It’s a wrap for the 13th edition of Final Cut in Venice (31 August-2 September), the workshop aimed at supporting films in post-production from Africa and selected Arab countries (Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Palestine, Syria and Yemen). The initiative was once again hosted by the Venice Production Bridge (28 August-3 September) during the days of the Venice Film Festival.

For the ninth consecutive year, the La Biennale di Venezia Award (worth €5,000) was handed out in order to support the best film in post-production. The jury, made up of Fatih Abay (European Film Academy), Nathalie Jeung (Kinology) and Claudio Rapino (Maestro Distribution), rewarded The Station by Sara Ishaq (Yemen/Jordan/France/Germany/Netherlands/Norway/Qatar). The jurors praised the film as “a demonstration of authentic gender empowerment, showing women as complex, capable individuals navigating their realities with agency and dignity. It challenges the typical Western gaze towards regions often reduced to simplistic narratives, instead revealing the full spectrum of human experience – the ingenuity, humour, strength and hope that flourish even in challenging circumstances.”

Ishaq’s project also received further backing from Titra Film (up to €5,000 for colour grading, up to €3,000 for a DCP master or digital delivery, and up to €2,000 for French or English subtitles), RAI Cinema (€5,000 for first negotiation rights for the acquisition of free TV exploitation rights in the Italian territory), Sub-Ti Ltd (up to €7,500 for a DCP master with subtitles) and Sub-Ti Access (€7,500 for accessible content, including subtitles for the deaf and audio description).

Meanwhile, Hugo Salvaterra’s My Semba (Angola) was another big winner, snagging four awards. These include colour-correction services worth €15,000 from Laser Film, sound-mixing services valued at €15,000 from Studio A Fabrica, the “Coup de cœur de la Cinémathèque Afrique” Award (non-commercial broadcasting rights valued at between €4,000 and €6,000), and a €2,500 grant from the Festival International du Film de Fribourg to cover the production costs of a DCP.

Next, Auguste Kouemo Yanghu’s House of the Wind (La Maison du Vent) (Cameroon/Benin/France/Belgium) received awards from M74 (€10,000 for digital visual effects) and Mnemonica (use of its cloud platform, valued at €10,000). Mariam Al-Dhubhani’s Let’s Play Soldiers (working title, Yemen/Qatar/Norway/France) also earned significant backing, including a minimum guarantee of $10,000 or $3,000 (depending on the genre) from MAD Solutions, and $5,000 plus an invitation to CineGouna from the El Gouna Film Festival.

Other supported projects include Hind Bensari’s Out of School (Morocco/Denmark), which received €5,000 from the Red Sea Fund and €2,500 from the Festival International du Film d’Amiens; Rakan Mayasi’s Yesterday the Eye Didn’t Sleep (Belgium/Lebanon/Palestine), backed with tailored music services from Oticons (worth up to €10,000); Saeed Taji Farouky’s Standing at the Ruins (Egypt/UK), which received €10,000 in sound-mixing services from 196-MEDIA; and Mamadou Dia’s Legacy (Senegal/France), which will benefit from a €5,000 refund for post-production services from the Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie.

Here is the full list of this year’s award winners:

La Biennale di Venezia Award
The Station – Sara Ishaq (Yemen/Jordan/France/Germany/Netherlands/Norway/Qatar)

Supporters’ jury

Laser Film Award
My Semba – Hugo Salvaterra (Angola)

Studio A Fabrica Award
My Semba – Hugo Salvaterra

Cinémathèque Afrique “Coup de cœur” Award
My Semba – Hugo Salvaterra

Festival International du Film de Fribourg Award
My Semba – Hugo Salvaterra

Titra Film Award
The Station – Sara Ishaq

RAI Cinema Award
The Station – Sara Ishaq

Sub-Ti Ltd Award
The Station – Sara Ishaq

Sub-Ti Access Award
The Station – Sara Ishaq

M74 Award
House of the Wind – Auguste Kouemo Yanghu (Cameroon/Benin/France/Belgium)

Mnemonica Award
House of the Wind – Auguste Kouemo Yanghu

MAD Solutions Award
Let’s Play Soldiers – Mariam Al-Dhubhani (Yemen/Qatar/Norway/France)

El Gouna Film Festival Award
Let’s Play Soldiers – Mariam Al-Dhubhani

Red Sea Fund Award
Out of School – Hind Bensari (Morocco/Denmark)

Festival International du Film d’Amiens Award
Out of School – Hind Bensari

Oticons Award
Yesterday the Eye Didn’t Sleep – Rakan Mayasi (Belgium/Lebanon/Palestine)

196-MEDIA Award
Standing at the Ruins – Saeed Taji Farouky (Egypt/UK)

Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie Post-production Award
Legacy – Mamadou Dia (Senegal/France)