Egyptian short documentary El-Naht Fel-Zaman (Sculpting in Time), won the Jury Award when it premiered at the first edition of the Arab Cinema Festival (ACF) in Paris, while the short feature film Wanas (Affability) won the award for its category.

Sculpting in Time is directed Youssef Nasser and produced by RedStar. The film presents the life and work of prolific artist, set designer and puppet maker Nagy Shaker, whose career has spanned 50 years. The film was screened 3 July.

Affability is directed by Ahmed Nader, starring Abdulrahman Abu Zahra and Rajaa Hussein. It had won the Bronze Tanit Award for short films at the Carthage Film Festival (CIFF) in Tunis.

The 22-minute film centres on a married couple in their eighties living alone in their peaceful home. Nabila tries to reinvent daily life with her husband who has fallen ill.

The ACF competition included 13 recent Arab films, including Tamer El-Ashry’s feature film Photocopy. The festival was directed by Palestinian actress and director Hiam Abbass, and presented a selection of nearly 80 documentaries, shorts, and features, all directed and produced by Arab filmmakers.

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