Tunisian Film "The Bridge" Wins Jury Prize at the 36th Arab Film Festival in France
The Tunisian film "The Bridge", the second feature film by director Walid Mattar, has won the Youth Jury Prize at the 36th edition of the Arab Film Festival in Fameck - Val de Fensch, whose awards were announced on Saturday evening in France. Already a winner of the Best Tunisian Feature Film award at the 35th Carthage Film Festival (2024), "The Bridge" confirms the critical and international recognition of its author, one of the most prominent Tunisian filmmakers of his generation.
Festival Awards
The Grand Prize of the Festival was awarded to "Songs of Adam" by Iraqi director Oday Rasheed, while the Press Prize went to "The Youngest" by Hafsia Herzi. The Documentary Prize was awarded to "Life After Siham" by Namir Abdel Messeeh (Egypt, France), and the Audience Prize distinguished "On the Road to Papa" by Olivier Dacourt and Nabil Aït AkkaouaIi.
Festival Highlights
Under the sign of memory and resistance, the 36th edition of the festival (October 2-12, 2025) paid a strong tribute to Palestinian cinema, while also hosting Lebanon as the guest country of honor. In total, 47 films from the Arab world were in competition, reflecting the richness, wounds, and hopes of Arab societies through the eyes of their filmmakers.
Complete Awards List
- Grand Prize: Songs of Adam — Oday Rasheed (Iraq, Netherlands, Saudi Arabia, 2024)
- Press Prize: The Youngest — Hafsia Herzi (France, 2025)
- Youth Jury Prize: The Bridge — Walid Mattar (Tunisia, 2025)
- Documentary Prize: Life After Siham — Namir Abdel Messeeh (Egypt, France, 2025)
- Audience Prize: On the Road to Papa — Olivier Dacourt & Nabil Aït AkkaouaIi (France, 2025)
