Lebanese film “Stars of Hope and Pain” Wins the Black Palm

Reuters – The Lebanese film “Stars of Hope and Pain,” directed by Cyril Aris, won the Black Iris Award for Best Arab Feature Film at the Amman International Film Festival, which concluded on Monday in Jordan, and also took home the Audience Award.

The film’s lead actor, Hassan Aqeel, received the award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role, while Tunisian actress Aya Belghith won the award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role for her role in “Where Does the Wind Take Us,” directed by Amal Qalati.

The South African film “Mashine” won the Black Iris Award for Best Non-Arab Feature Film, while the jury awarded its prize to the Belgian film “We Believe You,” directed by Charlotte De Villiers and Arnaud Desplechin.

The awards were announced and presented at the festival’s closing ceremony held on Jabal Al-Qal’a, attended by Festival President Princess Reem Ali, Prince Ali bin Al-Hussein, and several filmmakers and artists.

In the Arab Short Films competition, the Algerian film “Bimo,” directed by Amine Handar, won the Black Iris Award, while the jury awarded its prize to the Moroccan film “Aisha,” directed by Sanaa Al-Alawi. The Jordanian short film “Ambush,” directed by Yasmina Karaja, won the award for Best Jordanian Short Film, and the Audience Award went to the Jordanian film “Revolt of Anger,” directed by Aisha Shihaltough.

In the Documentary Films competition, the Palestinian film “My Dear Hussein,” directed by Alex Bakri, won the Black Iris Award, while the Syrian film “The Other Side of the Sun,” directed by Tawfiq Sabouni, received the Jury Prize and the International Federation of Film Critics (FIPRESCI) Award.