We’re beaming with pride this morning because Egyptian indie film Yomeddine premieres today at the 71st Cannes Film Festival. Yomeddine will compete in the prestigious event for the Palme d’Or — the highest prize awarded at the annual festival. Directed by first-time Egyptian-Austrian filmmaker Abu Bakr Shawky, Yomeddine follows the story of a leper who leaves a leper colony in hopes of finding his family, who had left him there as a child with unfulfilled promises to return. Yomeddine is meant to “tell the story of the underdog, the outsider, the labeled ‘nobody’ who grows to understand the workings of a world that refuses to accept him,” Shawky said of his work (pdf). You can catch the trailer here (watch, runtime: 5:04).

PSA- Bad weather ahead: Hot dusty winds could turn into a sandstorm on Thursday, the national weather service warns. Cairo, Sinai, and Upper Egypt will see the worst of it. Look for a high of 39°C in the capital city tomorrow — and for temps to drop as much as 7°C on Friday.

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