ASWAN, Egypt, April 24 (Xinhua) -- The Saudi film "Hijra" by Shahad Ameen won the Best Film award at the 10th edition of Aswan International Women Film Festival, whose awards were announced on Friday in the southern Egyptian city of Aswan.
Held from April 20 to 25, the festival featured 73 films from 34 countries in several international and local competitions, including the Feature Film, Short Film, Films with Impact, South Films, and Workshop Films sections.
"Hijra" follows 12-year-old Janna, who embarks on a Hajj journey with her strict grandmother and rebellious sister. When the sister disappears, the journey across Saudi Arabia's vast landscapes turns into a search that reveals family secrets, intergenerational tensions and a deeper path toward reconciliation and redemption.
Polish filmmaker Dorota Welchman, president of the Feature Film Competition jury, said the film won the top award because it was made in "a very mature and impactful way," combining strong direction, authentic production and a deeply female-centered story.
Welchman also praised the film's cinematic elements, including its cinematography, landscapes, visual symbolism and performances.
"The director used the desert backdrop to show the vulnerability and closeness of the characters, while visual symbols reflected the young girl's gradual awakening," she told Xinhua.
In the same competition, the Dutch film "Treat Her Like a Lady" by Paloma Aguilera Valdebenito won the Jury Prize, while "The Condor Daughter" by Alvaro Olmos Torrico, a co-production between Bolivia, Peru and Uruguay, won the Best Director award.
Nawaf Al-Dhufairy won the Best Actor award for "Hijra," Nienke Plas won the Best Actress award for "Treat Her Like a Lady," and the Spain-Portugal co-production "The Portuguese House," written and directed by Avelina Prat, won the Best Screenplay award. The jury also gave a special mention to "Comparsa" by Vickie Curtis and Doug Anderson, a Guatemala-U.S. co-production.
In the Short Film Competition, the French film "We Had Fun" by Linda Lo won the Best Short Film award, while "L'mina" by Randa Maroufi, a documentary co-produced by Morocco, Italy, France and Qatar, received the Best Director award, and the Italian film "La Forma Cannibale" by Ginevra Solaroli won the Jury Prize.
In the South Films Competition, the first prize went to "Gaps" by young filmmaker Liza Kamal from Upper Egypt's Sohag province. The 11-minute fiction film tells the story of a father in his fifties who tries to break the silence and emotional distance between himself and his son.
Kamal said the award was especially meaningful because it marked her second recognition at the festival, after her documentary "A Planted Tree" won the jury prize last year.
"The two experiences are different, one documentary and one fiction, but both carry something real," she told Xinhua. "What makes me happy is that what I wanted to say was understood and reached the audience."
Kamal said the festival has provided an important platform for young filmmakers from Upper Egypt through its South Films Competition. "It gives us a real chance to present our work and be judged for the artistic value of the film," she said.
Festival director Hassan Abu El-Ela said the 10th edition marked a decade since the launch of a festival dedicated to women's cinema in Aswan, adding that the festival continues to discover films from around the world while supporting new talents from Upper Egypt.
"This edition is not only a celebration of films and awards, but also of a 10-year journey in which cinema became a gateway to dreams for young women and men in Upper Egypt," Abu El-Ela said.
The 10th edition is held under the auspices of the ministries of culture, tourism and social solidarity, the National Council for Women, and Aswan Governorate, and in strategic partnership with the European Union and UN Women.
