Bogdan Mureșanu’s The New Year That Never Came, a tragicomedy set on the brink of revolution in 1989 Romania, has won the Golden Pyramid for best film at the 45th Cairo International Film Festival (CIFF).
The international competition jury was unanimous in selecting the film, which premiered at Venice in September where it won best film in the Horizons strand as well as the Fipresci prize.
Scroll down for full list of winners
CIFF handed out an expanded set of awards at a glitzy closing cermony of this year’s edition, which marked a return for the longest-running film festival in the Middle East and Africa after cancelling last year following the outbreak of the Israel-Gaza conflict.
The Silver Pyramid award for best director went to Russia’s Natalia Nazarova for Postmarks, a comedy-drama about a woman with cerebral palsy who hopes her father will return from the sea and meets a sailor who brings news that changes her life. The film also picked up a best actor award for Maxim Stoyanov and a special mention for lead actress Alina Khojevanova.
The Bronze Pyramid award for the best first or second film by a director went to Brazil’s Pedro Freire for drama Malu. Yara De Novaes, who plays the title role, also scooped the best actress prize.
The film premiered at Sundance earlier this year and marks the feature directorial debut of Freire. The story is inspired by the filmmaker’s own mother, Malu Rocha, a film and TV soap opera actress, exploring memories of a glorious past in a rundown home in a Rio slum. It picked up several awards at the Rio de Janeiro International Film Festival last month.
Further films to pick up multiple prizes included Spring Came Laughing, an Egyptian melodrama that saw filmmaker Noha Adel receive the Henry Barakat Award for best artistic contribution and Salah Abu Seif Award for best director as well as the Fipresci prize.
In the Horizons of Arab Cinema Competition, the best Arab film prize was awarded to A State Of Passion, Carol Mansour and Muna Khalidi’s documentary about British-Palestinian reconstructive surgeon Ghassan Abu Sittah, who became a face of Palestinian resistance after working round the clock for 43 days under constant bombardment in the emergency rooms of Gaza’s Al Shifa and Al Ahli hospitals.
The feature also won a feature documentary award and one of a series of new awards given by the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation’s Radio and Television Union, recognising films addressing the Palestinian cause.
Further prizes that were new this year included best African film, which went to Mati Diop’s Berlinale Golden Bear winner Dahomey, and best Asian film, awarded to Lin Jianjie’s Brief History Of A Family by Netpac.
The festival ran from November 13-22 at Cairo Opera House Complex, screening around 200 films, and opened with the world premiere of Palestinian filmmaker Rashid Masharawi’s Passing Dreams, which was also recognised with a prize from the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation’s Radio and Television Union.
CIFF 2024 winners
INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION
Golden Pyramid Award: best film
The New Year That Never Came, dir. Bogdan Mureșanu
Silver Pyramid Award: special jury award for best director
Natalia Nazarova for Postmarks
Bronze Pyramid Award: best first or second work of a director
Pedro Freire for Malu
Naguib Mahfouz Award: best screenplay
Vittoria by Alessandro Cassigoli, Casey Kauffman
Best Actor Award
Lee Kang Sheng Blue Sun Palace
Maxim Stoyanov, Postmarks
Best Actress Award
Yara De Novaes, Malu
Special mention: Alina Khojevanova, Postmarks
Henry Barakat Award: best artistic contribution
Director Necmi Sancak for Ayse
Director Noha Adel for Spring Came On Laughing
International Critics Prize (Fipresci Prize)
Spring Came On Laughing, dir. Noha Adel
HORIZONS OF ARAB CINEMA COMPETITION
Saad Eldin Wahba Award: best Arabic film ($10,000)
A State of Passion, pros. Carol Mansour, Muna Khalidi
Salah Abu Seif Award: best director ($7,000)
Noha Adel for Spring Came On Laughing
Youssef Sherif Rezkallah Award: best screenwriter ($6,000)
Louay Khraish and Faissal Sam Shaib for Arzé
Best Actor Award ($2,000)
Mohamed Khouyi, The Blue Lake
Best Actress Award ($2,000)
Diamand Bou Abboud, Arzé
INTERNATIONAL CRITICS’ WEEK COMPETITION AWARDS
Shadi Abdel Salam Award: best film
Wild Diamond, dir. Agathe Riedinger
Fathy Farag Award: special jury award
Simon Of The Mountain, dir. Federico Luis
Special mention
Abu Zaabal 89, Bassam Mortada
African Feature Award
Dahomey, dir. Mati Diop
Special Jury Prize
Abu Zaabal 89, Bassam Mortada
Netpac Award: outstanding Asian feature film
Brief History Of A Family, dir. Lin Jianjie
Broadcasting & Television Union of Organizations of Islamic Cooperation Award
Presented to the top Palestinian documentaries or short films
First prize: Square Kilometer Dreams, dir. Qassam Sbeih
Second prize: A State Of Passion, dirs. Carol Mansour, Muna Khalidi
Third prize: Passing Dreams, dir. Rashid Masharawi
Special mentions
Professor Dr. Ghassan Abu Sitta, surgeon at Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza
Palestinian director Rashid Masharawi
The Deer’s Tooth, dir. Saif Hammash
SPECIAL PROGRAMMES
Misr International Films (MIF), Youssef Chahine Award
Presented to the best film in the Palestinian film series “From Ground Zero”
Soft Skin, dir. Khamis Masharawi
No Signal, dir. Muhammad Al Sharif
A School Day, dir. Ahmed Al Danaf
Feature Documentary Award
Abu Zaabal 89, dir. Bassam Mortada
Special Jury Prize for Feature Documentary
A State Of Passion, dirs. Carol Mansour, Muna Khalidi
SHORT FILM COMPETITION
Youssef Chahine Award: best short film
David, dirs. Kai Xue, Hong Jiexi
Special Jury Award
The Last Dismissal, dir. Jowaher Alamri
Special Mention
The Mother And The Bear, dir. Yasmina El Kamaly
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