Yomeddine

Beshay, a man cured of leprosy, has never left the leper colony in the Egyptian desert where he has lived since childhood. Following the death of his wife, he finally decides to go in search of his roots. With his meager possessions strapped to a donkey cart, he sets out. Quickly joined by Obama, the Nubian orphan he has taken under his wing, Beshay will cross Egypt and confront the world with all its sorrows, hardships and moments of grace in his quest for a family, a place to belong, a little humanity.

Cannes Film Festival 2018
Winner ~ François Chalais Award , A.B. Shawky
Nominee ~ Golden Camera, A.B. Shawky
Nominee ~ Palme d'Or, A.B. Shawky

Palm Springs International Film Festival 2019
Nominee ~ FIPRESCI Prize, Best Foreign Language Film, A.B. Shawky

“A misty, feel-good Egyptian road movie”
“Bright, cheerful, inevitably moving”
– The New York Times Manohla Dargis

“Playful and poignant”
“The front-runner for feel-good movie of the festival”
– RogerEbert.com

“Life-affirming”
“Unique crowd-pleaser”
– Film Forward

“A beautiful… heart-soaring story”
“A true story, the one that we need to be reminded of
every now and then”
– Screen Anarchy

“Heartwarming, tender, touching”
“One of the more remarkable characters in recent cinema”
- IndieWire

“Moving” “A tender first feature”
“Stirring authenticity” “Affecting”
- Los Angeles Times

“Affecting ode to friendship among outcasts”
“Humanist filmmaking through and through”
- AV Club

“Glows in the desert sun”
“It’s the weathered Gamal who walks away with the movie, his insouciance and soulfulness immediately registering as beauty” “Empathetic”
- The New York Times - Teo Bugbee