A few weeks ago, various Arab countries announced nominations for their representatives at the Academy Awards for Best Foreign Film Prize (OSCARS), through this list, SEE News overviews the Arabic nominated films.
"Gaza Mon Amour" (Palestine)
Palestine chose "Gaza Mon Amour" to be its representative in the race. The film gained huge popularity while its screening at the 42nd Cairo International Film Festival.
The film revolves around Issa who is stoic and settled into bachelor living. In addition, he continues ignoring his sister’s requests to him to find a lover. However, he hides his feelings of love for Siham.
It was directed by Tarzan Nasser and Arab Nasser.
"200 Meter" (Jordan)
Jordan nominated its "200 Meter" to represent the country in the marathon. It was directed by the celebrated Arab director Ameen Nayfeh.
The story of the film revolves around Mustafa and his wife who come from two Palestinian villages that are only 200 meters apart but separated by the wall.
While their unusual living situation poses a challenge to their marriage, they do what they can to make it work. When their son is hospitalized, Mustafa rushes to the checkpoint but is denied entry.
It won five awards at the 4th El Gouna Film Festival including the GFF Cinema for Humanity Audience Award and the Fipresci Award.
"Heliopolis" (Algeria)
Directed by Djaafar Gacem, "Heliopolis" will represent Algeria in the competition.
It sheds the light on the demonstrations that erupted in Algeria after the end of World War II.
The demonstrations were against the French colonial power and they called for the country's independence. In the city of Guelma, which was known as Heliopolis in ancient times, French soldiers attacked the demonstrators violently and bloodily, that's why the event went down in history as the Guelma massacre.
"The Man Who Sold His Skin" (Tunisia)
The National Center of Cinema and Image of Tunisia selected the award-winning “The Man Who Sold His Skin” as Tunisia’s representative at the competition.
The Tunisian film sheds the light on the fears of immigrants after the Syrian War. Sam Ali, a young, sensitive, and impulsive Syrian, fled to Lebanon to escape the Syrian war.
Without legal status, he is unable to get a visa to go to Europe, where his beloved Abeer lives. While in Beirut, he meets Jeffrey Godefroi, a famous American artist with whom he concludes a strange deal that will forever change his life.
"Broken Keys" (Lebanon)
French Lebanese film "Broken Keys" will represent Lebanon at the marathon of Best Foreign Langauge film competition.
Directed by Jimmy Keyrouz, the film narrates a story of a pianist who tries to escape persecution in his Middle Eastern town where modern ways of living and music have been banned by an extremist group.
"Scales" (KSA)
The Saudi Film Commission nominated “Scales” film to represent the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia at the Best International Feature Competition in 2021.
The film revolves around a young strong-willed girl, Hayat, who lives in a poor fishing village governed by a dark tradition in which every family must give one daughter to the sea creatures who inhabit the waters nearby.
In turn, the sea creatures are hunted by the men of the village. Saved from this fate by her father, Hayat is considered a curse on the village and grows up an outcast.
"When We're Born" (Egypt)
Egypt selected “Lama Benetweled” (When We’re Born) to be its representative at the Best Foreign Language Film award competition.
Directed by Tamer Ezzat, the film consists of there different stories about how a man can adapt to his surrounded conditions such as poverty.
The three stories are linked together by Cairo-Kee’s Amir Eid’s songs. Eid himself has a story in the film from the three.
"The Unknow Saint" (Morroco)
"The Unknown Siant" is Morroco's representative at the race and it is directed by Alaa Eddine Aljem.
The story of the film revolves around A criminal who returns to the fake grave where he buried his loot years before and discovers that it has become the shrine of an unknown saint and a thriving little village.
"You Will Die at 20" (Sudan)
This film is Sudan's participant in the competition. Based on a short story collection entitled “Sleeping Nearby the Mountian” by Hammour Ziada, the story of the film revolves around a mother (Sakina) who goes to Sheikh to explain to her the meanings of her son (Muzamil) prophesies.
The best interpretation of her son’s dreams that he would die at the age of 20.
Sakina decides to take her son away and brings him up. Muzamil’s visions of the death drive him to approach life and social relationships from a different perspective.
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