An EICAR Alumnus Wins the Palme d’Or at Cannes!
The first Egyptian production selected for the Cannes Film Festival, I Am Afraid To Forget Your Face, directed by EICAR graduate Sameh Alaa, made history by winning the prestigious Palme d'Or!
Front page photo © Avantika Singh (MFA 2017)
Cannes 2020: A Very “Special” Edition
Held amidst the global health crisis, the three-day "Special Cannes 2020" event concluded last week. On the stage of the Grand Théâtre Lumière, participants witnessed the awarding of the Palme d'Or for Short Film. This year, the jury, composed of Damien Bonnard, Rachid Bouchareb, Claire Burger, Charles Gillibert, Dea Kulumbegashvili, and Céline Sallette, unanimously awarded the prize to I Am Afraid To Forget Your Face by Egyptian director Sameh Alaa.
Sameh Alaa, Palme d’or for Short Film at the "Special Cannes 2020" Festival – Photos: Avantika Singh
The film follows the tortuous journey of a young man as he seeks to reunite with the woman he loves after months of separation. Before being selected for the 73rd Cannes Film Festival, the short film had already won Best Director and Best Film at the Zawya Short Film Festival (Egypt) and was featured at the 2019 Toronto International Film Festival.
Sameh Alaa: From EICAR to the Steps of Cannes
I Am Afraid To Forget Your Face is based on a screenplay by Mohamed Fawzy and produced by Mark Lotfy and Mohamed Taymour. It is Sameh Alaa's second short film. His first was created as his final project at EICAR. Graduating from the Master of Fine Arts in Filmmaking in 2015, Sameh Alaa’s film Le Steak de Tante Margaux won Best Cinematography and Best Actor at EICAR’s screening event at the Cinémathèque française. Following his graduation, Sameh Alaa continued to showcase this short film at various festivals.
The Egyptian director thus becomes the second former EICAR student to receive an award at the Cannes Film Festival. In 2013, Italian director Adriano Valerio, a graduate of the Bachelor of Fine Arts in Filmmaking program, received a Special Mention for his short film 37°4S.