The third edition of the Gulf Film Festival, held under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Majid Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Chairman of the Dubai Culture & Arts Authority (Dubai Culture), will screen 13 compelling films directed by student filmmakers in the student competition segment for documentaries.
The selections have been cherry-picked from hundreds of entries by students from the Gulf and about life in the region. The first, second, and third place winners of the student competition will be awarded prizes worth AED 20,000, AED 15,000, and AED 10,000, respectively.
Masoud Amralla Al Ali, Festival Director, said: “Cinema is an extremely powerful medium of art that allows each filmmaker to portray life as they see it. The rich canvas of films submitted by students for Gulf Film Festival is a testament to how deeply they are connected to social realities and how they make strong interpretations for the cinematic medium. The films are a clear indication of the evolution of student talent in the region and one of the goals of the festival is to introduce their work to a wide spectrum of audience.”
He added: “From the plight of the youth of Iraq to the discovery of talent in the Middle East, the movies also depict the spirit of the Middle East in its truest essence.”
Upcoming student filmmakers from the UAE have submitted movies portraying an array of themes. Aisha AlSuwaidi’s Re-construction explores the growth in the popularity of plastic surgeries for both sex, emphasizing people’s opinions on the trend, the related side effects, and the consequences. The current status of the Arabic language and the young generation’s view points in a trial to find solutions is highlighted in Jumana Al Ghanem and Ahlam Albannai’s Am Arabi.
The hard work, perseverance, and the overlooked momentary joys of construction workers who have built the Middle East from the ground up is examined in Moath Bin Hafez’s Constructing Dreams. The mountainous region of Ras Al Khaimah and the culture it retains is explored in Sha’am: The Forgotten Village by Mohammed Ghanim Al Marri.
From Emiratis to Maseratis, Moaza Al Sharif’s Second Wife investigates the innate relationship between the Emirati men and their love for cars, while married and single Emiratis share their thoughts and opinions on the principle of expected dowry in The Dowry by Maitha Hamdan.
The story of the first-ever hip-hop crew of two brothers in the UAE, and their journey towards becoming renowned artists is charted in Shaikha Awad Al Ayali’s Heat The Beat 2. In Jin Hunters, by Latifa Al Karrani and Shamsa Ahmad, two girls embark on a journey to find themselves open doors to the world of djinns and finding themselves in a haunted house.
Iraqi filmmaker Hashim Al-Efari narrates the story of Iraqi youth surviving the period of transition when they were forced to work with the Americans as translators in Strangers in their Homeland, while the story of circumstantially challenged film students and the difficulties they face while trying to complete their work-in-progress movie in Baghdad is described in Ahmed Al Diwan’s Life Making.
Hassanain Al Hani’s Day in Traffic Man’s Life is a portrait of Riad, a traffic policeman and father of four, in the city of Karbala, Southern Iraq, and how he is dealing with the current crisis in Iraq while Na’eem the Barber illustrates the story of an unusual man who is an academician by morning and a barber by night, in a short film by Mohammed Naeem.
Pastel by Luay Fadhil takes us on a journey through an artist’s world portraying the unsightly scenes of reality on canvas. By using soft pastels, he finds that a rough neighbourhood transforms into a beautiful tableau.
The Gulf Film Festival is supported by Dubai Culture & Arts Authority and is held in association with Dubai Studio City. More details on the festival are available online at www.gulffilmfest.com.
