Arab Cinema Excellence: Winners of the 10th Critics’ Awards For Arab Films
The film "Once Upon A Time In Gaza" by Palestinian directors Tarzan and Arab Nasser has won the Best Film award at the 10th Critics’ Awards For Arab Films. The movie is set in Gaza in 2007 and follows the story of a student and a restaurant owner who is also a petty criminal. It premiered in Un Certain Regard last year and received the Best Director prize. Another notable winner is Cherien Dabis, who won the Best Director award for "All That’s Left Of You." The awards ceremony, organized by the Arab Cinema Centre (ACC), was voted on by 307 Arab and international critics from 75 countries this year.
The film "Palestine 36" was nominated in six categories and won the Best Screenplay award for director Annemarie Jacir and the Best Cinematography award for Hélène Louvart. The event also honored prominent figures in the Arab film industry, with Vincenzo Bugno receiving the Game Changer Award for his support of Arab cinema and Hussein Fahmy being named the Personality of the Year for his contributions to Arab cinema.
The 2026 winners of the Critics’ Awards For Arab Films include "Once Upon A Time In Gaza" for Best Feature Film, Annemarie Jacir for Best Screenplay, Cherien Dabis for Best Director, Deborah Christelle Naney for Best Actress, Adham Shukr for Best Actor, Suad Bushnaq for Best Music, Ameer Fakher Eldin for Best Editing, Zaradasht Ahmed for Best Documentary, and Tawfeek Barhom for Best Short Film.
The Critics’ Awards For Arab Films aims to highlight the best Arab films and talents and give them the international recognition they deserve. The awards ceremony, held at Cannes’ Plage des Palmes, celebrates the achievements of Arab cinema and honors those who have made significant contributions to the industry.