Ameer Fakher Eldin’s sophomore feature, Yunan [+lire aussi :
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Set on a remote North Sea island, Yunan follows an Arab man whose attempt to end his life is upended by encounters with a conservative local community and the force of nature, gradually reshaping his outlook. The film competed at this year’s Berlinale and is a multi-country co-production involving Germany, Canada, Italy, Palestine, Qatar, Jordan and Saudi Arabia. Delegate production comes from Hamburg-based Red Balloon, working together with Canada’s Microclimat Film and Italy’s Intramovies, which is also handling international sales. Additional producing partners include Palestine’s Fresco Films.

Director Ameer Fakher Eldin, who was unable to attend the festival in person, had the following to say about his victory: “To see Yunan now embraced by Arab critics as well feels profoundly moving. In a way, maybe it means the film has finally found its way home.” Main producer Dorothe Beinemeier (Red Balloon), who accepted the award on site in El Gouna, said, "Ameer Fakher Eldin's films seem to transform me every time I watch them. The movies are so rich that I just find a new angle every time, another layer. Ameer is a brilliant observer and storyteller, a very old and wise soul in a young man’s body. I am very much looking forward to producing the third film in our trilogy.“

Now in its seventh edition, the Arab Critics’ Awards for European Films convene critics from across the Arab world to watch the year’s nominated works and select a winner at El Gouna. This year’s finalists were Eva Libertad's Deaf [+lire aussi :
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interview : Eva Libertad
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interview : Georgi M. Unkovski
fiche film] and Yunan (see the news).

The award was launched in 2019 by EFP and ACC. It is a spin-off of the ACC’s now well-established Critics' Awards to boost film diversity in the region and raise the interest of sales companies and the industry in outstanding European films. This initiative also aims to cast a spotlight on the distinguished film critics from 15 Arab-speaking countries and their important role in opening up new perspectives and bridging cultural diversities. The previous winners were God Exists, Her Name Is Petrunya [+lire aussi :
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interview : Labina Mitevska
interview : Teona Strugar Mitevska
fiche film] by Teona Strugar Mitevska (2019), Undine [+lire aussi :
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bande-annonce
interview : Christian Petzold
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interview : Peter Kerekes
fiche film] by Péter Kerekes (2021), EO [+lire aussi :
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bande-annonce
fiche film] by Jerzy Skolimowski (2022), Fallen Leaves [+lire aussi :
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bande-annonce
fiche film] by Aki Kaurismäki (2023) and Mohammad Rasoulof's The Seed of the Sacred Fig [+lire aussi :
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interview : Directors Talks @ European…
interview : Mohammad Rasoulof
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