<p><strong>Photo Credit:&nbsp;</strong>Hollywood Arab Film Festival's official page</p>
<p>At the heart of &nbsp;Los Angeles, the Hollywood Arab Film Festival (HAFF) &nbsp;celebrated its fourth edition this April, coinciding with Arab American Heritage Month. The festival offers a vibrant platform for Arab and North African filmmakers &nbsp;to share their stories, confront industry challenges, and connect with global cinema professionals.</p>
<p>This year, Egyptian cinema stole the spotlight with major wins and emotional moments that left audiences and juries in awe.</p>
<p><strong>Ahmed Helmy: Lifetime Achievement Honor</strong></p>
<p>This year, the festival honored notable Egyptian celebrities and films. The opening ceremony featured the HAFF Life Achievement Award, which was given to the Egyptian actor Ahmed Helmy. In his acceptance speech, he expressed his gratitude and happiness, stating, &ldquo;If I talk about honoring, &nbsp;this is the greatest. By God, &nbsp;to be honored in a country so far from &nbsp;your own work&mdash;it means the world.&rdquo;&nbsp; &nbsp;He concluded his speech by wishing the festival success, saying, &ldquo;I hope HAFF reaches and even surpasses its 100th edition. I&rsquo;m proud of all the work being done here. Proud to be an Egyptian honored in America.&rdquo;</p>
<p><strong>Essam Omar: Best Actor for &ldquo;El Bahs An Manfaz Le Khorog Al Sayed Rambo&rdquo;</strong></p>
<p>Egyptian actor Essam Omar was awarded Best Actor for his powerful role in El Bahs An Manfaz Le Khorog Al Sayed Rambo (Seeking Heaven for Mr. Rambo). The film has already seen wide acclaim on the international festival circuit: having been selected for the Venice Film Festival in Italy and the Cinema Med Mediterranean Film Festival in Belgium, where it won the Jury Prize and the Grand Prix. It also received accolades at the 4th Red Sea Film Festival in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, winning the Jury Prize, and was victorious in the International Competition at the Duhok International Film Festival in Iraq as well as the Official Competition for Feature Films at the 35th Carthage Film Festival.</p>
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<p><strong>&ldquo;The Tale of Daye&rsquo;s Family&rdquo; Sweeps Four Awards</strong></p>
<p>Kareem El-Shenawy won the Best Director award, while screenwriter Haitham Dabbour received the Best Screenwriting award for his film &ldquo;Seret Ahl: Dayes&rdquo; (The Tale of Daye&rsquo;s Family). This film secured four awards at HAFF, including the Special Jury Award, which was presented to the brilliant Sudanese actress Islam Mubarak for her powerful performance.</p>
<p><strong>Best Short Film: &ldquo;Wishes for My Heart&rdquo;</strong></p>
<p>The 2025 HAFF Best Short Film Award went to &ldquo;Obalak ya Alby&rdquo; (Wishes for My Heart), directed by Sherien Diab from Egypt. This film also won the Best Short Film Award at the Malm&ouml; International Film Festival after being screened in the official competition.</p>
<p><strong>Honorable Mention: &ldquo;Dawn Everyday&rdquo;</strong></p>
<p>Additionally, the 2025 HAFF LA Voices Short Film Jury Award Honorable Mention was awarded to &ldquo;Dawn Every Day,&rdquo; directed by the Egyptian filmmaker Amir Youssef, which is based on a true story brought to life by rising young stars Cleopatra and Selim Moustafa.</p>
<p><strong>Mohamed Kareem Recognized by California State Senate</strong></p>
<p>At the closing ceremony, the Egyptian actor Mohamed Kareem received a certificate of recognition from Senator Sasha Ren&eacute;e P&eacute;rez on behalf of the California State Senate for his contributions as a prominent Egyptian Arab figure in the global entertainment industry. He expressed his gratitude on social media, stating, &ldquo;What an honor to receive such great recognition from the California State Senate! Thank you, Senator Sasha Ren&eacute;e P&eacute;rez, and the Hollywood Arab Film Festival for honoring me. I will always continue my efforts to build bridges in the entertainment industry between Hollywood and the Middle East and help emerging talents break through.&rdquo;</p>
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<p>This year&rsquo;s HAFF was more than an awards night&mdash;it was a celebration of culture, identity, and artistic triumph. With Egyptian filmmakers and actors making history, the message was clear: Arab cinema is thriving, global, and here to stay.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>

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