker Amir Ramses.

On Sunday, April 28th, 2024, the last day of the 14th edition of the Malmö Arab Film Festival, the winning films in the official competitions will be screened. These include the short film “Wishes For My Heart” directed by Shireen Magdy Diab, “Bye Bye Tiberias” directed by Lena Souilam, and “The Mother of All Lies” directed by Asmae El Moudir . Additionally, the film “A Nose and Three Eyes” by Egyptian director Amir Ramses, winner of the Audience Choice Award, will also be screened.

Last night also marked the conclusion of the Arabian Nights screenings, which were held in collaboration with the Saudi Film Commission. The Commission participated in the Arabian Nights screenings in five Swedish cities alongside the Danish capital, Copenhagen, totaling six screenings. This collaboration between the festival, the Saudi Film Commission, and Close Up North aimed to screening four Saudi films across six screenings in cities such as Umeå, Helsingborg, Gothenburg, the capital Stockholm, Malmo, and the Danish capital Copenhagen. The goal of this participation was to offer a unique cinematic experience to the audience.