All Middle Eastern Films at the Cannes Film Festival 2024

The Cannes Film Festival is back with its 77th edition and here are all the Middle Eastern and South Asian films featuring at the festival. 

In Competition

The Seed of the Sacred Fig

'The Seed of the Sacred Fig' is made by Iranian filmmaker Mohammad Rasoulof, but the details of the plot have not been revealed!

All We Imagine as Light

This film is made by Indian filmmaker Payal Kapadia and is about two women who go on a vacation to a beach town. 

The last film that featured in this category was the 1994 'Swaham', which was 30 years ago. 

Kapadia also wrote the script for 'All We Imagine as Light' and the film features Kani Kusruti, Divya Prabha, and Chhaya Kadam. 

Un Certain Regard

Norah

Image source: @IMDb. 

This is the first Saudi film to enter the Cannes competition. Filmmaker Tawfik Alzaidi wrote and directed this film about two individuals who find love in each other and discover their creativity within themselves.

'Norah' is set in the 90s and features Yagoub Alfarhan, Maria Bahrawi, and Abdullah Al-Sadhan. 

Santosh

Image source: @IMDb. 

Sandhya Suri has written and directed this film, which is about a widow Santosh who is appointed as a police constable in the rural badlands of Northern India.

Santosh is pulled into an investigation under the wing of a feminist inspector Sharma. 

The film features Shohana Goswami, Sanjay Bishnoi, and Sunita Rajwar. 

Cannes Premiere

Everybody Loves Touda

Image source: @IMDb. 

Nabil Ayouch has directed this film, which is about Touda who is a traditional Moroccan dancer. Touda decides to leave Casablanca for a better future for her son. 

Ayouch co-wrote the script for this film with Maryam Touzani. 

The film features Nisrin Erradi, Abdellatif Chaouqi, and Jalila Talemsi. 

Critics' Week

The Brink of Dreams

The Egyptian documentary will be part of the competition at the Critics' Week at the Cannes Film Festival. The documentary is about a group of women in an Egyptian village who rebel against the people of the village by forming an all-female theatre troupe. 

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Across The Sea

Nour emigrates illegally to Marseille and lives of petty crime and wastes his time away with friends by partying hard.

Director's Fortnight

East of Noon

The film is about a musician named Abdo who rebels against his elders and seeks freedom through his music. 

To a Land Unknown

A Palestinian refugee in Athens, Greece gets ripped off by a smuggler and sets out for revenge.

Sister's Midnight

The film is about how a husband witnesses his wife morph into a feral force during their marriage. 'Sister's Midnight' is directed by Karan Kandhari.

Acid or Association for the Diffusion of Independent Cinema 

In Retreat

'In Retreat' is about a middle-aged man who is trying to return to his hometown in the mountains for his brother's funeral. The story is set in Ladakh. 

The Cannes Film Festival begins on May 14, so keep a lookout for the latest updates at UAE Moments!

Main image source: Norah's website