Arab cinema continues to make waves at the world’s top festivals, building on a year of acclaim with films like ‘Once Upon a Time in Gaza’, ‘The President’s Cake’ and ‘The Little Sister’ earning major awards in Cannes.
This momentum is evident at the Venice Film Festival, where Arab voices are strongly represented. Notable titles include Kaouther Ben Hania’s ‘The Voice of Hind Rajab’ competing for top honors, Maryam Touzani’s ‘Calle Malaga’ and Shahad Ameen’s ‘Hijra’ featured in Venice Spotlight, alongside Suzannah Mirghani’s ‘Cotton Queen’ and Yanis Koussim’s ‘Roqia’ in Critics’ Week.
Egyptian producer and distributor Mohamed Hefzy, behind Hijra and Cotton Queen, and distributor for Roqia, reflected on the challenges of creating cinema in a region beset by conflict.
He recounted having to film Cotton Queen, the first fiction feature by a Sudanese female director, in Egypt due to the ongoing civil war in Sudan. “We have to live with the instability,” Hefzy said. “It doesn’t seem like it’s going to go away any time soon. Filmmakers need to keep telling stories, and it’s encouraging that major festivals are recognizing these unique voices. Meaningful stories often emerge from times of conflict.”
Shahad Ameen, whose debut feature Scales also premiered in Venice, expressed excitement at returning with Hijra. The film, a road-trip drama following a grandmother and granddaughter, was shot across eight cities in Saudi Arabia.
“I spent three years traveling with my producers from Jeddah to the Jordanian border while writing the script,” she shared. “Whenever we encountered an interesting location or person, I incorporated it. I wanted the audience to feel the journey through the kingdom.”
Meanwhile, Annemarie Jacir’s historical epic ‘Palestine 36’, set to premiere in Toronto, is among the most anticipated Arab titles this fall.
Jacir commented on the prominence of female Arab directors in the current festival circuit. “It surprises me that people are still amazed by the number of women directors in the Arab world,” she said. “The industry here has long been ahead of many others, with women at the forefront. Yet Venice has never selected a film by a Palestinian woman for its official lineup. That speaks volumes.”
She also questioned the idea that Arab cinema is on the rise in Western festivals. “If anything, the presence of Arab films is decreasing. The attention now is amplified because there are more Arab filmmakers than ever, producing exceptional work. Festivals still tend to treat the entire region as one entity, often picking only a single film ‘from our region,’” the filmmaker remarked.
Ameen remains optimistic about the future, highlighting Saudi Arabia as a case study of growth in local filmmaking. “Six years ago, only two films were released in a year. Now, with government support, many more projects are being made,” she said.
“Arabs are storytellers, carrying our ancestors’ tales. I’m thrilled our films are reaching international audiences and showing the world who we truly are.”
