ENTRIES INVITED FOR GULF FILM FESTIVAL
Trade Arabia
Mon, 01 Feb 2010
Dubai
Submissions are now open for the third edition of the Gulf Film
Festival to be held from April 8-14, 2010 in Dubai.
The event is presented by Dubai Culture & Arts Authority in association
with Dubai Studio City.
GCC national filmmakers as well as directors of films that depict
life in the Arabian Gulf region can make their submissions online at
until February 15, 2010.
The festival is held under the patronage of Sheikh Majid Bin Mohammed
Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, chairman of the Dubai Culture & Arts Authority.
Gulf Film Festival (GFF) showcased more than 50 movies in 11 key film
festival events around the world in 2009.
GFF also served as the official submission organisation for the
Gulf region for 2008 and 2009 Asia Pacific Screen Awards (APSA),
the region’s highest film accolade.
Among the key festivals that GFF movies were nominated at include APSA;
the Zanzibar International Film Festival; Golden Apricot International
Film Festival of Yerevan in Armenia; Ahmedabad International
Film Festival in India; Beirut International Documentary Festival
(Docudays) and the Beirut International Film Festival in Lebanon; Arab
Film Festival in Australia; Arab Film Festival Rotterdam; the Nabeul
Cinema Nights in Tunisia; and ‘Days of Gulf Cinema in Palestine’.
GFF festival director Masoud Amralla Al Ali said the international
acceptance of films screened at GFF, including several movies from
the UAE, highlighted the marked evolution of Arab cinema as an
established entity.
"One of the founding goals of GFF has been to promote Arab film talent
and offer a sounding board for their growth and acceptance globally.
The global appeal of our film selection is a testament to the success
of our vision," he said.
"GFF serves as a powerful platform for Arab film talent, across the
world, to showcase films that are related to the Gulf and Middle
East region. This is the first time that a referral point has
been set for Arab cinema, and the international film festivals and
cultural organisations bank on GFF to identify the best in Arab film
creativity," added Masoud.
Some of the most popular titles across these international film
festivals include: The Circle, Henna, Beyond Words, Revenge, When the
People Spoke – Part 3, The Loser Bet, The Sound of Life, Finding Mr &
Mrs Right, Sunrise/Sunset, Amal’s Cloud, Bint Mariam and The Window.
These include films by directors from Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar,
Iraq, Yemen, Saudi Arabia and the UAE, highlighting the GCC-wide
evolution of cinema. – TradeArabia News Service