Balsan also came to be known as a champion of Arab cinema . He produced Elia Suleiman 's '' Divine Intervention '' ( 2003 ) , which in 2002 became the first Palestinian film to play at the Cannes Film Festival . It was nominated for the Palme d'Or and eventually won the Grand Jury Prize . The producer returned to Cannes in 2004 with Youssef Chahine 's '' Alexandria ... New York '' ( 2004 ) , his ninth film with the Egyptian director since 1985 's '' Adieu , Bonaparte '' . Balsan also presented '' The Gate of Sun '' ( 2004 ) , his second film with Yousry Nasrallah , who adapted the Elias Khoury novel . The 4-hour epic screened in the Official Selection and depicted the history of Palestine from 1943 to the present . Later that year , Balsan 's production '' Le Grand Voyage '' ( 2004 ) won its director , Moroccan émigré Ismaël Ferroukhi , a best first feature prize at the 2004 Venice Film Festival
Cannes Film Festival
2002 Cannes Film Festival
Humbert Balsan