2022 San Diego Arab Film Festival Concludes; Audience Choice Awards Announced
The 2022 San Diego Arab Film Festival completed its run on Saturday, March 26. A hearty “thank you” to all of you who made this year’s edition a success.
The Festival is pleased to announce that itss Audience Choice Awards for 2022 went to Zaid Abu Hamdan’s Daughters of Abdulrahman and Suzannah Mirghani’s Al-Sit for Feature Films and Short Films, respectively.
Set in Jordan, Daughters of Abdulrahman examines the lives and relationships of 4 sisters as they take different paths in response to the expectations and limitations placed upon them by a patriarchal society. Ultimately they realize that, despite their different life choices, their common experiences unite them in fundamental ways. “In 12 years of festivals, I’ve never seen a film strike such a responsive chord with the audience. Daughters of Abdulrahman really spoke to the audience in a singular way,” said Larry Christian, Festival president.
Daughters of Abdulrahman is the first feature film by director Zaid Abu Hamdan whose short film Bahiya and Mahmoud previously won Best of Festival at the Palm Springs International Film Festival and screened at the San Diego Arab Film Festival’s inaugural festival in 2012..
Set in a cotton-farming village in Sudan, Al-Sit tells the story of a 15-year old girl who has a crush on a village boy. But her parents have arranged for her to marry a Sudanese businessman living abroad. Al-Sit, the village matriarch, intervenes with her own agenda.
Al-Sit is remarkable both for its treatment of important decisions being made for young women by others for their own reasons and for its place in the re-emergence of Sudanese filmmaking after years of prohibition and neglect. Director Suzannah Mirghani is now working on her first feature film.
In addition to the Audience Choice Awards, the San Diego Arab Film Festival also announced Special Recognition Awards for feature films Casablanca Beats, directed by Nabil Ayouch, and Heliopolis, directed by Djaffar Gacem, as well as for the short film Selahy (My Weapon), directed by Alaa Zabara.
Planning is already starting for the 2023 San Diego Arab Film Festival, tentatively scheduled for April 28-29, May 5-6 and May 12-13.
San Diego Arab Film Festival Supported By San Diego Commission for Arts and Culture for the Eighth Year
2022-2023 is the eighth year that the San Diego Arab Film Festival is receiving support from the City of San Diego Commission for Arts and Culture. This recognition and support represents an important milestone for the Festival and for San Diego’s Arab Community: it shows that Arab culture is an important part of the fabric of San Diego! In addition, on-going support from the Arts and Culture Commission helps lay the groundwork for the Festival’s growth as a dynamic part of San Diego’s cultural life.
Financial support is provided by City of San Diego Commission for Arts and Culture.
San Diego Arab Film Festival is the registered trademark of KARAMA.
It is not affiliated with Arab Film Festival or Arab Film and Media Institute.