Directed by Morad Mostafa, Egyptian short film Henet Ward has received on Sunday a Special Mention of the Jury of the 2020 Palm Springs International Short Film Festival.

"Another win. I’m happy to announce that Henet Ward received the special jury mention as the best live-action above 15 minutes," stated the director on Facebook, congratulating his crew.

This year the festival took place online with only a few films screened for the public.

Aside from directing, Mostafa also co-wrote the script with Mohamed Ali Mansour) and co-produced it with Sawsan Youssef).

The 23-minute film stars Emad Goniem, Halima, and Hagar Mahmoud, among others.

Henet Ward, telling the story of Halima, a Sudanese henna painter who lives in Egypt, received a Special Mention of the Jury at Akbank Film Festival and is among 332 shorts that comprise the Official Selection of the 26th Palm Springs International ShortFest, chosen from more than 6,000 submissions.

It is also the only film from Egypt in the Official Selection.

Born in 1988, Mostafa has worked in the film industry since 2010, first as an assistant director to filmmakers such as Hala Khalil (in Nawara), Sherif El-Bendary (in Ali the Goat and Ibrahim), Ayten Amin, and Mohamed Diab.

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