Directed by Hala Khalil, Egypt's multi-award-winning film Nawara and the short animated film Zeer Story by Ayman Mohamed Abdallah will be screened at the Arab Film Festival held annually in Australia.

Nawara has earned actress Menna Shalaby several awards including the Best Actress at 12th Dubai International Film Festival (DIFF). The film was screened in numerous international festivals to the audiences' and critics' acclaim.

Nawara will screen on 23 July in Sydney.

Zeer Story is a two-minute long animated short coming from Ayman Mohamed Abdallah, an Egyptian character animator and animation director.

The short will screen next to other feature films on 22 July in Sydney, on 30 July in Melbourne, on 5 August in Canberra and on 12 August in Perth.

The festival will run between 21 July and 12 August, in four consecutive Australian cities: Sydney (21-24 July), Melbourne (29-31 July), Canberra (5-7 August) and Perth (11 and 12 August).

Nawara and Zeer Story are the only Egyptian entries in the festival which will screen over 10 films from Palestine, Lebanon, Qatar, Iraq and Saudi Arabia.

The Arab Film Festival Australia aims to showcase stories from Arabic-speaking peoples to diverse Australian audiences, reflecting the complexity and diversity of Arab experiences.

The festival was first launched in 2001 and usually travels across several Australian cities.

In over a decade, the festival has managed to grow and has gained a large audience and the support of many partners. Each year it presents the works of Arab filmmakers to over 18,000 people.

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