In a ceremony held at the 7th El Gouna Film Festival, the European Film Promotion (EFP) together with the Arab Cinema Center (ACC) announced Germany film “The Seed of the Sacred Fig” by Mohammad Rasoulof, as winner of the Best Film award at the Arab Critics’ Awards for European Films.

“In the distinguished sixth session of the Arab Critics Awards for European Film, we featured 22 films from some of the most significant European productions of the year. These films were screened at major international festivals and have received various awards. Before announcing the winning film, I would like to express my gratitude to my fellow Arab critics who served on the jury, which included 89 critics from 15 Arab countries. I also want to thank the new members who joined the jury this year for their dedication and effort in watching the films through the Festival Scoop website and participating in the voting process.” Ola Al-Sheikh, Manager of The Arab Critics’ Awards for European Films, says in a video announcing the winner.

The Arab Critics’ Awards for European Films was launched in 2019 by EFP and ACC. It is a spin-off from the ACC’s now well-established Critics’ Awards to boost film diversity in the region and raise the interest of sales companies and the industry for outstanding European films.

This initiative also aims to cast a spotlight on the distinguished film critics from 15 Arab-speaking countries and their important role in opening up new perspectives and bridging cultural idiosyncrasies.

The previous three winners were “God Exists, Her Name Is Petrunya” by Teona Strugar Mitevska (2019), “Undine” by Christian Petzold (2020), “107 Mothers” by Peter Kerekes (2021), “EO” by Jerzy Skolimowski (2022) and “Fallen Leaves” by Aki Kaurismäki (2023).

About European Film Promotion (EFP)
European Film Promotion (EFP) is an international network of film promotion institutes from 37 European countries, each representing their national industry and talents abroad. Under the EFP flag, these organizations promote the diversity of European cinema at key film festivals and markets outside of Europe. EFP is financially supported by the Creative Europe MEDIA Programme of the European Union and by its member organizations.

The Hamburg-based office supports the German Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media, the Film Fund Hamburg Schleswig-Holstein, and the Ministry of Culture of the City of Hamburg.

For more information, please visit: www.efp-online.com

About the Arab Cinema Center
Organized by MAD Solutions in 2015, the Arab Cinema Center (ACC) is a non-profit organization registered in Germany. The ACC is an international promotional platform for Arab cinema as it provides the filmmaking industry with a professional window to connect with their counterparts from all over the world through a number of events that it organizes.

The ACC also provides networking opportunities with representatives of companies and institutions specialized in co-production and international distribution, among others.

The ACC’s activities vary between film markets, stands, and pavilions, networking sessions, and one-to-one meetings bringing together Arab and foreign filmmakers, welcome parties, as well as meetings with international organizations and festivals, and the issuance of the Arab Cinema Magazine to be distributed at the leading international film festivals and markets.

Furthermore, newsletter subscription is now available on the ACC’s website, allowing users to obtain digital copies of the Arab Cinema Magazine, as well as news on the ACC’s activities, notifications of application dates for grants, festivals, and offers from educational and training institutions, updates on Arab films participating at festivals, exclusive news on the Arab Cinema LAB, and highlights from the ACC’s partners and their future projects.