‘Four Daughters’ wins inaugural Asharq Documentary Award

DUBAI: Kawthar Ben Haniyeh’s portrait of a Tunisian mother and her four daughters living in a society wracked by extremism has won the inaugural Asharq Documentary Award.

The awards are named after Saudi Research and Media Group’s Arabic free-to-air channel Asharq Documentary. The winning entry was announced during this year’s Red Sea International Film Festival at the Ritz Carlton Hotel in Jeddah.

“Four Daughters” uses interviews and reenactments to tell the story of Olfa Hamrouni and her daughters, the two eldest of whom were radicalized and went missing.

“This award marks the beginning of several initiatives we have planned to recognize and reward filmmaking talent, while supporting the regional film industry,” Mohammed Al-Yousei, general manager of Asharq Documentary, said.

“A defining aspect of Asharq Documentary is its dedicated, in-house production capabilities, offering exclusive access to regional documentary films for our audiences.”

The new channel aims to provide a platform for creators to showcase their stories and productions, the company said in a statement.

Seven other films were in the running for the award. They were: Iraq’s “Hiding Saddam Hussein,” “Iraq’s Invisible Beauty” and “The Dalkurd Story,” Morocco’s “The Mother of All Lies,” Libya’s “Donga,” the UK’s “Copa 71” and Ireland’s “In the Shadow of Beirut.”

Shivani Pandya Malhotra, managing director of the Red Sea International Film Festival, said the Asharq Documentary Award was an important addition to the festival as the two organizations were committed to supporting storytelling and filmmaking.

Asharq Documentary is available through its dedicated TV channel and social media accounts, as well as live streaming and on-demand services via Asharq NOW.