Peter Takla’s film “40 Days” won the Best Actress Award at the Authentic Global Film Festival awards ceremony in California.
The festival, known for its jury of Oscar and Grammy Award-winning artists and creatives, submitted “40 days” to compete against larger-scale American commercial films. However, due to its global theme, the film won one of the awards.
“40 Days” highlights the dangers of illegal immigration and is inspired by a true story written and performed by Mira Victor. It revolves around a couple who embark on a perilous escape journey, crossing the borders of seven different countries while the wife is pregnant. Their escape turns tragic, inspired by a real-life incident in 2023 involving migrants from Upper Egypt attempting to enter America via the same route.
The film is directed by Peter Takla, produced by Wael Nazmy, Laila Pence, and Media Avenue. Starring Hossam Dagher and Mira Victor, alongside Avram Awad and Aman Dahlewal, the film featured a special appearance by Theresa El Sisi, who appeared as herself in the film. Actors from Egypt, India, Pakistan, Armenia, and Japan also participated.
Only for Egypt !
Victor, who received the award last night, said as she went up to accept it: “This honor is for Egypt because we made the entire film for the love of Egypt.”
She added: “I am very proud that the film 40 Days participated strongly among the biggest American and international films at a major film festival in Hollywood like the Authentic Global Film Festival.
The entire “40 Days” team was present at the ceremony and met with directors and filmmakers of various nationalities. They said the film resonated with them because its story represents them as immigrants, or the children or grandchildren of immigrants. Thank God, the film achieved great success, especially among Americans and other nationalities. This alone was a huge surprise to me, especially given its participation in the festival, which is a great gain for us as Egyptians and Arabs. I know that awards are not a measure of success, but I believed that prayer could move mountains. The encouragement, prayers, and encouragement of those around me were the reason we won an award.
