2025’s Variety International Vanguard Director Award Winner lauded for her fearless work
All That’s Left of You director Cherien Dabis was honored with the ‘Variety International Vanguard Director Award’ at the Red Sea International Film Festival (RSIFF) today.
The award celebrates visionaries who resonate across cultures and inspire new generations of filmmakers, marking the festival as a key platform for global cinematic voices alongside its regional focus.
All That’s Left of You is a powerful 2025 Palestinian historical drama written, produced and directed by Dabis that chronicles one family’s journey across three generations between 1948 and 2022, exploring the Nakba, displacement, and enduring hope through intimate family stories set against major Palestinian historical moments. The film is led by Saleh Bakri, Adam Bakri, Mohammad Bakri, Mohammad Abd Elrahman, Maria Zreik and Dabis herself.
Dabis is a trailblazing filmmaker and actress. She forged a new genre of Arab American storytelling with her critically acclaimed first feature Amreeka, which world premiered at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival and won the coveted FIPRESCI International Critics Prize at the Cannes Film Festival. It was nominated for a host of awards and named one of the Top Ten Independent Films of the Year by the National Board of Review. Dabis made her acting debut in her second feature, 2013 Sundance-opener May in the Summer, which had its international premiere at the Venice Film Festival.
She has directed standout episodes of Hulu’s Ramy and Netflix’s Ozark. In 2022, she became the first Palestinian Emmy nominee for her groundbreaking, dialogue-free episode of Hulu‘s Only Murders in the Building. Her acting credits include Netflix’s Mo, Amazon Prime’s Fallout and Tarek Saleh’s Eagles of the Republic, which was in competition at this year’s Cannes Film Festival.
For more about RSIFF 2025, visit www.redseafilmfest.com or download the RSIFF Mobile app on Apple App Store and Google Play.
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