Hend Sabry is to be among the prominent figures from Arab and international cinema serving on the juries of this year’s Amman International Film Festival.
The Tunisian-Egyptian actress and producer will judge the winner of the Black Iris Award for Best Arab Feature Narrative Film alongside Lebanese filmmaker Joana Hadjithomas, Egyptian-British actor Khalid Abdalla and Jordanian composer Tareq Al Nasser.
This is the seventh time the festival, also known as Awal Film, has been held. It is to take place in the Jordanian capital from July 26 to August 3 under the theme Beyond the Frame.
Sabry began her career as a teenager in Moufida Tlatli’s The Silences of the Palace. The film won the Camera d’Or at Cannes in 1994, while Sabry's performance earned her the Best Actress award at the Carthage Film Festival at the age of 14.
She moved to Egypt at the age of 20 and became one of the Arab world’s most recognised performers. More recently, she appeared in Kaouther Ben Hania’s Four Daughters, which was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature.
Sabry spoke to The National last year about choosing work that could help audiences feel less alone. “I saw the impact that I could have on people’s lives,” she said. “I’m driven by sharing experiences or sharing knowledge. Acting is a great tool for that.”
In December, she received the Omar Sharif Award at a Golden Globes gala held during the Red Sea International Film Festival in Jeddah, recognising her contribution to regional storytelling.
The Arab narrative competition is open to a director’s first feature or a second feature that includes a first-time screenwriter or lead actor.
Hadjithomas is known for her collaborations with Khalil Joreige, including Je Veux Voir and Memory Box, while Abdalla’s credits include The Crown, The Kite Runner and The Last Days of the City. Al Nasser has composed music for several prominent Arab TV dramas.
Swiss filmmaker Christian Frei, Jordanian director Dalia Al Kury and Palestinian editor Rabab Haj Yahya are to judge the Best Arab Feature Documentary competition. The category is open to Arab documentaries longer than 52 minutes that are either a director’s debut feature documentary or a second feature involving a first-time editor.
The Best Arab Short Film jury will comprise Iraqi filmmaker Ahmed Yassin Al Daradji, Jordanian actor Majd Eid and AlRawabi School for Girls creator Tima Shomali. The panel will also select the winner of the Best Jordanian Short Film prize.
Filipino director Brillante Mendoza, Palestinian actor Saleh Bakri and Jordanian-Canadian composer Suad Bushnaq are to judge the Best Non-Arab Film competition, which is dedicated to debut features by filmmakers from outside the Arab world.
Bakri’s recent films include Palestine 36 and All That’s Left of You, in which he appears alongside his father, the late actor Mohammad Bakri.
The winner of the Fipresci award for an Arab feature documentary will be decided by Jordanian critic Israa Radaydeh, French-Brazilian journalist Leticia Alasse and Portuguese film journalist Paulo Portugal.
Audience awards will also return across all four competition sections, giving those attending the festival the chance to vote for their favourite Arab narrative, documentary and short films, as well as the best non-Arab feature.
