As the 79th Cannes Film Festival approaches, the red carpet will once again open onto something bigger than glamour: memory, resistance, craft, and the long arc of cinema history. With four MENA titles landing in this year’s official competition, the moment feels less like a surprise and more like a continuation of a story the region has been writing for decades. Long before the current spotlight, filmmakers from across North Africa and the Middle East were arriving on Boulevard de la Croisette with films that challenged power, captured intimacy, and expanded what world cinema could look like.
Before the festival kicks off, we’re looking back at the MENA films that left Cannes carrying trophies, proving the region has never been waiting for a seat at the table; it has been building its own legacy there all along.
MENA Films That Won at Cannes
Chronicle of the Years of Fire (1975) — Algeria
Palme d’Or
The Winds of the Aures (1967) — Algeria
Best First Work
Out of Life (1991) — Lebanon
Jury Prize
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Waves ’98 (2015) — Lebanon
Short Film Palme d’Or
Capernaum (2018) — Lebanon
Jury Prize
The Blue Caftan (2022) — Morocco
FIPRESCI Prize
The Mother of All Lies (2023) — Morocco
Best Director & Golden Eye
Hounds (2023) — Morocco
Jury Prize
Goodbye Julia (2023) — Sudan
Freedom Prize
I Am Afraid to Forget Your Face (2020) — Egypt
Short Film Palme d’Or
Four Daughters (2023) — Tunisia
Golden Eye
I Promise You Paradise (2023) — Egypt
Best Short
The President’s Cake (2025) — Iraq
Golden Camera
Boy From Heaven (2022) — Egypt
Best Screenplay
It Was Just an Accident (2025) — Iran
Palme d’Or
Omar (2013) — Palestine
Special Jury Prize
Harka (2022) — Tunisia
Best Performance
I’m Glad You’re Dead Now (2025) — Palestine
Short Film Palme d’Or
Once Upon a Time in Gaza (2025) — Palestine
Best Director
