Written by Kianna Best on May 17, 2024. Posted in Awards and Festivals

Films of MENA origin make a splash at Cannes

Films from the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) are front and centre for Cannes 2024. This year marks the first for Saudi Arabia in the official selection with drama NORAH directed by Tawfik Alzaidi. Other countries represented from the regional collective include Egypt, Palestine and Morocco.

NORAH centres around a small Saudi Arabian village set in the 90’s, a period when artistic expression was banned due to religious reasons. Originally premiers in December at the Red Sea Film Festival in Jeddah, the film is the first Saudi film to screen in Cannes and is a key moment in the country’s filmmaking history. NORAH stars Maria Bahrawi as the titular character, Yaqoub Alfarhan as teacher Nader, as well as Abdullah Alsadhan, Aixa Kay and Abdulrahman Alwafi. The Un Certain Regard title went into the Cannes week setting French distribution with Nour Films.

Defying all odds and social stipulations, many Arab countries and their filmmakers are putting a diverse range of stories on the main stage. Egyptian visual artist and filmmaker Hala Elkoussy represents her country with East of Noon, an eclectic dark comedy, screened in the Director’s Fortnight. Danish-Palestinian director Mahdi Fleifel also makes his mark in the Director’s Fortnight with To a Land Unknown. The film follows two brothers on their desperate journey to Germany from Athens in hopes of a better quality of life.

French Moroccan director Nabil Ayouch continues to put his heritage on the map with Everybody Loves Touda which premieres today. Everybody Loves Touda tells the story of a young singer named Shaeirat living under the pressure of the male gaze as she tries to make ends meet for her deaf mute son. The new film marks the third for Ayouch in Cannes, following on from Casablanca Beats and Much Loved.

Image courtesy of Festival de Cannes