Festival to draw attention to local talent

Vying for the top honours in the Gulf Competition at the Gulf Film Festival for short and documentary, these Emirati films accentuate the new wave of cinematic talent in the UAE.

A total of 44 UAE films are included in this year’s Festival, with 21 competing in the Gulf Competition and 13 in the Student Competition.

An additional nine Emirati films will be screened as part of the out-of-competition Intersections and Lights segments. Held under the patronage of His Highness Shaikh Majid Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Chairman of the Dubai Culture & Arts Authority (Dubai Culture), the festival is the home of bold, experimental and contemporary cinema from the Arabian Peninsula and a showcase of diverse world cinema.

The films are included in the more than 150 films that will screen for free to the public from April 14 to 20 at the Grand Cinemas, Dubai Festival City.

Five films from the UAE by Emirati students or students based in the country are making their World Premiere at GFF. Emirati, Mohammed Ghanim Al Marri’s Al Seefah is a fictional drama that conveys the problems that many UAE nationals face, as explored through the eyes of an old fisherman.

An Egyptian student and filmmaker based in the UAE, Karim Mansoor portrays the tale of a teenager in the eponymous film, Magda.

She arrives in Dubai with her father, and discovers that she is very different from everyone around her. The short charts her attempts to fit in with the crowd. Emirati 2D animator and music composer Mohammad Fikree brings an action, adventure, animation with Mad Camel which depicts the story of Omar, his father and uncle, who are attacked by an infected mad camel while on a desert trip.

Emirati short 11pm by director Khalid Al Abdulla, is a horror thriller about a man who works on a night shift in a company but should be out of the building by 11 pm. But danger is waiting; a killer is lurking in the darkness.

Saeed Salem Almas directs Undergone, a short film about a youngster’s journey to self-discovery. The protagonist realises that he is the author of his own misfortunes, and sometimes we only need simple things to make a transformational life-shift. Also, in the short competition is Emirati student-director Hamad Al Hammadi’s End of December.

Competing in the Gulf Competition for Short films is Hassan Kiyany’s Telephoni which tells the story of a nine-year-old boy who discovers a secret through the first test shots taken on his new iPhone.

Hana Al Zarooni and Tarek Ghattas bring Ghafet Osha, the story of a young girl who sacrifices her life to bring water for her dying sister in the desert of the UAE.

Director Jamal Salim’s Slow Death, starring Mansoor Al Feeli and Abdulla Al Jafali, is a gritty tale on a grave digger forced to retire after 30 years of service but insists that he wants to live in the UAE, which he feels is his country. Saleh Karama, one of the original theatre producers and novelist, directs Gloves, a film that conveys the sentiment – ‘when you can’t take it any more let the glove do the talking.’

Ahmed Al Naqbi directs Choices, about a man who returns from work and suspects his wife is having an affair; while Ali Al Jabri reminds us that the calendar has an important role to play in our lives with his short Roznameh (Calendar).

Bringing a touch of music to the festival showcase is Arabic Fusion by Cyril Eberle, a French-German director based in the UAE.

The documentary showcases the scope of modern Arabic music ranging from traditional, acoustic sounds to contemporary interpretations of Arabic Fusion.

The Festival also offers a second opportunity for audiences to watch popular Emirati films that debuted at the seventh Dubai International Film Festival. Abdulla Al-Kaabi’s critically acclaimed short film The Philosopher, Khalid Mahmood’s Sabeel, Koutaiba Al Janabi’s Leaving Baghdad, Nujoom Alghanem’s Hamama, Saud Merwesh’s Soweer, and Ahmed Zain’s Etma (Darkness), are among the in-competition

films. Also showcasing is Talal Mahmood Al Husani’s Abeer, the emotional and dramatic story of a simple girl, while Rasa’el Ela Falasteen (Letters to Palestine) by Rashid Al Marri depicts the voices of Arabs sending their oral letters to the Palestinian people.

Hayat Min Sakhar (Life of Stone) by Moath Bin Hafez is the story of an old man collecting mountain rocks since he was a child.

Masoud Amralla Al Ali, Festival Director, said: “The fourth edition of the Gulf Film Festival has one of the largest-ever showcases of Emirati films and films made in the UAE, highlighting the strides our filmmakers have made in creating a vibrant home-grown film industry.”The Gulf Film Festival includes Gulf student and international shorts competitions, as well as out-of-competition segments, a children’s cinema segment, a focus on experimental filmmaker Gerard Courant, a master class by renowned director Abbas Kiarostami and a series of workshops and discussions. All Gulf Film Festival films are free and open to the public.

The fourth edition of the Gulf Film Festival will be held at the InterContinental Hotel, Crowne Plaza and Grand Cinemas at Dubai Festival City.

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