The film "Dhi" wins the grand prize at the International Maghreb Festival.

The Egyptian film "Day," directed by Karim El Shenawy, achieved a new milestone for Egyptian cinema after winning the Grand Prize at the 14th Maghreb International Film Festival, which concluded Saturday evening in the city of Oujda, northeastern Morocco.

The film is written by Haitham Dabbour and stars Aseel Omran, Islam Mubarak, Mohamed Mamdouh, Badr Mohamed, and Haneen Saeed, with a special appearance by the great artist Mohamed Mounir.

The story of "Dhi": A Nubian child's journey facing discrimination with hope and determination

The film tells the story of a Nubian boy with albinism who suffers from discrimination and bullying in his community, yet insists on pursuing his dreams despite the difficulties. The work presented a moving, humane approach that touched the hearts of the audience and the jury members, garnering widespread admiration both inside and outside the cinema.

Other awards at the Maghreb Film Festival

"Dhi" wasn't the only film to win. The jury also awarded prizes to a number of outstanding works:

Special Jury Prize: to the Senegalese film "Demba" by Mamadou Dia.

Best Screenplay Award: to the Moroccan film "Wind Tattoo", directed by Leila Triki.

Best Actress: Tunisian Fatima Sfar for her role in "Aisha".

Best Actor: French-Cameroonian Alexandre Boyer for his role in Jean-Claude Barney's "Fanon."

Short Film Competition Awards

In the short films section, the grand prize was won by the film “After…” by Palestinian director Maha Haj. While the Moroccan film "Breastfeeding Brothers" by director Kenza Tazi won the Jury Prize, The Tunisian film "The Devil and Angels Game" by director Mohamed Amin Lakhmiri won the Hope Award.

The festival took place from September 29 to October 4 at the Mohammed VI Theater in Oujda, under the slogan: "Bridges are built and issues are told through the cinema screen."

It is a slogan that emphasizes the role of cinema as a platform for cultural dialogue and the expression of humanitarian and societal issues.

The festival included in-competition and out-of-competition screenings, as well as workshops and intellectual and cinematic seminars featuring a number of directors and critics from the Maghreb, Africa, and the Arab world.

During the opening ceremony, the festival honored Lebanese musician Marcel Khalife, along with Moroccan artists Soumaya Akaboun and Rabie Kati, in recognition of their artistic careers.

At the closing ceremony, actress Ibtissam El Arrousi and researcher and historian Badr El Mokri were honored for their outstanding contributions to the cultural and artistic fields.