“Souad was selected with the majority of the votes,” announced the committee that includes prominent filmmakers and critics, revealing that other nominees included Captains of Za'atari, by director Ali El-Arabi.

The submission for the 2021 Oscars is another stop on Souad’s successful journey that also includes the 2020 Festival de Cannes Official Selection, 2021 Berlinale – Berlin International Film Festival Official Selection in the Panorama Section.

Souad premiered at the 2021 Tribeca Film Festival in New York City, winning the Best Actress Award before touring the world on the festival circuit, winning the Best Actress Award at the Mostra de València-Cinema del Mediterrani, and the Best Film Editing Award at the 2021 Pan-African Film and Television Festival of Ouagadougou (FESPACO).

Souad was selected earlier in the week by the British Independent Film Awards as one of the 19 long-listed films for the 2021 Best International Independent Film screened in the United Kingdom.

The firm was also a Cinegouna Springboard winner of the 2018 El Gouna film platform.

Produced by Sameh Awad, in co-production with Dora Bouchoucha, Mohamed Hefzy, Wim Wenders, Ayten Amin, and Mark Lotfy, Souad was written by Ayten Amin and Mahmoud Ezzat with cinematography directed by Maged Nader and edited by Khaled Moeit.

The film is a realistic cinematic picture that attempts to uncover social problems and weaknesses while exploring tragic consequences through the story of a 12-year-old girl searching for answers after her sister Souad's suicide in a village in Zagazig, Lower Egypt.

Ayten Amin is one of the directors of the hit TV drama Sabea Gaar ("The Seventh Neighbour"). She is best known for Villa 69, Spring 98, and Tahrir 2011: The Good, the Bad, and the Politician, taking confident strides in her career since her notable debut Her Man in 2006, proving her outstanding talent and gaining many awards and screenings at various international film festivals.