Doha, Qatar: The Doha Film Institute (DFI)-funded film, The Mother of All Lies, has achieved a significant milestone by making it to the shortlist for the 96th Academy Awards in the Best International Feature Film category.
This Moroccan film, directed, written, produced, and edited by Asmae El Moudir, joins 14 other films that will advance to the next round of voting.
The International Feature Film category, featuring entries from 88 countries and regions, reflects the global diversity and richness of cinema. DFI, in a statement on X, formerly Twitter, extended its heartfelt congratulations to the entire crew of The Mother of All Lies, with the hashtag #SupportArabCinema.
Among the distinguished films on the list are Amerikatsi from Armenia, The Monk and the Gun” from Bhutan, The Promised Land from Denmark, Fallen Leaves from Finland, The Taste of Things from France, The Teachers’ Lounge from Germany, Godland from Iceland, and Io Capitano from Italy.
Also featured are films from Japan (Perfect Days), Mexico (Totem), Spain (Society of the Snow), Tunisia (Four Daughters), Ukraine (20 Days in Mariupol), and the United Kingdom (The Zone of Interest).
The Mother of All Lies has already amassed an impressive record with nine wins and nine nominations.
This Arabic-language documentary film has garnered acclaim at various international film festivals, including prestigious awards such as Un Certain Regard - Best Director and Golden Eye at the Cannes Film Festival.
According to DFI, The Mother of All Lies follows the director as she goes to her parent’s house in Casablanca to help them move. In the family home, as she sorts out her childhood effects, she discovers a picture of children sitting in a yard.
“At the back, a little girl is sitting on a bench smiling shyly at the camera. It’s the only picture she has of her childhood, the only souvenir her mother can give her. But Asmae is convinced that she is not that little girl in the photo.
“In the hope of getting her parents to open up, she manipulates this small incident to bring back other memories she suspects. The photo becomes the starting point of investigation in which she questions every small lie her family has told her. Gradually the memories of the entire neighbourhood are explored.”
