Flight 404, a box office hit in Egypt and Saudi Arabia, is produced by Film Clinic and Lagoonie Film Production, in collaboration with Pictures Entertainment Group and Hi Media Production.
Egypt has chosen the female empowerment thriller Flight 404, featuring Mona Zaki, as its official entry for the Best International Feature Film category at the 2025 Academy Awards.
The announcement was made by Egypt’s National Committee for the Oscars, a panel of experienced filmmakers, critics and industry experts tasked with selecting the country’s submission for the award.
Last year, Egypt nominated Voy Voy Voy!, starring Mohamed Farag, as its Oscar entry in the same category.
Flight 404 is currently available for streaming on the Arabic platform Shahid.
The film, written by Mohamed Rajaa and directed by Hani Khalifa, has garnered significant attention since its theatrical release in January 2024. According to its IMDb page, Flight 404 has grossed over half a million dollars at the box office in just five months.
Flight 404 features Zaki as Ghada, an Egyptian woman preparing to board a flight for the Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca in Saudi Arabia, aiming to atone for past misdeeds. However, an emergency requiring a large sum of cash forces Ghada to reconnect with shady figures from her past.
The film boasts an A-list cast, including Mohamed Farrag, Mohamed Mamdouh, Shereen Reda, Khaled al-Sawi, Mohamed Alaa and Hassan Al-Adl.
Misr International Films managed the theatrical distribution in Egypt, while Front Row Filmed Entertainment handled the distribution in the Gulf Cooperation Council countries, including Saudi Arabia and the UAE. Empire is responsible for releasing the film in Jordan, Syria, and Lebanon, while Ciné 7ème Art oversees distribution in Morocco and Tunisia.
Flight 404 is produced by Mohamed Hefzy and Shahinaz Al-Akkad through their companies Film Clinic and Lagoonie Film Production, in co-production with Saudi Arabia’s Pictures Entertainment Group and Hi Media Production.
The 97th Academy Awards will take place on March 3, 2025, at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles.
