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With three titles in Competition, three more in Un Certain Regard, one in the Directors’ Fortnight, and two documentary features in the parallel ACID section, the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region will once again have a strong presence on the Croisette.
However, despite the films’ cultural aura, shaped by creators with roots and destinies grounded in the region, not all selected productions originate from MENA countries, and only one has been produced without European co-production support.
This highlights the festival’s enduring Eurocentric and Western-oriented selection policies, and underscores how difficult it still seems for the selection committees of the world’s most prestigious “haute couture” film gathering to fully engage with geographically close cultures, and some even share common colonial history, yet they remain surprisingly unfamiliar — along with the authentic cinematic voices that lie beyond the boundaries of mainstream festival cinema.
La Petite Dernière
Director Hafsia Herzi – France
After receiving the César for Best Actress for her performance in Stéphane Demoustier's acclaimed Borgo, the Tunisian-French filmmaker and actress Hafsia Herzi returns to the Cannes spotlight with her latest feature, which has been selected for the main Competition. She will walk the red carpet alongside lead actresses Nadia Melliti and Park Min-ji.
The plot focuses on Fatima, a young woman who leaves her close-knit suburban family to study philosophy in Paris. As she navigates the intellectual and social freedoms of university life, she finds herself conflicted between the traditions of her religious upbringing and the allure of a new, more liberated world.
Based on a novel, the film marks Herzi’s third feature, following a previous selection in Un Certain Regard and a debut showcased in Critics’ Week.
As the festival director Thierry Frémaux noted during a press conference, Herzi draws from her own experience growing up in Marseille’s working-class Quartiers Nord to explore the challenges faced by young people who, for emotional, social, sexual, or political reasons, find themselves drifting away from the environment they came from — a central theme of the film.
It Was Just an Accident
Director Jafar Panahi – Iran, France, Luxembourg
An air of secrecy surrounds Jafar Panahi’s latest film, which is set to premiere in Cannes' main competition. The renowned Iranian auteur returns to the festival with a story yet to be revealed, while a cryptic logline hints at a gripping chain of events sparked by a seemingly insignificant mishap: “What begins as a minor accident sets in motion a series of escalating consequences.”
Panahi’s attendance at the premiere remains uncertain. Though his travel ban was lifted in April 2023, allowing a brief visit to France before returning to Tehran, his presence on the Croisette seems unlikely. His most recent arrest came in July 2022 after he signed a petition condemning police violence, leading to several months of imprisonment.
A regular at major festivals, Panahi’s politically charged and stylistically inventive films have earned him critical acclaim. His last Cannes appearance was in 2021 with The Year of the Everlasting Storm, and in 2018, he won Best Screenplay for 3 Faces. His celebrated works include The Circle, Offside, This Is Not a Film, Taxi, and No Bears, which won the Special Jury Prize at Venice in 2022.
Eagles of the Republic
Director Tarik Saleh – Sweden, France, Denmark, Finland
Written and directed by acclaimed Swedish director with Egyptian roots Tarik Saleh, this political thriller, nominated for the Palme d’Or, serves as the final instalment in his Cairo trilogy, following The Nile Hilton Incident (2017) and Boy from Heaven (2022). The film stars acclaimed Swedish-Lebanese actor Fares Fares as George Fahmy, a legendary Egyptian screen icon who is pressured into starring in a government-commissioned propaganda film.
The plot revolves around George Fahmy, one of Egypt’s most revered actors, who reluctantly agrees to take the lead in a state-funded film. As the project unfolds, he becomes dangerously involved with the wife of the general overseeing the production.
Fares Fares, in the main role, is no stranger to politically charged cinema. He previously collaborated with Saleh on both The Nile Hilton Incident, where he played a morally conflicted detective investigating a murder in Cairo, and Boy from Heaven, a tense drama set within Egypt’s religious elite.
Fares is also known for his roles in international productions such as Zero Dark Thirty, Westworld, and the Nordic noir series Occupied and Chernobyl.
Aisha can’t fly away
Director Morad Mostafaa – Egypt, France, Germany, Tunisia, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Sudan
This thriller, set in the shadows of Cairo’s criminal underworld and selected for Cannes’ Un Certain Regard, marks a major milestone for Egyptian filmmaker Morad Mostafaa, whose acclaimed short I Promise You Paradise was featured in the 77th edition’s Critics’ Week, earning the prestigious Rail d'Or award.
Mostafaa’s first feature-length film centres on Aisha, a young Sudanese woman living in Ain Shams — a densely populated, working-class area known for its significant African migrant population. After a crisis at her job as a caretaker, Aisha is left with no choice but to align herself with Zuka, a local gang figure, in a desperate bid for safety.
Aisha Can’t Fly Away reunites key members of the team behind I Promise You Paradise, including director of photography Mostafa El Kashef and editor Mohamed Mamdouh. The film also showcases a compelling cast, with Buliana Simon taking the lead as Aisha, alongside Egyptian rapper Ziad Zaza, making his debut in a feature film, as well as Emad Ghoniem and Mamdouh Saleh.
Once Upon a Time in Gaza
Directors Tarzan & Arab Nasser – Palestine, France, Germany, Portugal, Jordan
Palestinian twin filmmakers Tarzan and Arab Nasser return to Cannes, but this time in the Un Certain Regard section, a decade after their debut feature, Dégradé, premiered in Critics’ Week in 2015.
Continuing their exploration of life in Gaza through fictional storytelling, the Nasser brothers' latest work blends political undercurrents with cinematic flair. Starring Nader Abd Alhay, Majd Eid, and Ramzi Maqdisi, the film offers a sharp, genre-infused take on survival and identity in a territory shaped by a severe conflict.
Set in Gaza, the story follows three unlikely companions — Yahia, timid and cautious; Osama, impulsive and bold; and Sami, a flattering opportunist — drawn together by pride and necessity.
Their intertwining journeys, told with a touch of dark humour and Western-inspired style, weave a tale of loyalty, vengeance, and shifting truths. In the filmmakers’ words, it’s “a film about narratives — about our forgotten truths, and the stories others invent in their place.”
Promised Sky
Director Erige Sehiri – Tunisia, France, Qatar
Inspired by real events in Tunisia, the film offers an intimate portrait of solidarity and survival amid a rise in anti-migrant violence. Sparked by inflammatory political rhetoric, a wave of xenophobia led to arrests and expulsions targeting sub-Saharan migrants.
French-Tunisian director Erige Sehiri crafts a quietly powerful story set against this turbulent backdrop. “I want to move beyond the migrant archetype to create real, complex characters who defy expectations,” she says.
The film follows Marie, an Ivorian pastor and former journalist in Tunis, whose home becomes a refuge for Naney, a young mother seeking a better future, and Jolie, a driven student with her family’s hopes on her shoulders. Their bond is tested when an orphaned girl enters their lives, revealing both fragility and strength.
Co-produced by the director herself, Promised Sky stars Aïssa Maïga, Laetitia Ky, Deborah Naney, and Mohamed Grayaa.
Sehiri, who began her career in journalism and documentary, gained international acclaim with Railway Men and made her narrative debut with Under the Fig Trees, which premiered at Cannes and represented Tunisia at the Oscars.
The President’s Cake
Director Hasan Hadi – Iraq, Qatar
Set in the heart of Iraq’s marshlands, this is the only MENA title featured in this year’s Directors’ Fortnight at Cannes.
The story centres on nine-year-old Lamia, who faces “draw day” at school — a ritual in which students are chosen to participate in compulsory celebrations for Saddam Hussein’s birthday.
Lamia’s lively grandmother, Bibi, shares clever tactics to help her avoid being selected. However, when Lamia is chosen by her strict teacher for the most intimidating role — baking the president’s birthday cake — refusing could come with serious consequences.
At home, Lamia finds solace in her pet rooster, Hindi, and wrestles with the idea of lying to escape the task. When she confides in Bibi, the two embark on an unexpected journey to the city at dawn, carrying their belongings and an unorthodox plan. What begins as a simple mission evolves into a heartwarming tale of bravery and self-discovery.
The President’s Cake marks the feature debut of Iraqi-born, New York–based director Hasan Hadi, a Tisch School of the Arts graduate. His short film Swimsuit earned an Oscar-qualifying award and streamed on HBO Max.
Life After Siham
Director Namir Abdel Messeeh – Egypt, France (documentary)
After his acclaimed documentary La Vierge, les Coptes et moi... premiered at the Berlinale, director Namir Abdel Messeeh returns with a deeply personal new film, selected for the Cannes parallel section ACID.
Following the death of his mother, Siham, Namir is struck by a grief he doesn’t fully understand. In his mind, mothers are eternal. Struggling with creative block, he turns to cinema as a way to reconnect with her, with his past, and with himself.
What begins as an attempt to bring his mother back to life on screen becomes a journey through memory, love, and exile, unfolding across Egypt and France.
Guided by the spirit of Egyptian filmmaker Youssef Chahine, Namir blends documentary and fiction to explore what it means to remember, to grieve, and to create.
As he revisits family history and captures intimate moments, he comes to see that cinema’s real magic isn’t in resurrecting the dead, but in reviving the living.
Put Your Soul on Your Hand and Walk
Director Sepideh Farsi – Palestine, Iran, France (documentary)
Just two days after the Cannes ACID selection of Put Your Soul on Your Hand and Walk was announced, its protagonist – 25-year-old Palestinian photographer and activist Fatma “Fatem” Hassona – was killed along with her entire family by an Israeli missile that struck their home in Gaza.
The film, directed by Sepideh Farsi, now stands as both a powerful cinematic collaboration and a heartbreaking memorial.
Over a year, Farsi and Fatem stayed connected through voice notes, video calls, and fragments of everyday life shared across borders. Fatem, living under constant bombardment, became Farsi’s eyes in Gaza; Farsi, in turn, became her link to the outside world.
Shot entirely through this remote exchange, the documentary captures Fatem’s courage, pain, resilience, and luminous presence.
“Her smile was as magical as her tenacity,” said the ACID team. What began as a glimpse into life under siege has become a testament to an irreplaceable life lost.
Meanwhile, Sepideh Farsi herself urges, “I don’t understand this idea that festivals shouldn’t be political... I really hope something big will happen for her and her voice, and for what we lost with her.”
Mariana Hristova is a freelance film critic, cultural journalist, and programmer. She contributes to national and international outlets and has curated programs for Filmoteca De Catalunya, Arxiu Xcèntric, goEast Wiesbaden, etc. Her professional interests include cinema from the European peripheries and archival and amateur films
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