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Malmö Arab Film Festival (MAFF) concluded its 14th edition (22-28 April), announcing the winning films at a grand ceremony held at the Royal Cinema, one of the largest film venues in Sweden.
Founded in 2011, MAFF has become a platform for Arab films in Europe and a showcase for the best of Arab cinema. The festival was created as a meeting place for Arab cinema in Malmö, Sweden and Europe. It started as a grassroots initiative and has since undergone tremendous development, becoming the largest film festival in southern Sweden.
The Mother of All Lies by Moroccan director Asmae El Moudir scooped the best film award of 35,000 Swedish krona. The Jury Award of 25,000 krona went to the Yemeni drama The Burdened by Yemeni director Amr Gamal. Lina Soualem’s personal documentary Bye Bye Tiberias won the Best Non-Fiction Film Award of 15,000 krona.
Meanwhile, after a tour around the world and multiple awards, Tunisian director Kaouther Ben Hania was named best director for her original film Four Daughters.
The Sudanese feature Goodbye Julia went home with the best screenwriter award for its director and screenwriter Mohamed Kordofani, and a special mention went to actress Siran Riyak.
Palestinian actor Saleh Bakri won best actor for his role in The Teacher, while Palestinian actress Muna Hawa won best actress for her performance in Inshallah A Boy by Jordanian director Amjad Al Rasheed. Saudi actor Mohamad Aldokhei received a special mention for his role in the film Night Courier.
At the closing ceremony, founder and president of the Malmö Arab Film Festival Mohamed Keblawi thanked the audience, the city and all the festival’s Swedish supporters, sponsors, authorities and institutions, along with the Swedish and Arab production companies that contributed to presenting the Malmö Days awards for the film industry. Ann Körling, strategic developer of the entity Film Malmö, presented the Audience Award, worth 25,000 krona, to the Egyptian film A Nose and Three Eyes directed by Amir Ramses.
