By Rafa Sales Ross

The 12th edition of Final Cut in Venice, the industry program supporting films in post-production from Africa and Arab countries, concluded with an awards ceremony where Egyptian filmmaker Morad Mostafa's "Aisha Can't Fly Away" won the La Biennale di Venezia Prize for a film in post-production, worth €5,000 ($5,546).

Morad's feature film debut, which previously screened at the Doha Film Institute's Qumra Lab, tells the story of a Somali woman caring for her elderly parents in Cairo and witnessing the tensions between the city's different ethnic groups.

This year's jury consisted of Wayne Borg of Neom, Monica Ciarli of Minerva Pictures and former European Film Market director Dennis Ruh. In their statement, the jury called Mostafa's story "powerful and authentic" and added: "Despite being a debut feature, it showed confident direction and a clear cinematic voice. The film's raw realism, attention to detail and impactful story left a strong impression on us."