Cannes Film Festival 2023

The finalists were selected by a jury committee comprising 193 critics from 72 countries

They comprise Arab films that were co-produced by an Arab production company and have premiered at international film festivals outside of the Arab World during 2022.

This year's Achievement Awards for Arab and International Critics went to the Egyptian critic Safaa Ellaithy & the French critic Olivier Barlet for their significant contribution in the film critique field over years!

Morocco's The Blue Caftan garnered three awards at the Critics Awards for Arab Films at Cannes: Best Actress for Lubna Azabal, Best Screenplay for Maryam Touzani and Nabil Ayouch, and Best Scenography for Virginie Surdej.

Iraqi film Hanging Gardens by Ahmed Yassin Aldaradji won Best Film.

The Critics Awards for Arab Films in Cannes awarded Adam Bessa (Tunisia) with Best Actor Award for his role in Harka.

Tunisian film Ashkal garnered two awards: Best Director for Youssef Chebbi and Best Editing for Valentin Féron.

Other awards included: Best Documentary for Forages (Palestine) by Jumana Manna and Best Music for Under the Fig Trees (Tunisia) by Amine Bouhafa.

The final list of nominees was :

Best Film

The Blue Caftan, Maryam Touzani, Morocco
Hanging Gardens, Ahmed Yassin Aldaradji, Iraq
Alam, Firas Khoury, Palestine

Best Actor

Adam Bessa, Harka, Tunisia
Saleh Bakri, The Blue Caftan, Palestine
Hussain Mohammad Jaleel, Hanging Gardens, Iraq

Best Actress

Lubna Azabal, The Blue Caftan, Morocco
Clara Couturet, Dirty, Difficult, Dangerous, Ethiopia
Fatma Oussaifi, Ashkal, Tunisia

Best Director

Youssef Chebbi, Ashkal, Tunisia
Maryam Touzani, The Blue Caftan, Morocco
Erige Sehiri, Under The Fig Trees, Tunisia

Best Screenplay

Erige Sehiri, Under The Fig Trees, Tunisia
Maryam Touzani-Nabil Ayouch, The Blue Caftan, Morocco
Soudade Kaadan, Nezouh, Syria

Best Cinematography

Frida Marzouk, Under The Fig Trees, Tunisia
Pierre Aïm, Queens, France
Virginie Surdej, The Blue Caftan, Poland

Best Editing

Julie Léna, Queens, France
Valentin Féron, Ashkal
Sophie Corra, Thomas Niles, Harka

Best Music

Eli Keszler, Harka, US
Amin Bouhafa, Under The Fig Trees, Tunisia
Kristian Eidnes Andersen, The Blue Caftan, Denmark

Best Documentary

Foragers, Jumana Mann, Palestine
Sirens, Rita Baghdadi, Lebanon
My Lost Country, Ishtar Yasin Gutierrez, Iraq