On Monday, the Syndicate of Cinematic Professions in Egypt nominated the film “Foy!” Foy! Foy!” Directed by Omar Hilal, it will compete for the Best International Film Oscar at the 96th Academy Awards.
The film stars Mohamed Farrag, Nelly Karim, Bayoumi Fouad, Taha El-Desouki, Amjad El-Haggar, Basant Shawqi, Haggag Abdel-Azim, Hanan Youssef, and Lubna Wans. It began showing in cinemas last week.
The union said in a statement, “The film received a majority of the votes of the committee selecting the film nominated to represent Egypt at the Oscars, which was formed by a group of independent filmmakers and critics.”
The committee members voted on a short list that included five films: “Wash Fi Wash” directed by Walid Al-Halafawi, “19 B” directed by Ahmed Abdullah Al-Sayed, “The Ruby House” directed by Peter Mimi, and “The Green Door” directed by Raouf Abdel Aziz, in addition to the nominated film.
Last year, Egypt refrained from nominating any film for the competition dedicated to films produced outside the United States and in non-English languages.
The American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is expected to announce the preliminary list of films competing for the award in December, before announcing the short list in January.
The Oscars ceremony will be held on March 10, 2024, in Los Angeles, USA.
