The Emirati play “The Adventure of Mamluk Jaber” triumphed at the 19th International Free Theatre Nights Festival in Jordan, winning the Best Directing and Best Acting awards.

Ahmed Abdullah Rashid received the Samir Khawaldeh Gold Award for Best Director, while Abdullah Ali Al Khadim was honored with the Yasser Al Masri Gold Award for Best Actor. The awards were presented during the festival’s closing ceremony on Thursday evening, June 4, 2024, at the Royal Cultural Centre in Amman. The event was attended by Mohammed Al Abadi, head of the Jordanian Artists Syndicate, and members of the festival’s Higher Committee.

The jury, led by Sudanese artist Ali Mahdi, affirmed the merit of the Emirati play “The Adventure of Mamluk Jaber,” which was supported and sponsored by the Fujairah Culture and Media Authority. The play, based on “The Adventure of the Head of Mamlouk Jaber” written by the late Syrian writer Saadallah Wannous, secured the two awards due to the outstanding directing and acting. The play stood out in the youth track of the festival’s fifth edition, which featured seven competing theatrical performances.

The Palestinian play “Pedro and the Captain”, directed by Ihab Zahida, won the gold award for Best Integrated Work in the first international track. Zahida received the award for Best Direction.

The Iraqi play “Happy Life” won the silver award for Best Integrated Work and also received the Special Jury Prize, while the bronze award went to the Jordanian play “Hanai”.

In the international track, Haitham Momani and Marwan Al Missawi shared the Best Actor award for the Tunisian play “11.14”. The Best Actress award was shared by Suhair Fahd for her role in “Hanai” and Samah for her performance in the Kuwaiti play “Script and Dialogue”.

The jury awarded Dr. Fahad Al Muzn the Best Scenography Award for “Script and Dialogue” within the same track, which featured six competing plays.

The festival’s Higher Committee presented a special honorary shield to the Arab Theatre Authority in recognition of its support and significant cultural and artistic role in the cultural scene in the Arab world.