Ramallah - Nisaa FM - 

It has been a great week for Arab film stars around the world. There were Golden Globe nominations which were promptly followed by BAFTA nominations among stars of Arab descent. The latest to be shortlisted for the 93rd Academy Award's are films directed by two Arab women. Tunisian director Kaouther Ben Hania’s film The Man Who Sold His Skin and The Present, a short film directed by Palestinian-British filmmaker Farah Nablusi have both made the shortlist and have the chance to scoop an Academy Award. The ceremony will be held in April.

The Present has been shortlisted in the Live Action Short category, where it will be up against Bittu directed by Karishma Dev Dubi, Da Yie, Feeling Through, directed by Doug Rolland and Pedro Almodovar’s The Human Voice, among others.

Elsewhere, Ben Hania’s critically-acclaimed feature, The Man Who Sold His Skin, has been shortlisted for the International Feature Film award. The film is shortlisted among 14 other films including The Mole Agent, directed by Chilean Maite Alberdi, Charlatan, a Czech biographical drama directed by Agnieszka Holland and Danish director Thomas Vinterberg’s Another Round.

The Man Who Sold His Skin tells the story of a Syrian refugee who allows his body to e turned into a work of art. Starring Yahya Mahayni, the film is a look at the struggle refugees face with borders and residency permits. The film, which is inspired by the Swiss national who was tattooed by artist Wim Delvoye, has already won Mahayni the Orizzonti Award for Best Actor at Venice Film Festival.

The Present is a short film, based in the West Bank and tells the story of Yusuf and his daughter, who set out to buy gifts for his wife.

While the shortlist have been drawn, the official nominations will be announced on March 15 and the Oscar’s ceremony will take place on April 25.