A short Emirati film, which won awards at the Abu Dhabi Film Festival last year, has been nominated in the Best Narrative Shorts category at the Tribeca Film Festival in New York. ‘Murk Light’ a 20-minute film directed by Iraqi filmmaker Yasir Al Yasiri, tells the story of two Emirati friends who set out on a journey of self discovery.
Al Yasiri’s film, his first, is among 60 films being shortlisted from more than 6,000 entries around the world. If he wins the Tribeca award, he will qualify for consideration in the Short Film category of the Oscar awards next year. The film is produced by Abu Dhabi’s twofour54 creative lab.
“To be recognised by such a renowned festival is an honour for me and for the film’s many talented contributors from the UAE film industry. I am very much looking forward to attending the festival, see how New Yorkers will resonate to my story, and network with other filmmakers and distributors. It really does feel like a dream come true,” said the director in a release.
The Tribeca Film Festival will run from April 17 to 28 in New York.
In other festival news, Dubai’s Gulf Film Festival (GFF) announced the formation of the Gulf Film Market to develop regional films and train young filmmakers.
A sister-festival of the Dubai International Film Festival, the GFF was set up to promote and celebrate films from the Gulf.
The film market will include mentoring aspiring filmmakers and workshops on screenwriting, among others, conducted by top names in the industry. Egyptian filmmaker Yousry Nasarallah, whose film ‘After the Battle’ was chosen for the 2012 Cannes Palme D’Or competition; and award-winning Emirati author and screenwriter Mohammad Hassan Ahmad, who wrote the 2011 UAE drama ‘Sea Shadow’, have been roped in, organisers said.
Funding options for regional filmmakers will also be available. The GFF will open on April 11. Go to gulffilmfest.com
