The politically charged drama “Alam” by Palestinian director Firas Khoury triumphs in Cairo

Palestinian director Firas Khoury’s debut film warning triumphed at the 44th Cairo International Film Festival, winning the Golden Pyramid Award for Best Film, Best Actor for Mahmoud Bakri and the Audience Award.

Premiering in Toronto, the coming-of-age story explores the reality of Palestinian teenagers growing up within Israel’s borders.

Bakri plays a high school student involved in an operation to replace the Israeli flag flying at his school with a Palestinian flag as Israelis celebrate Independence Day and Palestinians commemorate the Nakba, or catastrophe.

The pic, which was sold internationally by MPM Premium, was acquired by Film Movement for North America earlier this year.

The Special Jury Prize of the Silver Pyramid for Best Director went to Emmanuelle Nicot from Belgium Dalvaa sensitive portrait of a young girl regaining her confidence in life after being sexually abused.

Big screen debutant Zelda Samson won the Best Actress award for her performance in the film.

The Bronze Pyramid Award for Best First/Second Work went to Polish director Damian Kocur bread and salt.

The drama, which opened to critical acclaim in Venice, explores racial tensions between Poles and immigrants of Arab descent through the story of a gifted piano student who returns to his provincial hometown for the summer.

The Naguib Mahfouz Award for Best Screenplay went to a Japanese mystery drama, among others a man by Kei Ishikawa, and Egyptian cinematographer Mostafa Elkashef received the Henry Barakat Award for Best Artistic Contribution for his work on the Egyptian feature film 19B by Ahmad Abdullah.

At the regional Horizons of New Arab Cinema Competition Awards, the award went to the best Arab film mother valley by Lebanese director Carlos Chahine.

In another win for Lebanon, Bassem Breche River bed won the special prize of the jury.

Egyptian documentary filmmaker Sherief Elkatsha won the award for best non-fiction book Far from the Nileafter the American tour of 12 musicians from different countries along the Nile Basin.

The documentary by Tunisian filmmaker Yassine Redissi also received honorable mentions i arrive home and French-Algerian director Mounia Meddour Hourstarring Lyna Khoudri as an aspiring dancer whose career is cut short by a violent attack.

Ukrainian director Dmytro Sukholytkyy-Sobchuk won the prize of the International Critics’ Week competition pufferfish won Pakistani filmmaker Saim Sadiq’s for Best Film joy land was awarded for best artistic contribution and received a special mention victim by Michael Blasko.

In festival-wide awards, Abdalla’s 19B won the $10,000 award for best Arabic film eligible for films in a major competition, and Breche’s River bed received special mention. 19B also won the Fipresci prize.