{"id":669277,"date":"2025-05-15T06:19:27","date_gmt":"2025-05-15T03:19:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/arab-cinema-makes-a-splash-on-the-croisette\/"},"modified":"2025-05-15T06:19:27","modified_gmt":"2025-05-15T03:19:27","slug":"arab-cinema-makes-a-splash-on-the-croisette","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/arab-cinema-makes-a-splash-on-the-croisette\/","title":{"rendered":"Arab Cinema Makes a Splash on the Croisette"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\n\tArab cinema and its representatives are out in full force \u2014 and in the spotlight \u2014 on the Croisette this year, where the 78th edition of the Cannes Film Festival kicked off on Tuesday.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tCase in point: Qatar\u2019s film industry is gearing up for what insiders say will be its biggest-ever presence on the Croisette. The timing seems fitting given that the Arab Cinema Center (ACC) will, during the fest, bestow its sixth Arab Cinema Personality of the Year Award onto Fatma Hassan Alremaihi, CEO of Qatar\u2019s Doha Film Institute, for her \u201cnoteworthy efforts to advance the Qatari, Arab, and global film industries.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tEgypt also has reason to celebrate. It returns to the Cannes Film Festival\u2019s Un Certain Regard lineup for the first time in nine years, with its \u201ccentral role in regional production and distribution\u201d as \u201cthe Arab world\u2019s largest filmmaking hub\u201d getting the spotlight in a panel organized by the March\u00e9 du Film and ACC entitled \u201cEgypt: Arab World\u2019s Blockbuster Nation.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tMeanwhile, Charlie Polinger\u2019s debut feature The Plague<\/em>, starring Joel Edgerton (Boy Erased<\/em>, Black Mass<\/em>), will world premiere in Cannes\u2019 Un Certain Regard section, giving Image Nation Abu Dhabi its first movie in one of the two big Cannes fest sections. Made under its co-production partnership with Spooky Pictures, along with producers Hellcat, The Space Program, and Edgerton\u2019s Five Henrys, the psychological horror movie tells the story of a 12-year-old navigating the savage social<\/a> order at an all-boys water polo summer camp. \u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tFor Image Nation Abu Dhabi, it will mark a special moment, CEO Ben Ross tells THR<\/em>. \u201cWe are all super happ<\/a>y that we get to go to Cannes with a movie,\u201d he says. \u201cI\u2019m sure it will be a different experience.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>

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\t\t\t\t\t\u2018Once Upon a Time in Gaza\u2019<\/span><\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tLes Films Du Tambor\/Red Balloon Film\/Ukbar Filmes\/Made in Palestine Project<\/cite><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

\n\tPalestinian cinema is also set to draw attention on the Croisette. It will be in focus in a Cannes market session, while revenge thriller Once Upon a Time in Gaz<\/em>a, directed by twin brothers Tarzan and Arab Nasser, will unspool in the Un Certain Regard program. <\/p>\n

\n\tIn addition, Iranian director Sepideh Farsi\u2019s documentary Put Your Soul on Your Hand and Walk<\/em>, which features Palestinian photojournalist Fatma Hassona and her work documenting daily life in Gaza, will screen in the lineup of ACID (Association for the Distribution of Independent Cinema), a parallel event held during the Cannes fest. When the 25-year-old and several members of her family were recently killed in an Israeli air strike, the Cannes fest expressed \u201cits dread and profound sadness at this tragedy,\u201d adding that the movie\u2019s screening \u201cwill be, in addition to the message of the film itself, a way to honor the memory of Fatma Hassona.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tThe Israel-Gaza war took center stage during the Cannes opening press conference on Tuesday when jury president Juliette Binoche was asked about a letter, published on Monday evening and signed by such film industry folks as Richard Gere, Susan Sarandon and Javier Bardem, that said: \u201cIn Cannes, the horror Gaza must not be silenced,\u201d read the letter. Binoche said she did not sign the letter but would not detail the reasons, simply saying: \u201cYou will maybe understand it a little later.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\t\t\t\t\t\u2018Put Your Soul on Your Hand on Walk\u2019<\/span><\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tReves d\u2019eau Productions<\/cite><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

\n\tEgypt will also be making its presence felt in Cannes in more ways than one. In Un Certain Regard, Egyptian director Morad Mostafa\u2019s Aisha Can\u2019t Fly Away<\/em>, a co-production with France, Germany, Tunisia, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Sudan, tells the story of a Muslim Somali migrant who works as a caregiver in Cairo. She lives in an area full of \u201ctension between the different African and Egyptian groups over the control of the neighborhood,\u201d according to a synopsis. Egypt\u2019s return to the section after nearly a decade was in a press announcement for the movie, described as \u201ca triumphant breakthrough for Egyptian cinema.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tThe country also plays a role in this year\u2019s competition lineup as Swedish director Tarik Saleh, the son of a Swedish mother and an Egyptian father, will bring his much-anticipated Eagles of the Republic<\/em>, about a fictional Egyptian actor who falls into disgrace with the authorities, to the Croisette.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tJordan is also in the spotlight as the Royal Film Commission \u2013 Jordan just launched an \u201cenhanced financial incentives program\u201d for film and TV productions in Cannes early on Wednesday. The new cash rebate of 25-45 percent for qualifying film and TV projects replaces the 25 percent cap that has been in place so far. \u201cProjects with production expenditures exceeding $10 million and integrating Jordanian cultural elements can qualify for the maximum rebate of 45 percent,\u201d the commission said. \u201cFor local productions, the rebate has been raised from 10 percent to 30 percent for projects with spending over $500,000 \u2013 part of a broader effort to empower Jordanian producers and stimulate the domestic production industry.\u201d Existing additional financial savings on the likes of sales tax and customs duty also remain in place.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cThe amendments aim to enhance Jordan\u2019s competitiveness as a major film production hub in the region by creating a supportive environment that fosters creativity, provides robust infrastructure, and facilitates the exchange of expertise, training, and knowledge transfer,\u201d said Mohannad Al-Bakri, managing director of the Royal Film Commission \u2013 Jordan. \u201cThey also aim to boost film tourism by promoting filming locations and highlighting Jordanian cultural identity and heritage in global productions.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tPrevious films that have been shot in Jordan include Dune Parts 1 & 2<\/em>, The Martian<\/em>, John Wick<\/em>, and Aladdin<\/em>. \u201cFor the past 60 years, since Lawrence of Arabia<\/em>,\u00a0Jordan\u00a0has been welcoming international and regional films and TV productions,\u201d the country\u2019s film commission highlighted.<\/p>\n

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\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>

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\t\t\t\t\t\u2018Aisha Can\u2019t Fly Away\u2019 <\/span><\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCourtesy of Cannes Film Festival<\/cite><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

\n\tAnother part of the Arab world playing Cannes this year is the Maghreb. French-Tunisian director Erige Sehiri opens the Un Certain Regard section on Wednesday with Promised Sky<\/em>, a drama about an unorthodox family made up of several women in Tunis. Plus, French director Hafsia Herzi, the daughter of Algerian and Tunisian parents, is bringing her coming-of-age drama The Little Sister<\/em>, about a young woman navigating life between two cultures, to Cannes where it will compete for the Palme d\u2019Or.<\/p>\n

\n\tFinally, this year marks \u201cthe first time Qatar will really be showing up to Cannes in force,\u201d according to one industry insider. Indeed, Hassan Al Thawadi, who oversaw the delivery of the 2022 FIFA World Cup in the emirate and is now also focusing on the growth of the movie industry, will lead a group of executives from Media City Qatar and a new film committee to Cannes.<\/p>\n

\n\tThe Qatari delegation is understood to be made up\u00a0\u200bof representatives of the Film Committee at Media City Qatar and Doha-based studio Katara Studios (Orca<\/em>, series<\/a> The Pact<\/em>).<\/p>\n

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\t\t\t\t\tH.E. Hassan Al-Thawad<\/span><\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCourtesy of Riccardo Savi\/Getty Images for Concordia Summit<\/cite><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

\n\tThe influence of Qatar\u2019s Doha Film Institute and its financing support will also be visible in the Directors\u2019 Fortnight, the independent section held in parallel to the Cannes festival. After all, it will include the world premiere of The President\u2019s Cake<\/em>, written and directed by Iraq\u2019s Hasan Hadi in his directorial debut. One key player in the story will be recognized well beyond the Arab world. After all, the movie tells the story of a young girl who gets tasked with baking a birthday cake for none other than Saddam Hussein.<\/p>\n

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\t\t\t\t\tFatma Hassan Alremaihi, CEO of Qatar\u2019s Doha Film Institute<\/span><\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCourtesy of Doha Film Institute<\/cite><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

\n\tMeanwhile, Saudi Arabia continues looking to make waves. Shivani Pandya-Malhotra, managing director of the Red Sea Film Foundation, which organizes the Red Sea International Film Festival in Jeddah and just announced a new CEO, and its chair Jomana Al-Rashid are among the country\u2019s representatives in Cannes.<\/p>\n

\n\tAnd Film AlUla, the film agency tasked with promoting and supporting film and TV productions while protecting the AlUla region, is back at Cannes for its fifth year in a row. Its films have included the likes of Norah<\/em>, Cherry<\/em>, Kandahar<\/em>, K-Pops<\/em>, and Siwar<\/em>. <\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cThe Cannes Film Festival is a pivotal stop on our events calendar and one of our most productive markets of the year,\u201d Zaid Shaker, acting executive director, tells THR<\/em>. \u201cOur team is based at the Saudi Pavilion, where attendees are invited to experience the breathtaking landscapes of AlUla through our immersive VR offering. As Saudi Arabia plays an increasingly prominent role in the global film ecosystem, Film AlUla is proud to be at the forefront of this transformation \u2013 championing regional storytelling, attracting international productions, and supporting filmmakers at every stage of development.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Arab cinema and its representatives are out in full force \u2014 and in the spotlight \u2014 on the Croisette this year, where the 78th edition of the Cannes Film Festival kicked off on Tuesday.\u00a0 Case in point: Qatar\u2019s film industry is gearing up for what insiders say will be its biggest-ever presence on the Croisette….<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":669278,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.hollywoodreporter.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/05\/cannes_palais_h_2016.jpg?w=1440&h=810&crop=1","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[28928,155500,124783,146383],"class_list":["post-669277","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-social-mediaa","tag-cannes","tag-cannes-2025","tag-international","tag-israel-gaza-conflict"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/669277","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=669277"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/669277\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/669278"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=669277"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=669277"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=669277"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}