Omar Hilal’s “Voy! Voy! Voy!” Fails to Make 2024 Oscars Shortlist

Egypt's submission for the 96th Academy Award, Omar Hilal’s “Voy! Voy! Voy!” failed to make the shortlist of movies in the running for the Oscars 2024.

In a statement on Friday, Hilal revealed the dramedy was officially out of the Oscar race after it reached the shortlist of 30 movies to vie for a Best International Feature Film Oscar nomination, but did not reach the shortlist of 15 movies of the race.

He continued: "Voy’s journey in the nominations has ended and our Oscar race is finished at this point. Congratulations to the Arab works from Tunisia and Morocco that have reached the final nominations for the Oscars. I still feel great pride in our Egyptian film “Voy! Voy! Voy!”."

In September, “Voy! Voy! Voy!” was selected to compete for the Oscar for Best International Film, with a majority vote of the Oscar entry selection committee.

"This was after it won the majority of votes among a shortlist that included the following films: 1- Wish Fi Wish, 2- 19 B, 3- The House of the Ruby, 4- The Green Door,” film critic Fayza Hindawi, a member of the committee, said on Facebook at the time.

Inspired by true-life events, "Voy! Voy! Voy!" features an ensemble cast including stars such as Nelly Karim, Mohamed Farag, Bayoumi Fouad, Taha Desouky, Amgad El Hagar, and Mohamed Abdel Azeem.

The dramedy, which marks Hilal's debut feature, was also scripted by Hilal, who also served as a producer alongside Mohamed Hefzy. It is a collaboration between Vox Cinemas, Film Clinic, and Image Nation Abu Dhabi.

The film follows Hassan, a security guard living an impoverished life with his mother who dreams of traveling and living abroad. One day he stumbles on the sport of blind football and decides to pose as a visually impaired man to join a team close to playing a World Cup tournament in Europe.

On the journey, he crosses paths with several characters, an attractive young journalist who starts to take an interest in the team as he takes an interest in her, a middle-aged coach looking for an opportunity, and his two best friends.

Hassan goes to unimaginable lengths to be with the team and not miss out on Europe, hoping that this will provide their ticket to a life with more opportunity.