Laila Abbas’s Thank You For Banking With Us has scooped best film at the ninth Critics Awards for Arab Films, which will celebrate its winners in Cannes today (May 17).
The Palestinian drama, which debuted at the BFI London Film Festival, also picked up best director for debut feature filmmaker Abbas. The story follows two sisters, played by Clara Khoury and Yasmine Al Massri, who race against time to secure their father’s inheritance.
Also picking up two awards was Nabil Ayouch’s Moroccan film Everybody Loves Touda, which bowed in the Cannes Premiere section of last year’s festival. The film won best screenplay, which Ayouch wrote with Maryam Touzani, and best actress for the performance of Nisrin Erradi.
It is a female-driven story about a poet and singer raising her deaf-mute son in a small village, who dreams of being a sheikha (a traditional Moroccan performer) in the bright lights of Casablanca.
The best actor prize went to French-Tunisian performer Adam Bessa for his role in Ghost Trail, in which he plays a man on a mission to track Syrian regime leaders in France, where he must confront his former torturer. The film received its world premiere at last year’s Cannes Critic’s Week.
More than 280 critics from 75 countries votes on the awards, which are organised by Cairo-based Arab Cinema Centre.
Critics Awards for Arab Films 2025
Best Feature Film: Thank You For Banking With Us!
Best Screenplay: Everybody Loves Touda, Nabil Ayouch and Maryam Touzani
Best Director: Laila Abbas, Thank You For Banking With Us!
Best Actress: Nisrin Erradi, Everybody Loves Touda
Best Actor: Adam Bessa, Ghost Trail
Best Music: Amin Bouhafa, Aïcha
Best Editing: Xoftex, Noaz Deshe and Felipe Guerrero
Best Cinematography: Mostafa El Kashef, The Village Next To Paradise
Best Documentary: No Other Land, Basel Adra, Hamdan Ballal, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor
Best Short Film: Upshot, Maha Haj
ACC reveals winners of 9th Critics Awards for Arab Films at the 78th Cannes Film Festival
No comments yet