The Amman International Film Festival concluded its 4th run with a glorious celebration of cinematic excellence. Films hailing from Palestine, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Iraq, Morocco, and Tunisia, took center stage as the recipients of this year’s Black Iris Awards. The event showcased 56 films from 19 countries.
Among the standout winners was the Palestinian film ‘Lyd,’ directed by Rami Younis and Sarah Ema Friedland. This documentary earned two well-deserved awards, the Jury Award for best Arab Feature Documentary and the Fipresci Award. ‘Lyd’ delves into the experiences of Nakba survivors, Palestinians living in Lyd, and those in exile. The film paints a vivid picture of what Lyd could have been had it not been for the tragic events of the Nakba.
The Black Iris for best Arab short was awarded to ‘My Girlfriend’ by Egyptian filmmaker Kawthar Younis, highlighting the exceptional talent and creativity within the Arab short film landscape. The tracks Ali as he follows his girlfriend’s suggestion that puts their relationship to the test. However, the experiment does not go as planned, challenging traditional expectations of gender roles.
In addition, Moroccan filmmaker Adnane Baraka’s ‘Fragments from Heaven’ claimed the Black Iris Award for best Arab feature documentary. The film takes audiences on a journey alongside Amazigh nomads in Morocco as they embark on a quest to find fragments of a Martian meteorite that landed in the desert.
The highly anticipated Iraqi film ‘Hanging Gardens’ won the Jury Award for Arab feature narrative. Directed by Ahmed Yassin Al Daradji, the film follows a 12-year-old boy, amidst scavenging for valuable metal and plastic in a landfill, who stumbles upon a life-sized doll, thrusting himself into a dangerous crossfire between those who want to take it.
Lastly, the Black Iris prize for best Arab feature was awarded to ‘Ashkal,’ directed by Youssef Chebbi. Set in Tunis, this gripping crime thriller follows two police officers as they unravel the enigma behind a series of self-immolation cases.
These remarkable films captivated the hearts of audiences with their exceptional storytelling and thought-provoking narratives and left a lasting impression and a sense of anticipation for the future of Arab cinema.
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