The Ismailia International Film Festival for Documentaries and Shorts, which ran from 11 - 17 April, closed its 20th edition yesterday with an award ceremony at the Ismailia Culture Palace.

The closing was attended by Governor of Ismailia Yassin Taher, Deputy Culture Minister Khaled Abdel-Galeel, who represented Culture Minister Ines Abdel-Dayem.

The event’s closing featured a concert by Life Time band, which sang a number of national songs, in addition to a song written especially for the festival Ahmed Raoul with music by Karim Arafa.

A screening of a short documentary concluded this year’s edition.

Festival president Essam Zakaria, as well as Yassin Taher, and Khaled Abdel-Galeel all spoke prior to the announcement of secondary prizes.

Swiss-Iraqi director Samir Gamal El-Din was awarded with a special honor, after which the festival’s main awards were announced.

Long documentary competition

Best Film:
Sharp Tools by Nujoom Al-Ghanem (UAE)

Jury prize:
A Woman Captured by Bernadett Tuza-Ritter (Hungary)

Special Mention:
The Family by Rok Biček (Slovenia – Austria)

Short Documentary competition

Best film:
The Same by Dejan Petrović (Serbia)

Jury Prize:
Arabic Secret by Julia Groszek (Poland)

Short Fiction competition

Best Film:
The Ticket by Haris Stathopoulos (Greece)

Jury Prize:
Facing Mecca by Jan-Eric Mack (Switzerland)

Animation competition

Best Film:
Naqla by Youssef Abd-Elamir El-Baqshy (Kuwait)

Jury Prize:
Airport by Michaela Müller (Switzerland – Canada)

Student competition

Best short fiction:
Like the Sun by Hana Mahmoud (AUC)

Best short documentary:
Voy by Alaa Helaly (Cairo University)

Award from the Egyptian Animation Society
Talent Scout by José Herrera (Spain)

Best Arab Film
Naqla by Youssef El-Baqshy – Animation (Kuwait)

Critics Jury Prize
One Day in Aleppo by Ali Ibrahim – Short Documentary (Syria)

Special mentions for animation film Halfway by Randa Beiruty (Jordan – Germany), and the short documentary film The Last to Leave Rio by Osama Aiad (Egypt)

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