Deaf Spanish Film Wins Top Honors at Arab Critics' Awards

In the lead-up to the upcoming El Gouna Film Festival, a jury of 100 film critics from 16 Arabic-speaking countries have selected three finalists for this year's Arab Critics' Awards for European Films. The nominated films are "Deaf" by Spanish director Eva Libertad, "DJ Ahmet" by Georgi M. Unkovski from North Macedonia, and "Yunan" by Ameer Fakher Eldin, a co-production involving several countries.

Libertad's debut feature "Deaf" has been a standout, winning both the Audience Award and the Arthouse Cinema Award at the Berlinale earlier this year. The deeply personal film explores the complex relationship between a deaf woman and her hearing partner as they prepare to have a child. Libertad, who drew inspiration from her own life as the sister of a deaf woman, has crafted a sensitive portrayal of the emotional tensions and quiet tenderness that arise from communication barriers.

Unkovski's "DJ Ahmet" also received critical acclaim, winning the World Cinema Dramatic Audience Award and a Special Jury Award for Creative Vision at the Sundance Film Festival. The film follows a 15-year-old shepherd boy in North Macedonia who discovers a passion for electronic music, challenging the weight of family tradition and conservative expectations.

Lastly, "Yunan" by Fakher Eldin is a contemplative and poetic exploration of identity, exile, and the search for meaning. The film follows an Arab man who arrives on a remote island in the North Sea, only to be confronted by the island's conservative German community and the overwhelming force of nature, leading to an unexpected philosophical journey.

The winner of the Arab Critics' Awards for European Films will be announced during the El Gouna Film Festival, which runs from October 16 to 24.