‘Aisha Can’t Fly Away’ Takes Top Prize at Venice’s Final Cut

The 12th edition of Final Cut, an industry programme that supports the post-production of films from African and Arab countries, concluded in Venice with an awards ceremony attended by an Egyptian filmmaker. Murad MustafaHer film “Aisha Can’t Fly Away” won the Venice Biennale Prize for a film in post-production, worth 5,000 euros ($5,546).

Morad’s feature debut, which was previously screened at the Doha Film Institute’s Qumra Lab, tells the story of a Somali woman caring for her elderly parents in Cairo, who witnesses the tension between the different ethnic groups that make up the city’s society.

This year’s jury included Wayne Borg from Neom, Monica Ciarli from Minerva Pictures and Dennis Ruh, former director of the European Film Market. In their statement, the jury described Mostafa’s story as “powerful and authentic” and added: “Despite being his first feature film, he demonstrated confident direction and a distinct cinematic voice. The film’s harsh realism, attention to detail and effective storytelling left a strong impression on us.”

In addition to the main prize, Mostafa’s project was awarded a number of additional prizes by the jury of supporters, including awards from the Cinémathèque Afrique of the Institut Français, Rai Cinema, Festival International de Films de Fribourg and Titra Films.

Mohamed Siam’s “The Scent of My Father”, Lemohang Jeremiah Mosese’s “Ancestors’ Visions of the FutureThe jury, which included supporters such as MAD Solutions, Festival International du Film d’Amiens, Red Sea Fund, El Gouna Film Festival and Studio A Fabrica (Ajaccio), also awarded Ique Langa’s “The Prophet” and Nadim Tabet’s “In This Darkness I See You”.

The 7 films in the 12th Final Cut competition held in Venice were selected from 52 projects submitted by 57 directors.

(See our report on Arabic cinema) Here.)

Venice Production Bridgeindustry branch Venice Film FestivalIt ended with healthy numbers, including an 8% increase in industry delegates from 2023. A total of 63 panels were held at the VPB market, representing a 15% increase from 2023. There were 41 VPB market screenings, including 14 films not in the official festival selection. This year, the focus was on streaming, with 10 European and international streaming platforms participating in VPB’s Meet the Streamers programme.

In terms of meetings, there was a 103% increase in one-on-one meetings in 2024, with 236 meetings between streaming platforms and accredited international distributors, rights holders and AV professionals. The Book Adaptation Rights Market saw a 14% increase in one-on-one meetings, from 560 in 2023 to 640 in 2024. Each year, the market highlights a literary genre, this year it was crime and thriller, with specialty publishing houses and literary agencies.

This year, VPB invited key industry players to in-person meetings at the Venice Gap-Financing Market, Book Adaptation Rights Market, Final Cut in Venice, Meet the Streamers and VPB Market screenings. Producers, distributors, financiers, institutions, publishers, sales reps, VR/XR experts and festival chairmen attending the industry program included representatives from Amazon, Apple TV, Netflix, Studiocanal UK, Fremantle Media, Mubi, Neon, A24 and many more.