‘Four Daughters’ wins the first edition of the ‘Asharq Documentary Award’ at the Red Sea International Film Festival 2023

·        The Award represents Asharq Documentary’s commitment to supporting the filmmaking industry and fostering its thriving local and regional talent

Jeddah, Saudi Arabia: 8^th December 2023 – Asharq Documentary, the recently launched Arabic free-to-air factual documentary channel under SRMG, announced the inaugural edition of its ‘Asharq Documentary Award’, during the third Red Sea International Film Festival (Red Sea IFF) award ceremony held at the Ritz Carlton Hotel in Jeddah.

The ‘Asharq Documentary Award’ represents the channel’s dedication to supporting the filmmaking industry and nurturing aspiring talent in the MENA region. The award aligns with the channel’s mission to provide a platform for creators to showcase their stories and productions, especially given its plans to offer in-house produced content to complement licensed and acquired content.

In this first-year edition, the ‘Asharq Documentary Award’ featured eight films, showcasing talented documentary filmmakers from around the world. The entries included three Iraqi films: ‘Hiding Saddam Hussein,’ ‘Iraq’s Invisible Beauty,’ and ‘The Dalkurd Story’; ‘Four Daughters’ from Tunisia; ‘The Mother of All Lies’ from Morocco; ‘Donga’ from Libya; ‘Copa 71’ from the United Kingdom; and ‘In the Shadow of Beirut’ from Ireland.

The winning film ‘Four Daughters’, directed by Tunisian filmmaker Kawthar Ben Haniyeh, explores a story of pain and its impact on a mother and her four daughters in a society suffering from the aftermath of extremism and terrorism. In her film, Ben Haniyeh showcases a modern cinematic style, adeptly merging reality with fiction as she draws inspiration from a true story to create a compelling narrative.

Mohammed Al Yousei, General Manager of Asharq Documentary said: “We are pleased to present the Asharq Documentary Award for the first time at the third edition of the Red Sea International Film Festival. This award marks the beginning of several initiatives we have planned to recognise and reward filmmaking talent, while supporting the regional film industry. A defining aspect of Asharq Documentary is its dedicated, in-house production capabilities, offering exclusive access to regional documentary films for our audiences.”

Shivani Pandya Malhotra, Managing Director of the Red Sea International Film Festival said that the launch of the Asharq Documentary Award during the third edition of the Festival is an important addition to the awards, as both organizations share the same objective of empowering the art of storytelling and supporting the filmmaking industry. Commenting on the winning film, Pandya added: “I congratulate the Tunisian director Kawthar Ben Hania on winning this award in its inaugural year, particularly as we celebrate creative women in film directing, acting, and writing in this edition.”

Asharq Documentary aims to become the leading platform, offering a deep dive behind the headlines of hard-hitting topics such as politics, business and economics, and history. It also offers unique insights and in-depth analysis on the latest trends, events, and influential figures shaping the world today. Asharq Documentary is accessible through its dedicated television channel and social media accounts, as well as through live streaming and on-demand services via Asharq NOW.