The Tunisian documentary “Four Daughters” wins the Munich Film Festival

The heartbreaking Tunisian documentary by Kaouther Ben Hania Four daughters won the first prize for best international film at the Munich International Film Festival 2023.

The film tells the story of Olfa Hamrouni, a Tunisian mother whose two eldest daughters left the country to join the Islamic State in Libya, never to be seen again. In his exploration of the history of Hamrouni, Ben Hania hires two actors to play Olfa’s missing daughters. The docu-drama hybrid premiered at Cannes, where it won the Golden Eye for Best Documentary (shared with Asmae El Moudir of The mother of all lies).

Another hybrid feature from Cannes, Buriti’s flower, won the CineVision Award of Monaco as Best International New Director for directors João Salaviza and Renée Nader Messora. The film, made in close collaboration with the Krahô people of Brazil, is a fusion of ethnography and poetic narrative, exploring the tribal memories of the group.

OmenBelgian-Congolese rapper-turned-director Baloji’s debut feature, another Cannes nominee, won Monaco’s CineRebels Award, with Agniia Galdanova’s documentary Queenabout the Russian avant-garde artist Marvin, deserves a special mention.

The Fipresci International Film Critics Award went to Henning Beckhoff Fossila German drama about an elderly coal miner and his conservationist daughter.

The Festival Audience Award, voted for by around 58,000 Munich festival visitors, went to Aki Kaurismäki Fallen leaves. The Finnish master’s first film in six years also premiered at Cannes, where it won the festival’s jury prize.