Moroccan film "Sharaa", by director Hussein Hanin, won the first prize of this ninth edition. The short film (19 minutes), which was screened for the first time in the Middle East and North Africa, tells the story of Assou, a man in his forties who loves his wife and daughter, but faces several challenges.
The Alexandria Short Film Festival (16-21 February), for which participated 75 films from 45 countries, honored many figures in the film industry, such as Egyptian actress Samaa Ibrahim, who received the "Hypatia Golden Shield", and film costume designer Refaat Abdelhakim.
The competition jury included Moroccan director and producer Malika Maa El Ainine, Egyptian director Sandra Nach'at and Italian critic Massimo Lecce.
In the "Arab Film Competition" section were :
- "Boumla" by Yazid Yato (Algeria);
- "The Great Secret of Bressim" by Sultan Rabie (Saudi Arabia);
- "What Happens in the Life of Nadine" by Amr Fikry (Egypt);
- "Sharaa" by Hussein Hanin (Morocco);
- "Hay" by Rawan Walid (Jordan);
- "Wahidane Afdhal" by Lerkar Barzan (Iraq);
- "Assafira" by Adel Abdel Majeed (Iraq);
- "Ittissal" by Karbim Al Yaqoubi (Tunisia).