Hend Sabry's 'Four Daughters' Shortlisted for Oscars

Tunisian hybrid documentary ‘Four Daughters’, starring Egyptian-Tunisian superstar Hend Sabry, has been shortlisted for the Academy Awards' Best Documentary and Best International Feature categories.

Directed by Oscar-nominated filmmaker Kaouther Ben Hania, ‘Four Daughters’ seamlessly weaves documentary with fiction, following the story of a Tunisian mother, Olfa Hamrouni (Hend Sabry), whose two daughters disappear and allegedly join the terrorist group ISIS. The docu-fiction sees Ben Hania challenging documentaries as a medium, as she delves deep into the mother’s traumatic experience, and addresses feelings of loss and grief.

This year, ‘Four Daughters’ also scored three awards at the 76th edition of the Cannes Film Festival, including the Positive Cinema Award, which recognises films that inspire hope, resilience and social change. Additionally, the film received an honourable mention at the François Chalais Prize and shared the festival’s prestigious L’Oeil d’Or Award for Best Documentary with the Moroccan film, ‘The Mother of All Lies’. Additionally, it also scooped up the Best Documentary Film Award at the Gotham International Film Festival in New York.