The Malmö Arab Film Festival concludes its 16th edition

The 16th edition of the Malmö Arab Film Festival concluded with a grand awards ceremony held at the prestigious Royal cinema hall, one of the largest cinema venues in Sweden.

Following the red carpet ceremony, the closing event was opened by the Director of Culture in Malmö, Annika Cedhagen, who delivered a speech, followed by Mohamed Keblawi, who also addressed the audience.

In his speech, Keblawi expressed his gratitude to the audience of Malmö, all Swedish institutions supporting the festival, sponsors, organizations, and both Swedish and Arab production companies that contributed to the Malmö Industry Days awards. He also thanked the festival team and volunteers. He concluded by announcing that the 17th edition of the Malmö Arab Film Festival will take place in April 2027.

Afterwards, the festival sponsors were invited to the stage and honored for their support, including Diyala Food, Proms and Weddings, Zaytouna Bay, Safad Food AB, and EgyptAir.

Short film jury member Basim Sabah Al-Basim was welcomed to the stage on behalf of the short film jury, which also included Yara Sabri and Ola Salama.

The Special Mention Award went to “Irtizaz” from Saudi Arabia, directed by Sara Balghonaim. Aya Salama accepted the award on behalf of the film.

The Jury Award went to “32B (Mashakel Dakhlia)”, directed by Mohamed Taher.

The Best Short Film Award went to “The Last Miracle” from Egypt, directed by Abdelwahab Shawky.

The documentary jury members — Marwa Zein, Hala Galal, and Erfan Rashid — were then welcomed to the stage.

The awards were as follows:

The first Special Mention Award went to “Habibi Hussein” from Palestine, directed by Alex Bakri.

The second Special Mention Award went to the cast and crew of “One More Show” from Egypt and Palestine, including the Gazan participants appearing in the film and those unseen, directed by Mai Saad and Ahmad Al Danaf. Mai Saad accepted the award.

The Jury Award went to “My Father and Qaddafi” from Libya, the United States, and Sweden, directed by Jihan Kikhia.

The Best Documentary Film Award went to “Life After Siham” from France and Egypt, directed by Namir Abdel Messeeh. Producer Safi Eldin Mahmoud accepted the award.

The feature film jury members — Hassan Kechache, Jihane Bougrine, Yousry Nasrallah, and Ayman Jamal — were then welcomed to the stage.

The awards were as follows:

The Special Mention Award went to “Irkalla: Gilgamesh’s Dream” from Iraq, directed by Mohamed Al-Daradji. Ameer Jbara accepted the award.

The Best Actor Award went to Nawaf Al-Dhafairi for his role in “Hijra” from Saudi Arabia, directed by Shahad Ameen. Lamar Faden accepted the award on his behalf.

The Best Actress Award went to Mayan El Sayed for her role in “My Father’s Scent” from Egypt, directed by Mohamed Siam. Mayan El Sayed accepted the award.

The Best Screenwriter Award went to Cherien Dabis for “All That’s Left of You” from Palestine. Maria Zreik accepted the award.

The Best Director Award went to Ameer Fakher Eldin for “Yunan”. Ameer Fakher Eldin accepted the award.

The Jury Award went to “My Father’s Scent” from Egypt, directed by Mohamed Siam.

The Best Film Award went to “Hijra” from Saudi Arabia, directed by Shahad Ameen.

Annika Cedhagen then returned to the stage to present the Audience Award. The Audience Award, consisting of a trophy and 25,000 SEK, went to “All That’s Left of You”. Maria Zreik accepted the award.

The ceremony concluded with the presentation by the FIPRESCI Jury — Marwa Abueish, Schayan Riaz, and Petra Meterc. The FIPRESCI Award went to “My Father’s Scent”, directed by Mohamed Siam, who accepted the award.

Finally, producer Safi Eldin Mahmoud and producer Baho Bakr welcomed the cast of the closing film “Love Imagined”, featuring Ahmed El Sakka, Mayan El Sayed, and Omar Rozik.

Complete List of Award Winners

Feature Film Competition:

• Best Film: Hijra — directed by Shahad Ameen
• Jury Award: My Father’s Scent — directed by Mohamed Siam
• Best Director: Ameer Fakher Eldin for Yunan
• Best Screenwriter: Cherien Dabis for All That’s Left of You
• Best Actress: Mayan El Sayed for My Father’s Scent
• Best Actor: Nawaf Al-Dhafairi for Hijra
• Special Mention: Irkalla: Gilgamesh’s Dream — directed by Mohamed Al-Daradji

Short Film Competition:

• Best Short Film: The Last Miracle — directed by Abdelwahab Shawky
• Jury Award: 32B (Mashakel Dakhlia) — directed by Mohamed Taher
• Special Mention: Irtizaz — directed by Sara Balghonaim

Documentary Competition:

• Best Documentary Film: Life After Siham — directed by Namir Abdel Messeeh
• Jury Award: My Father and Qaddafi — directed by Jihan Kikhia
• Special Mention: Habibi Hussein — directed by Alex Bakri
• Special Mention: One More Show — directed by Mai Saad and Ahmad Al Danaf

Audience Award:

• All That’s Left of You — accepted by Maria Zreik