Marking a decade of celebrating excellence in Arab cinema, the Arab Cinema Center (ACC) has announced the nominees for the 10th edition of its annual Critics Awards for Arab Films, with the winners set to be unveiled on May 16th at a special ceremony during this year’s Cannes Film Festival at the Plage des Palmes. 
 
With a record‑breaking international jury of 307 film critics from 75 countries voting on the standout Arab films of the past year, the final list of nominations reveals that PALESTINE 36 had the biggest share with six nominations, followed by CALLE MÁLAGA with five; ALL THAT’S LEFT OF YOU with four; and YUNAN, MY FATHER’S SCENT, and ONCE UPON A TIME IN GAZA with three each. 
 
Close behind with two nominations apiece are PROMISED SKY, THE VOICE OF HIND RAJAB, A SAD AND BEAUTIFUL WORLD, THE PRESIDENT’S CAKE, THE SETTLEMENT, HIJRA, and AISHA CAN’T FLY AWAY. 
 
This year’s nominations span a range of categories, including Best Feature Film, Best Documentary, Best Short Film, Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Cinematography, Best Editing, and Best Music, showcasing the depth and diversity of the storytelling craft from across the Arab region.
 
Launched on the margins of the 70th Cannes Film Festival, the Critics Awards for Arab Films is organized annually in partnership with Festival Scope and honors the best Arab productions of the previous year. With its 10th edition, the ACC reaffirms its mission to champion Arab filmmakers and amplify their voices on the global stage. 
 
Here’s the final list of nominees:
Best Feature Film
ONCE UPON A TIME IN GAZA | Tarzan and Arab Nasser | Palestine
PALESTINE 36 | Annemarie Jacir | Palestine 
ALL THAT’S LEFT OF YOU | Cherien Dabis | Palestine 
CALLE MÁLAGA | Maryam Touzani | Morocco 
COTTON QUEEN | Suzannah Mirghani | Sudan
 
Best Screenplay 
Amer Nasser and Marie Legrand| ONCE UPON A TIME IN GAZA 
Cherien Dabis | ALL THAT’S LEFT OF YOU
Annemarie Jacir | PALESTINE 36 
Maryam Touzani and Nabil Ayouch | CALLE MÁLAGA
Ahmed Amer and Mohamed Siam | MY FATHER’S SCENT 
 
Best Director
Maryam Touzani | CALLE MÁLAGA 
Cherien Dabis | ALL THAT’S LEFT OF YOU 
Tarzan and Arab Nasser | ONCE UPON A TIME IN GAZA 
Annemarie Jacir | PALESTINE 36 
Kaouther Ben Hania | THE VOICE OF HIND RAJAB 
 
Best Actress 
Deborah Christelle Naney | PROMISED SKY 
Mounia Akl | A SAD AND BEAUTIFUL WORLD 
Yasmine Al Massri | PALESTINE 36 
Carmen Maura | CALLE MÁLAGA
Baneen Ahmad Nayyef | THE PRESIDENT’S CAKE
 
Best Actor 
Adham Shukr | THE SETTLEMENT 
Nawwaf Aldaferi | HIJRA 
Dhafer L’Abidine | PALESTINE 36 
Georges Khabbaz | YUNAN 
Ahmed Malek | MY FATHER’S SCENT 
 
Best Music 
Armand Amar | HIJRA 
Suad Bushnaq | YUNAN 
Amine Bouhafa | AISHA CAN’T FLY AWAY 
Omar El-Deeb | THE PRESIDENT’S CAKE 
Freya Arde | CALLE MÁLAGA 
 
Best Editing 
Ameer Fakher Eldin | YUNAN 
Ahmed Hafez | MY FATHER’S SCENT 
Qutaiba Barhamji, Maxime Mathis, and Kaouther Ben Hania | THE VOICE OF HIND RAJAB 
Heba Othman | THE SETTLEMENT 
Zeina Aboul Hosn | DEAD DOG 
 
Best Cinematography 
Hélène Louvart | PALESTINE 36 
Mostafa El Kashef | AISHA CAN’T FLY AWAY 
Joe Saade | A SAD AND BEAUTIFUL WORLD 
Christopher Aoun | ALL THAT’S LEFT OF YOU 
Frida Marzouk | PROMISED SKY 
 
Best Documentary 
THE LIONS BY THE RIVER TIGRIS | Zaradasht Ahmed | Iraq 
KHARTOUM | Anas Saeed, Rawia Alhag, Ibrahim Snoopy, Timeea Mohamed Ahmed, and Phil Cox | Sudan 
50 METERS | Yomna Khattab | Egypt 
LIFE AFTER SIHAM | Namir Abdel Messeeh | Egypt 
DO YOU LOVE ME | Lana Daher | Lebanon 
 
Best Short Film 
L’MINA | Randa Maroufi | Morocco 
IT'S SO BEAUTIFUL HERE | Basma Alsharif and Kamal Aljafari |  Palestine 
CONTROL ANATOMY | Mahmoud Al Haj | Palestine 
I’M GLAD YOU’RE DEAD NOW | Tawfeek Barhom | Palestine 
SOUS LES RUINES | Nadhir Bouslama | Tunisia 
 
About the Arab Cinema Center
Founded by MAD Solutions in 2015, the Arab Cinema Center (ACC) is a non-profit platform promoting Arab cinema internationally. Through its presence at major festivals and markets, the ACC connects Arab filmmakers and producers with global industry players and audiences.
Website: acc.film