4th Gulf Film Festival concludes with award ceremony highlighting best filmmakers from around the region, world

The fourth edition of the Gulf Film Festival, the home of bold, experimental and contemporary cinema from the Arabian peninsula, concluded today at a glittering closing ceremony where the best filmmakers from the region and around the world picked up more than half a million dirhams in prizes and prestigious awards. 

His Excellency Mohammed Al Murr, Vice Chairman of the Dubai Culture & Arts Authority (Dubai Culture), presented trophies and cash prizes to the winners of the Gulf Competition for film professionals and students, and the Festival’s inaugural International Competition for short films. The Gulf Film Festival is held under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Majid Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Chairman of the Dubai Culture & Arts Authority. 

At the closing ceremony at the InterContinental Dubai Festival City, the festival also presented its 2011 Lifetime Achievement honours to Emirati actress Mariam Sultan, Saudi director/producer Mohammad F. Al Gazzaz, Kuwaiti producer/director Mohammad Al-Sanousi for their contribution to Arab cinema, and the Special Recognition Award to Kuwaiti thespian Mohammed Almunai. 

GFF also honoured world-renowned director Abbas Kiarostami, who held his first master-class in the region in Dubai for 45 filmmakers, as well as avant-garde French filmmaker Gerard Courant, whose films were screened in the festival’s In Focus segment. 

In addition to the winners in the in-competition segments at the festival, the New York Film Academy Abu Dhabi presented two special awards to outstanding GFF filmmakers at the closing ceremony. The prize is a four-week educational scholarship for an acting or film-making course at the Academy.

The winners at GFF 2011 are: 

The New York Film Academy Abu Dhabi Awards:

Hamad Saghran from UAE

Sarmad Al-Zoubidy from Oman 

International Competition – Shorts

Special Mention: PARIGOT by Alex Digoix, Alexandre Wolfromm, Geoffrey Lerus, Loic Bramoulle, Mehdi Alavi - France

Third Prize: VA DIGAR HICH… (AND NOTHING ELSE…) by Roqiye Tavakoli - Iran

Second Prize: EL ORDEN DELAS COSAS (THE ORDER OF THINGS) by César Eteban Alenda, José Esteban Alenda - Spain

First Prize: CASUS BELLI by Yorgos Zois - Greece 

Gulf Competition Students – Shorts

Special Mention: DEMI-PLIE by Faisal Al Thani - Qatar

Third Prize: AKHIR DECEMBER (END OF DECEMBER) by Hamad Al Hammadi - UAE

Second Prize: HADITH (ACCIDENT) by Sarmad Al-Zoubidy - Oman

Special Jury Prize: QABLA AL GHOROUB (BEFORE SUNSET) by Issa Al-Subhi - Oman

First Prize: NOURA by Abdulrahman Al Salman – Kuwait 

Gulf Competition Students – Documentary

Third Prize: SHO’UB WA QABA’EL (NATIONS AND TRIBES) by Maysoon Al Ali - UAE

Second Prize: GHANNI OGHNIATAK (SING YOUR SONG) by Omar Falah - Iraq

First Prize: FAHAM WA RAMAD (CHARCOAL AND ASHES) by Hussein Mohsen – Iraq 

Official Gulf Competition – Shorts

Special Mention: BAHARAT (SPICES)By Amer Alrawas - Oman

Special Mention: SLOW DEATH by Jamal Salim - UAE

Special Mention: Actress Haya Abdulsalam For MAY AL JANNAH (HEAVEN’S WATER) - Kuwait

Special Mention: Ali Mohammed Jassim for editing SEMI-ILLUMINATED - Iraq

Special Mention: Waleed Al Shehhi For the cinematography of REEH (WIND) - UAE

Script Prize: SABEEL by Mohammed Hassan Ahmed - UAE

Third Prize: THE POWER OF GENERATIONS by Mohammed Jassim - Bahrain

Second Prize: FRAME by Luay Fadhil - Iraq

Special Jury Prize: ALWAN (COLORS) by Akeel Hameed - Iraq

First Prize: SABEEL by Khalid Al Mahmood - UAE 

Official Gulf Competition – Documentary

Third Prize: WAD’AN BABEL (GOODBYE BABYLON) by Amer Alwan - Iraq

Second Prize: COLA by Yahya Hassan Al-Allaq - Iraq

Special Jury Prize: AL ANFAL – FRAGMENTS OF LIFE AND DEATH by Mano Khalil - Iraq, Switzerland

First Prize: HAMAMA by Nujoom Alghanem - UAE 

Official Gulf Competition – Feature

Second Prize: GARAQI DAHOLAKAN (THE QUARTER OF SCARECROWS) by Hassan Ali Mahmood - Iraq

First Prize: AL RAHEEL MIN BAGHDAD (LEAVING BAGHDAD) by Koutaiba Al-Janabi Iraq, UK, UAE 

In all 153 films from 31 countries were screened at GFF 2011, with screenings marked by strong audience turnout. All shows were open and free for the public. There were over 114 films from the Arabian peninsula including 45 from the UAE and a strong representation from the GCC region and Iraq. 

In addition to the Abbas Kiarostami master-class, GFF 2011 also organised free student workshops led by film industry experts and by New York Film Academy Abu Dhabi, which featured sessions by leading director Nadia Fares and cinematographer Savas Alatis.   

The Festival also honoured its twin juries at the closing ceremony: The Gulf Competition jury comprised veteran Egyptian filmmaker Magdy Ahmed Aly, with Emirati poet and author Ahmed Rashed Thani, and Iraqi filmmaker Kais Al-Zubaidi; and the international and student competition jury comprised Montserrat Guiu Valls, Managing Director of the Festival de Cine de Huesca, Bahraini filmmaker Bassam Al-Thawadi and Lebanese film critic Hauvick Habechian as members. 

GFF 2011 was held at the InterContinental Hotel, Crowne Plaza and Grand Festival Cinemas at Dubai Festival City. It is supported by Dubai Culture & Arts Authority and is held in association with Dubai Studio City.