Within the 42nd Cairo International Film Festival, Cairo Film Connection has recently revealed the list of the winning film projects in its seventh edition. These included Jordanian documentary film project Tell Them About Us by producer/director Rand Beiruty that won the Arab Cinema Center (ACC) Award. Presented by Art Director Maher Diab, Co-founder of the Arab Cinema Center, the award offers the film's producer/director Beiruty an invitation to attend the upcoming Rotterdam Lab that will be virtually launched within the Rotterdam Film Festival (IFFR) (February 1-7, 2021).
Earlier this year, the Arab Cinema Center opened the call for Arab producers to submit to the Rotterdam Lab. Two more winning films will be revealed soon.
Tell Them About Us is a coming-of-age story in the German province where a clique of Arab, Kurdish and Roma teenage girls navigate their way into adulthood between two cultures. Long-term observational documentary is woven with a stylized mix of genres, taking cues from the girls’ hopes and imaginary worlds.
Organized by Cinemart, the Rotterdam Lab will be launched virtually this year as part of the Rotterdam Film Festival (IFFR). A five-day training workshop for promising emerging producers from all over the world, the Rotterdam Lab offers a place to over 69 producers from over 31 countries. The aim of Rotterdam Lab is to provide emerging professionals with the means to build and develop an international network with providing confidence and skills to navigate the world of international film financing, sales and distribution.

This year, five ACC partners presented awards to film projects within the Cairo Film Connection, namely: Arab Radio and Television Network (ART) award ($10,000 cash prize) to I Can Hear Your Voice Still (Egypt) by Sameh Alaa, Rotana Media Group ($10,000 cash prize) to the documentary film project Olaf's Daughters (Tunisia) by Kaouthar Ben Hania, Lagoonie Film Production ($10,000 cash prize) to the film project The Legend of Zainab and Noah (Egypt) by Yousry Nasrallah, the same film received the Ergo, MAD Solutions award (Distribution in the Arab World with $30,000 Minimum Guarantee), and IEFTA (IEFTA Mentorship Award that works with filmmakers from development stage to distribution) to the film projects: Snow White (Egypt), by Miral El Fakharany, and Before the Final Picture (Egypt) by Ayat Alla Youssef.

Cairo Film Connection is a space for Arab filmmakers to initiate connections and receive the support they need to bring their films to completion. In addition, a jury comprised of prominent film professionals will select projects to receive cash and in-kind awards

About Arab Cinema Center (ACC):
Organized by MAD Solutions in 2015, the Arab Cinema Center (ACC) is a nonprofit organization registered in Amsterdam. The ACC is an international promotional platform for Arab cinema as it provides the filmmaking industry with a professional window to connect with their counterparts from all over the world through a number of events that it organizes. The ACC also provides networking opportunities with representatives of companies and institutions specialized in co-production and international distribution, among others. The ACC's activities vary between film markets, stands, and pavilions, networking sessions and one-on-one meetings bringing together Arab and foreign filmmakers, welcome parties, as well as meetings with international organizations and festivals, and the issuance of the Arab Cinema Magazine to be distributed at the leading international film festivals and markets. Furthermore, newsletter subscription is now available on the ACC's website, allowing users to obtain digital copies of the Arab Cinema Magazine, as well as news on the ACC's activities, notifications of application dates for grants, festivals and offers from educational and training institutions, updates on Arab films participating at festivals, and highlights from the ACC's partners and their projects.

The ACC also launched an English-language Arab Cinema Guide, available on its website, which is a comprehensive cinematic guide that comprises a variety of tools presented collectively for the first time to offer information on Arab cinema to filmmakers inside and outside of the Arab world. It also aims to facilitate Arab filmmakers' access to international markets and help international film industry representatives to easily identify Arab film productions.