The closing ceremony for the 4th edition of the El Gouna Film Festival took place last night. And other than the stunning outfits that graced the red carpet, one of our favourite moments included the awards. ‘200 meters,’ a Palestinian drama which took 7 years to bring to life, directed by Ameen Nayfeh, won the ‘Cinema for Humanity Audience Award.’
The film follows the story of a Palestinian father trapped on the other side of the separation wall who is trying to reach the hospital for his son. ‘200 meters’ has already previously won a BNL People’s Choice Award in Venice last September, and Ali Soliman (the lead,) bagged the ‘Best Actor’ award at the El Gouna Film Festival for his performance in ‘200 meters.’
It’s safe to say that this win was more than well-deserved.
During the ceremony, Maya Odeh, the film’s producer, gave a touching speech saying “this award is for Palestine. For whoever who fights to go to their work, to school and to the beach. Cinema is a tool. 200 meters is our tool and we’re going to continue to make movies like this. Thank you El Gouna Film Festival, thank you to cinema that spreads our message and we will continue.”
Ameen Nayfeh, the director from the Levant also said “thank you for all this love. I hope to give this award to all the people who supported me from the beginning of my journey. And I dedicate this award specifically to my grandmother’s soul.”