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THE DEVIL AND THE BICYCLE wins top award at 8th El Gouna Film Festival
25 October 2025
Lebanese film THE DEVIL AND THE BICYCLE by Sharon Hakim won a Golden Star for Best Arab Short Film at this year’s El Gouna Film Festival, running from October 16th to the 24th.
The film is notably fresh off of winning awards at both the Clermont-Ferrand and CONCORTO Film Festival.
Set against the backdrop of Lebanon, THE DEVIL AND THE BICYCLE follows 13-year-old Yasma, a Lebanese girl from an interfaith marriage, preparing for the ritual of her First Communion. However, as her sensuality awakens, an entirely different kind of ritual begins — one that transcends the bounds of religion and culture.
It is an adaptation of a short story written by Tamara Saade in 2020. It fictionally recounts an intimate childhood experience related to the discovery of her body as a young girl in a Christian village in Lebanon. This story explores a dual initiation: into the rites of the Maronite Catholic religion and into sensual pleasure.
Tamara and Sharon, longtime collaborators since meeting on Sharon’s first film, THE GREAT NIGHT in 2019, worked closely to translate the short story into a cinematic narrative. Together, they selected moments from the original text and crafted new scenes tailored to the language of film. Tamara also voices the adult Yasma in the film’s voiceover, offering a reflective and omniscient perspective that deepens the emotional experience of the story.
The film has already captivated audiences during its extensive run at prestigious international film festivals, including BFI London, Les Nuits Med (Special Mention), Côté Court Pantin, the aforementioned CONCORTO Young Jury Award 2025), as well as the Namur Francophone Festival, and Cinemed.
It is directed by Sharon Hakim, who co-wrote it with Tamara Saade, with Astrig Chandèze-Avakian as the producer in co-production with Christelle Younes. The cast includes Mélissa Succar, Christine Choueiri, Roger Azar, Maria Hektor, and Tatiana Succar.
With MAD World handling international sales and MAD Distribution in charge of distribution across the Arab World, THE DEVIL AND THE BICYCLE features cinematography by Laetitia de Montalember, editing by Clémence Samson, sound design by Rawad Hobeika, Benoît Gargonne, and Lionel Guenoun and music by Marc Codsi and Aghiad Ghanem.
Sharon Hakim is a writer and director who studied in Paris and New York. Her first short film, THE GREAT NIGHT, was selected at Clermont-Ferrand and Cinemed and won multiple awards. In 2024, she directed both NOSTALGIA FOR THE DODOS, pre-acquired by Canal+, and THE DEVIL AND THE BICYCLE. She is currently developing her debut feature, Mermaid Avenue, produced by Les Films du Tambour.
The film is notably fresh off of winning awards at both the Clermont-Ferrand and CONCORTO Film Festival.
Set against the backdrop of Lebanon, THE DEVIL AND THE BICYCLE follows 13-year-old Yasma, a Lebanese girl from an interfaith marriage, preparing for the ritual of her First Communion. However, as her sensuality awakens, an entirely different kind of ritual begins — one that transcends the bounds of religion and culture.
It is an adaptation of a short story written by Tamara Saade in 2020. It fictionally recounts an intimate childhood experience related to the discovery of her body as a young girl in a Christian village in Lebanon. This story explores a dual initiation: into the rites of the Maronite Catholic religion and into sensual pleasure.
Tamara and Sharon, longtime collaborators since meeting on Sharon’s first film, THE GREAT NIGHT in 2019, worked closely to translate the short story into a cinematic narrative. Together, they selected moments from the original text and crafted new scenes tailored to the language of film. Tamara also voices the adult Yasma in the film’s voiceover, offering a reflective and omniscient perspective that deepens the emotional experience of the story.
The film has already captivated audiences during its extensive run at prestigious international film festivals, including BFI London, Les Nuits Med (Special Mention), Côté Court Pantin, the aforementioned CONCORTO Young Jury Award 2025), as well as the Namur Francophone Festival, and Cinemed.
It is directed by Sharon Hakim, who co-wrote it with Tamara Saade, with Astrig Chandèze-Avakian as the producer in co-production with Christelle Younes. The cast includes Mélissa Succar, Christine Choueiri, Roger Azar, Maria Hektor, and Tatiana Succar.
With MAD World handling international sales and MAD Distribution in charge of distribution across the Arab World, THE DEVIL AND THE BICYCLE features cinematography by Laetitia de Montalember, editing by Clémence Samson, sound design by Rawad Hobeika, Benoît Gargonne, and Lionel Guenoun and music by Marc Codsi and Aghiad Ghanem.
Sharon Hakim is a writer and director who studied in Paris and New York. Her first short film, THE GREAT NIGHT, was selected at Clermont-Ferrand and Cinemed and won multiple awards. In 2024, she directed both NOSTALGIA FOR THE DODOS, pre-acquired by Canal+, and THE DEVIL AND THE BICYCLE. She is currently developing her debut feature, Mermaid Avenue, produced by Les Films du Tambour.
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