Two Egyptian films, Abed and Ten, won awards at the Abu Dhabi’s Al-Ain Film Festival’s third edition, which closed its activities on 27 January.

Short film Abed by Medhat Abdullah saw its international premiere at the festival and won Best Film in the ‘Make Your Film in the Time of Corona’ competition.

The film sheds light on an Egyptian community working in the UAE. The plot revolves around Abed, portrayed by Ahmed Ibrahim, who is being bullied due to his cleft lip and as such is experiencing problems when facing the outside world. He feels more confident when wearing a mask amid the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, as the film sheds light on the protagonist’s psychological transformation.

Written by Noha Said (Egypt), the film incorporates cast and crew from numerous Arab countries, including Ohoud Al-Nowais (UAE), Abdul-Hamid Al-Balushi (UAE), Omar Abul-Fadl (Syria), Mahdi Boukhris (Morocco), film editor Moataz Abdel-Khalek (Egypt), cinematographer Mahmoud Youssef (Egypt), and score composer Sherif El-Wassimi (Egypt). 

Directed by young Egyptian filmmaker Mohamed Samir, Ten won the Jury Prize in the Falcon Competition for Student Films.

The plot sheds light on a poker player who is robbed in his home by a prison escapee. The events revolve around the interaction between two characters portrayed by Mohamed Samir and Mohamed Barakat.

The film’s executive director is Mohamed Farag, and the music is by Amin El-Sharni. 

Following the win, the head of Egypt’s Actors’ Syndicate, Ashraf Zaki, congratulated the Egyptian artists for the recognitions they brought for the country in the UAE’s festival.

It is worth adding that the Emirati short Athel, starring Egyptian actress Hala Shiha, won the Best Film Award in the Falcon Emirati Short Film competition.

The United Arab Emirates’ Al-Ain Film Festival’s third edition took place between 23 and 27 January

The festival screened over 370 films in Abu Dhabi’s Madinat Al-Ḥadiqah.

Founded in 2019 under the patronage of Sheikh Sultan Bin Tahnoon Al-Nahyan, the festival aims to showcase the talents of the United Arab Emirates and the Gulf region.

Expanding its programming, the festival also welcomes Arab region directors. Moreover, this year, the festival screened European films which have already been screened in Arab countries.

This year, Al-Ain festival was held under the umbrella of the Abu Dhabi Festival.

For more arts and culture news and updates, follow Ahram Online Arts and Culture on Twitter at @AhramOnlineArtsand on Facebook at Ahram Online: Arts & Culture