Between Two Seas Receives Special Jury Mention at the Beirut International Women Film Festival

Back to Press Releases

Winner of 22 International Awards

Between Two Seas Receives Special Jury Mention at the Beirut International Women Film Festival


Feature film Between Two Seas, by director Anas Tolba, has received Special Jury Mention at the Beirut International Women Film Festival that concluded its events last week, raising the film's tally to 22 international awards in total.

Beirut International Women Film Festival (BWFF) is an annual event held in Beirut that brings together filmmakers and cinema lovers from all over the world. BWFF tackles issues such as gender equality, sexual identity, and domestic violence, through the power of the lens and cinema.

Between Two Seas has received 21 awards in total, becoming one of the most critically acclaimed films in 2019. Previously, the film won six awards at the Egyptian National Film Festival, the Best Poster award at the annual Film Society Festival For Egyptian Cinema, two Best Director awards for Anas Tolba and Best Script at Festival International du Cinéma de la Diversité Taza in Morocco. It also won Best Narrative Feature and a Certificate of Outstanding Achievement (Screenplay), at the Brooklyn Film Festival and two other awards during its world premiere at the 3rd Aswan International Women Film Festival (AIWFF).

The film was screened at several regional and international film festivals, including the Red Carpet Human Rights Film Festival in Palestine, Karama Human Rights Film Festival in Jordan, Religion Today Film Festival in Italy, Aarhus Arab Film Festival in Denmark, Arab Film Festival Tübingen in Germany, and the Mostra de Valencia in Spain.

While on a short visit to her home village, a small rural island near Cairo, Zahra's daughter is exposed to a tragic accident. Following this incident, Zahra persists on getting her daughter's right and insists on not only continuing her education but also benefiting her community. The film sheds light on different societal issues faced by women, especially in rural areas.

Directed by Anas Tolba and written by Mariam Naoum, based on a script by Amany El Tounsy and Karim El Dalil, Between Two Seas stars Fatma Adel, Yara Goubran, Tharaa Goubail, Mahmoud Fares, Arfa Abdel Rassoul, and Lobna Wanas. The film is produced by Axeer and executive produced by Abdelrahman Al Garwani. MAD Solutions handles the film’s marketing and distribution in the Arab world. Also, it is a joint collaboration between the National Council for Women, UN Women, Axeer, along with a number of development partners as part of their belief in the important role that cinema plays in changing negative perceptions towards women in different societies.