Arab Cinema Makes a Splash on the Croisette
Case in point: Qatar's 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's Doha Film Institute, for her 'noteworthy efforts to advance the Qatari, Arab, and global film industries.'
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Egypt also has reason to celebrate. It returns to the Cannes Film Festival's Un Certain Regard lineup for the first time in nine years, with its 'central role in regional production and distribution' as 'the Arab world's largest filmmaking hub' getting the spotlight in a panel organized by the Marché du Film and ACC entitled 'Egypt: Arab World's Blockbuster Nation.'
Meanwhile, Charlie Polinger's debut feature The Plague, starring Joel Edgerton (Boy Erased, Black Mass), will world premiere in Cannes' 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's Five Henrys, the psychological horror movie tells the story of a 12-year-old navigating the savage social order at an all-boys water polo summer camp.
For Image Nation Abu Dhabi, it will mark a special moment, CEO Ben Ross tells THR. 'We are all super happy that we get to go to Cannes with a movie,' he says. 'I'm sure it will be a different experience.'
Palestinian 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 Gaza, directed by twin brothers Tarzan and Arab Nasser, will unspool in the Un Certain Regard program.
In addition, Iranian director Sepideh Farsi's documentary Put Your Soul on Your Hand and Walk, 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 'its dread and profound sadness at this tragedy,' adding that the movie's screening 'will be, in addition to the message of the film itself, a way to honor the memory of Fatma Hassona.'
The 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: 'In Cannes, the horror Gaza must not be silenced,' read the letter. Binoche said she did not sign the letter but would not detail the reasons, simply saying: 'You will maybe understand it a little later.'
Egypt will also be making its presence felt in Cannes in more ways than one. In Un Certain Regard, Egyptian director Morad Mostafa's Aisha Can't Fly Away, a co-production with France, Germany, Tunisia, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Sudan, tells the story of a Muslim migrant from Sudan who works as a caregiver in Cairo. She lives in an area full of 'tension between the different African and Egyptian groups over the control of the neighborhood,' according to a synopsis. Egypt's return to the section after nearly a decade was in a press announcement for the movie, described as 'a triumphant breakthrough for Egyptian cinema.'
The country also plays a role in this year's 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, about a fictional Egyptian actor who falls into disgrace with the authorities, to the Croisette.
Jordan is also in the spotlight as the Royal Film Commission – Jordan just launched an 'enhanced financial incentives program' 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. 'Projects with production expenditures exceeding $10 million and integrating Jordanian cultural elements can qualify for the maximum rebate of 45 percent,' the commission said. 'For local productions, the rebate has been raised from 10 percent to 30 percent for projects with spending over $500,000 – part of a broader effort to empower Jordanian producers and stimulate the domestic production industry.' Existing additional financial savings on the likes of sales tax and customs duty also remain in place.
'The amendments aim to enhance Jordan's 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,' said Mohannad Al-Bakri, managing director of the Royal Film Commission – Jordan. 'They also aim to boost film tourism by promoting filming locations and highlighting Jordanian cultural identity and heritage in global productions.'
Previous films that have been shot in Jordan include Dune Parts 1 & 2, The Martian, John Wick, and Aladdin. 'For the past 60 years, since Lawrence of Arabia, Jordan has been welcoming international and regional films and TV productions,' the country's film commission highlighted.
Another 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, 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, about a young woman navigating life between two cultures, to Cannes where it will compete for the Palme d'Or.
Finally, this year marks 'the first time Qatar will really be showing up to Cannes in force,' 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.
The Qatari delegation is understood to be made up of representatives of the Film Committee at Media City Qatar and Doha-based studio Katara Studios (Orca, series The Pact).
The influence of Qatar's Doha Film Institute and its financing support will also be visible in the Directors' Fortnight, the independent section held in parallel to the Cannes festival. After all, it will include the world premiere of The President's Cake, written and directed by Iraq's 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.
Meanwhile, 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's representatives in Cannes.
And 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, Cherry, Kandahar, K-Pops, and Siwar.
'The Cannes Film Festival is a pivotal stop on our events calendar and one of our most productive markets of the year,' Zaid Shaker, acting executive director, tells THR. 'Our 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 – championing regional storytelling, attracting international productions, and supporting filmmakers at every stage of development.'
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