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This year, our selection comprises 14 projects that reflect diverse narratives emerging from our region. Among them are 11 feature projects in development, including fiction, docu-fiction, and documentaries, alongside 3 films in post-production. These projects come from Sudan, Iraq, Lebanon, Egypt, Tunisia, Syria, Jordan, Palestine, and Saudi Arabia, weaving stories from across the Arab region.
Stories of individuals battling societal chains or finding strength in the midst of turmoil. These narratives are bold declarations, asserting that amidst shadows, hope persists for a more just and humane world. They echo the transformative power of cinema, inspiring shifting narratives and fostering change.
Rock, Paper, Sea • by Randa Ali
Set in the summer of 2001, Rock, Paper, Sea follows Maha, an 11-year-old girl who learns that her father, who has been living in Kuwait for a year, will not join for the promised summer holidays. She creates an alternate reality, and with the help of a new friend, she tries to solve the mystery behind his absence.
Finding Oum Al Ghaith • by Abeer Bayazidi
Dancing on Fire • by Hana Alomair
In 1928, in the pre-oil era, during the rainfall dance celebrations, love grows between Amoosh and Nafla, who fights to marry him despite her family’s disapproval. Her attempts to blend in with his family fail while he’s absent on long trading trips, leaving her lonely and depriving her of dancing, her sole source of joy. Nafla confronts difficult choices.
After Three Years of Green (working title) • by Alayham Ali & Amr Alshashou
Through the daily events and the memories of the two directors’ relationship that started in 2020, the film showcases a form of living in a war-torn country, uncovering their premonitions about the problematic relationship with the city while the possibilities of immigration open up.
American Dream • by Amir El-Shenawy
Inspired by the popularity of American-based World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), a group of male and female wrestling enthusiasts in Ismailia, Egypt, come together to practice, promote and produce WWE-style events. Despite having limited resources but possessing unwavering determination, they are prepared to revolutionize their lives and chase after aspirations of international recognition both inside and outside the ring.
Dry sky ..don’t Rain • by Ibrahim Omar
On his way back to his hometown, Ibrahim endeavors to build what he has dreamt of all his life. However, he faces a fate intertwined with the memories of the past in the village. Alongside his friend and their donkey, he strives relentlessly to break free from this constraint.
Edition 96 • by Ahmad Naboulsi
In the late seventies, a sixteen-year-old Suzan is determined to become a tennis champion. She falls in love with the game while also falling for “Labib,” who convinces her she is an “unfading star.”
In her seventies, she reconstructs her memories today by narrating inspiring events from her past. She reflects on her championship history, which molded her into a resilient woman who defied war, traditions, and religious extremism.
About Rym and Maryam • by Mirvet Kammoun
Two teenage twin girls from a working-class neighborhood in Tunis experience a train accident resulting in the amputation of one of their legs. When society fails them and leaves them to their fate, they must search for solutions to reclaim their lives and rebuild their identities. Do they dare dream of the future again two years after the tragedy?
Ayin Hara (Evil Eye) • by Yasir Kareem
In a future marked by desertification and drying of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers in Iraq, Dunia is tasked with finding the last island with water protected by an old Jinn. Failure means a lifelong imprisonment with no chance of escape until her eventual demise.
Running with Beasts • by Leila Basma
Amid the Lebanese economic crisis, a group of five high schoolers meets one last time after graduation to finalize their secret plan which guarantees to afford their approaching dreams. The plan is dangerous, and fun, but adulthood and responsibilities are very near. Their bodies are transforming, their appetite, their tastes, their cravings. None of them has imagined the big consequences of their actions.
And me too (working title) • by Sondos Shabayek
Confined in a room in Cairo with her cousin Karima, Huda the cleaning lady, and Omar, her boyfriend, Sarah struggles to uncover what happened. Over 90 real-time minutes, we witness her odyssey as she gambles everything to disclose the truth: he is indeed her boyfriend, they engaged in premarital sexual relations, and he raped her last night.
Salimi – Untold Stories • by Nidal Badarny
Moondove • by Karim Kassem
A Butterfly Hug • by Sally Abobasha
