Oscars 2025: Egypt Selects Mona Zaki's "Flight 404" for International Feature Race

Egypt has selected Mona Zaki's star-studded film "Flight 404"  as its candidate in the 2025 Oscars international feature race.

The entry selection committee released a statement announcing the news on the official Facebook page of the Egyptian Screen Actors Guild, adding that choosing a movie to represent Egypt in the Oscars wasn't easy because commercial movies are dominating the cinematic production in Egypt.

Written by Mohamed Ragaa and directed by Hani Khalifa, “Flight 404” follows an Egyptian woman named Ghada (Zaki) who is about to board a flight to participate in the Hajj, the annual Muslim pilgrimage to the holy site of Mecca in Saudi Arabia to atone for past misdeeds, when she is forced to face a sudden emergency requiring lots of cash,  prompting Ghada to reconnect with shady people from her tainted past from whom she had long distanced herself.

The starry cast also includes Shereen Reda, Mohamed Mamdouh, Khaled El-Sawy, Mohamed Farag, and more. Hani Khalifa directed the pic from a script .

“Flight 404,” which topped box office charts in Egypt and Saudi Arabia, is produced by Mohamed Hefzy and Shahinaz Al-Akkad through their production companies Film Clinic and Lagoonie Film Production, in co-production with the Saudi Pictures Entertainment Group and Hi Media Production. 

The deadline for submissions for the 96th Oscars is November 14, 2024. The shortlist for best international feature contenders will be announced on December 17. Nominations will be announced January 17, 2025. The 97th Academy Awards will be held on Sunday, March 2.