Hijra Wins Best Feature at HACC 2026
The Saudi-Iraqi film directed by Shahad Ameen took top honors at the Hollywood African Cinema Connection festival in Cape Town.
Updated on Nov. 6, 2026 in Urban
Saudi-Iraqi feature film Hijra won Best Feature Film at the 2026 Hollywood African Cinema Connection festival held in Cape Town. The festival also awarded Best Short Film to In Her Shoes, Best Documentary to Paikar, and the Weaam Williams Founder Award to Okuruwo: Tale of the Holy Fire.
Why it matters
The win recognizes a regional film for its storytelling, cinematic craft, performances and use of landscape at an international African cinema festival. It also signals continued interest in bringing films from across the continent and the Middle East to wider audiences.
The festival selected four winners and two honourable mentions across its feature, short, documentary and founder categories. No box office, viewership or budget figures for the winning films were included in the source material.
The players
Shahad Ameen
Shahad Ameen is the Saudi-Iraqi director of the feature film Hijra.
Hollywood African Cinema Connection
The Hollywood African Cinema Connection is a film festival that showcases African cinema and is held in Cape Town.
Weaam Williams
Weaam Williams is a film festival creative director and namesake of the festival's founder award.
Holocene Films
Holocene Films is the production company that financed the 2026 Hollywood African Cinema Connection festival.
The details
Hijra is a Saudi-Iraqi feature directed by Shahad Ameen, and Creative Director Weaam Williams first saw it at the Red Sea Festival. The festival opened with Mohamed Al-Daradji's Irkalla: Gilgamesh's Dream and was financed by Holocene Films.
Timeline
November 6, 2026: Article reporting Hijra's HACC 2026 win is published.
Seasonal Patterns
The Hollywood African Cinema Connection festival in Cape Town serves as an annual platform for African and regional films, and this year's awards extend that role. Its 2026 slate, which included films from Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Nigeria, Namibia, and co-productions with the Netherlands, Afghanistan and Iran, reflects the festival's broad geographic reach.
HACC says it will explore bringing Hijra to local cinemas across South Africa and the continent, though no dates or venues have been announced. Viewers outside festival screenings will need to watch for future release announcements to see the film.
The takeaway
Festival wins can open paths to wider distribution for films that might otherwise stay on the circuit. Readers interested in Hijra or other winners should watch for announced local screenings in South Africa and beyond.
Further reading
Explore more Urban film coverage to see how regional and international films are reaching festival audiences.
