Thank You for Banking with Us, directed by Laila Abbas, was the standout of the evening, winning both Best Feature Film and Best Director.
No Other Land—a Palestinian-Israeli collaboration between Basel Adra, Hamdan Ballal, Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor—claimed Best Documentary, while Maha Haj’s Upshot was awarded Best Short Film.
The awards, announced on Saturday, are organized annually by the Arab Cinema Centre in partnership with Festival Scope, MAD Solutions, the International Emerging Film Talent Association, and the NEFT Emerging Film Talent International Competition, and recognize outstanding Arab productions from the previous year.
A jury of esteemed Arab and international film critics selects winners across ten categories.
Beyond the Palestinian triumphs, several other Arab productions were also recognized.
Moroccan film Everybody Loves Touda, directed by Nabil Ayouch and Maryam Touzani, won Best Screenplay, with lead actor Nisrin Erradi taking Best Actress.
Best Actor went to Adam Bessa for his role in the French-Tunisian co-production Ghost Trail.
The Village Next to Paradise, directed by Egyptian filmmaker Mostafa El-Kashef, won Best Cinematography, while Best Music went to Aicha, another French-Tunisian title, with a score by Amin Bouhafa.
The Best Editing award went to Xoftex, a Romanian-Colombian production directed by Noaz Deshe.
It features a predominantly Arab cast and crew, including Palestinian-Syrian actor Abdulrahman Diab in the lead role.
The Critics Awards for Arab Films were first launched in 2017 during the 70th edition of the Cannes Film Festival.
They continue to spotlight Arab cinema’s growing presence on the international stage, with award categories including Best Feature, Director, Screenplay, Actress, Actor, Documentary, Short, Cinematography, Editing, and Music.
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