DUBAI: Slovak filmmaker Peter Kerekes’ “107 Mothers” won the Arab Critics’ Award for European Films at the Cairo Film Festival on Wednesday. A total of 71 film critics from 15 Arab countries selected the best European film from 26 films nominated by the member organizations of European Film Promotion. According to Variety, Kerekes accepted the award virtually, and said he was happy to have been nominated. “My grandmother always told me: ‘Peter, you have to be in good company.’ When I saw our film’s title in the selection among such beautiful and powerful films, I knew that I had fulfilled the dream of my grandmother. To receive the award was a big surprise and a big honor for me.” Ola Al-Sheikh, manager of the award, said: “This year’s jury saw 26 European films that left us in total confusion because of their good quality and the closeness in the numbers of the votes. In the end, the award went to the remarkable film ‘107 Mothers.’ “ Based on a true story, the film follows Ukrainian woman Lesya, who has just had her first child and been sentenced to seven years in prison for the murder of her husband in a country where inmates are allowed to serve their sentence with their children until the infant reaches three years of age.