The German-French-Iranian co-production The Seed of the Sacred Fig by Mohammad Rasoulof has won this year’s Arab Critics' Awards for European Films, which is being presented for the sixth time by European Film Promotion (EFP) and the Arab Cinema Center (ACC).
During the award ceremony at this year’s El Gouna Film Festival, The Seed of the Sacred Fig was announced as the winning film on the evening of the 29 October. The Iranian director Mohammad Rasoulof, who could not attend the festival in person, sent greetings to El Gouna. In his video message, he expressed his great regret not being able to be on site in person and thanked the jury and the festival for the prestigious award. The producer of the film, Mani Tilgner (Run Way Pictures), gratefully received the trophy on the director’s behalf at the award ceremony:
“I am deeply honored to accept this wonderful award here in El Gouna on behalf of Mohammad Rasoulof and the entire team. My heartfelt thanks go to European Film Promotion, the Arab Cinema Center and the El Gouna Film Festival, but above all to the jury of the Arab Critics‘ Awards for European Films who selected our’s from among all the films. This recognition assures us that we not only succeeded in producing a good film under difficult conditions but also in telling a story that moves people around the world—whether in the USA, Europe, or the Arab countries.ˮ
The Seed of the Sacred Fig tells the story of an Iranian investigative judge who, as a result of the nationwide political protests against the authoritarian government, has to deal with his family’s increasing mistrust and paranoia. Shot under the most difficult conditions and in secrecy, following an arduous escape from his home country, Mohammad Rasoulof was able to attend the world premiere of his film at this year’s Cannes International Film Festival where he received the Special Jury Prize and four additional awards. Produced by Rasoulof's Hamburg-based company Run Way Pictures in coproduction with Parallel45 (France), the film is Germany's entry of the 97th Academy Awards. For his drama, Iranian director Mohammad Rasoulof was inspired by an encounter in an Iranian prison during his imprisonment. A prison guard had taken him aside and revealed to him that he wanted to kill himself because his family and children were constantly criticising him for doing this kind of work; it became the theme of his film.
Ola Al-Sheikh, Director of the Arab Critics’ Awards Jury says: “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 Scope website and participating in the voting process.ˮ
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 diversities. The previous four winners were God Exists, Her Name Is Petrunya by Teona Strugar Mitevska (2019), Undine by Christian Petzold (2020), 107 Mothers by Péter Kerekes (2021), EO by Jerzy Skolimowski (2022) and Fallen Leaves by Aki Kaurismäki (2023).
The Arab Critics’ Awards for European Films is made possible thanks to the support of Creative Europe – the MEDIA Programme of the European Union.
about arab cinema center
Organized by MAD Solutions in 2015, the Arab Cinema Center (ACC) is a non-profit organization registered in Berlin. 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.
about el gouna film festival
El Gouna Film Festival (GFF) was founded in 2017 with the mission to showcase a diverse range of films catering to a creative and well-versed audience. Designed for artists and filmmakers, GFF aspires to foster communication between cultures and filmmakers to benefit the industry and our region through the art of filmmaking by connecting filmmakers from the region with their international counterparts in the spirit of cooperation and cultural exchange. The festival is dedicated to the discovery of new voices and strives to be a catalyst for the development of cinema in the Arab world, particularly through its industry segment, CineGouna Platform.
