'Bored' filmmaker takes top Dubai prize

Boredom can be a riveting subject when tackled right, as Nayla Al Khaja discovered on Sunday.

The filmmaker won the first-ever Dubai International Film Festival award for Emirati films for her short, "Mallal" (Bored), about a couple in an arranged marriage who have nothing in common.

This is the first year that awards have been handed out in a separate category for UAE filmmakers and 14 films by UAE nationals competed for the trophy.

Reacting to the win, Al Khaja posted a reaction on her Twitter web page: "Wow wow wow our film #MALAL won first prize muhr emirati awards @DFF2010. Thanks a million for everyone who believed!"

Khaja later said in a media statement that by producing the film outside the UAE "we have set a benchmark, which I hope will act as a catalyst for other Emirati’s to see the opportunities that exist for film making abroad but also at home. I am very proud of this film and believe that it marks an important step in the development of co-production between the UAE and other markets.”

The second prize went to Khalid Al Mahmood for "Sabeel", about two boys who must sell vegetables to buy medicines for their dying grandmother, while a special jury prize went to plain-speaking documentary filmmaker Nujoom Al Ghanem for "Hamama", and a special mention was made of Waleed Al Shehhi's "Reeh" (Wind).

Psychological drama

A total of 36 Muhr awards -- and $600,000 in prize money -- were given out at a closing ceremony attended by UAE royalty, including HH Sheikh Majid Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, HH Sheikh Mansour Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum and HH Sheikh Saeed Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, as well as international and regional stars. 

The top prize in the Arab feature category went to the Lebanese director Georges Hachem for the much-applauded psychological drama "Rsassa Taycheh" (Stray Bullet), while compatriot Sabine El Chamaa's "Un Mardi" (A Tuesday) took top honours in the Murh Arab Shorts category. Mahmoud Al Massad's "Hathihi Swrati Wa Ana Mayet" (This is my Picture when I was Dead) won first prize in Muhr Arab Documentary competition.

The actors Maged El Kedwany and Bushra won awards for their performances in the Egyptian film "678", which focused on sexual harassment in Cairo.

IN PICTURES: Tears and trophies at the closing ceremony of DIFF

In total, 400 entries from 42 countries were entered into the Arabic segment of the awards.

A similar number were sent in for the Muhr Asia Africa competition, where 110 documentaries, 136 features and 199 short films from 62 nations vied for honours.

The winning feature film was Mahamat-Saleh Haroun's "Un Homme Qui Cri" (A Screaming Man), while Chinese director Jia Zhang-Ke won first prize for "Hai Shang Chuan" (I Wish I Knew) in the documentary category. Nargiza Mamatkulova's "Soiko" (The Earrings) was declared the top short film.

All these films will be screened at Mall of the Emirates on Monday.

This year's event has widely been considered the strongest so far, playing host to 157 films from 57 countries.

DIFF Artistic Director Masoud Amralla Al Ali said: “This week, at DIFF 2010, we sampled the best cinema from around the world with a particular emphasis on work from the Arab world, Asia and Africa. All three of our competitions – the Muhr Arab, Muhr AsiaAfrica and Muhr Emirati – were outstanding this year, and one of our greatest challenges was to whittle the entries down to an initial shortlist. Tonight’s winners come from that shortlist, but even those who leave without a Muhr Award have reason to be proud.” 

Special awards

The Festival also presented a series of special awards, including the FIPRESCI International Prize of the Critics Award, the Human Rights Film Network Award, the Damas People’s Choice Award, and a brand new ‘People Who Make a DIFFerence’ Award. Additional prizes for the DIFF Young Journalist and Dubai Film Connection were presented earlier in the week. 

The annual Prize of the International Critics for Arab films from the International Federation of Film Critics (FIPRESCI), the world’s foremost body of film writers, academics and critics from over 60 countries, went to: ‘2 ½’ directed by Elie Kamal (Lebanon); ‘Zelal’ by Marianne Khoury and Mustapha Hasnaoui (Egypt/France/Morocco/UAE) and ‘Mudon Al Tranzit – Transit Cities’ by Mohammed Al Hushki (Jordan) in the shorts, documentary and feature film categories, respectively. 

Omar Sharqawi's "Fra Haifa Til Noerrebro" (My Father from Haifa) was declared the year's People's Choice Award, chosen through a public voting process.

Three veterans were awarded for a lifetime of achievement. While leading African director Souleymane Cisse and Egyptian-Lebanese songbird Sabah attended the event, American film icon and activist Sean Penn was kept busy in Haiti.

IN PICTURES: Tears and trophies at the closing ceremony of DIFF 

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