6th Gulf Film Festival to screen 169 films from 43 countries

With four prestigious competitions, a celebration of one of the Gulf’s most prolific film and theatre figures and an expanded industry programme, the Gulf Film Festival (GFF) which kicks off on April 11, 2013, promises to be the most comprehensive yearly review of the best in cinema from the Arabian peninsula and beyond. 

Held under the patronage of Sheikh Majid Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Chairman of the Dubai Culture and Arts Authority (Dubai Culture), the Festival will screen 169 quality films from 43 countries, of which 93 originate from within the GCC. All screenings are free to the public from April 11th – 17th at Grand Cinemas, Dubai Festival City.

In a clear testament to the growth of the Festival as the first-choice for filmmakers, GFF 2013 will host 78 world premieres, 15 international premieres and 42 Middle East premieres.

Abdulhamid Juma, Festival Chairman, said: “Since 2008 we have seen the festival reach a wider audience on an annual basis and elicit more attention from both emerging and established artists around the region. This year the response was overwhelming, and in direct response to filmmakers across the region, we have broadened our industry platform and strengthened our existing programmes. In this exciting week, hundreds of GCC filmmakers will converge on Dubai, exchange ideas, meet international peers, and share their unique perspectives on their society and their world. Each year this meeting of minds creates an alchemy that generates more ideas and creativity, leading to more diverse and fascinating cinema in the year following. Our 2013 line-up is proof of this phenomenal maturing process, and has something to offer UAE residents and visitors alike.”

The Festival will open with a screening of Wadjda, the first feature film shot entirely in Saudi Arabia by the country’s first female filmmaker Haifaa Al-Mansour, who will be in attendance. The award-winning film has firm roots with GFF having originally debuted on the Festival circuit at script stage during GFF and it is a fitting tribute that it should return as an accomplished film to open the Festival. The film has won critical acclaim and been an audience favourite in festivals around the world, winning 3 awards at the prestigious Venice Film Festival as well as the Muhr Arab Feature award and Best Actress award for the film’s young protagonist at the Dubai International Film Festival 2012.

During the opening ceremony, GFF will honour Kuwaiti playwright, actor and screenwriter Mohamed Jaber, a fixture of the Khaleeji cultural scene since the 1960’s, for his lifetime of achievements in the field. This will mark Jaber’s second time at the GFF since he played the lead role in the 2012 GFF film Al Salhiyah, directed by Kuwaiti filmmaker Sadeq Behbehani.

The Festival is an important venue for artists to have their works seen and recognized, and GFF comprises of four prestigious competitions offering prize money of Dh500,000 for fiction and documentary films: Gulf Films, broken down into two contests for feature-length and short films; Gulf Students’ Shorts; and International Shorts, which acknowledges work of exceptional talent from around the world.

This year saw the highest number of entries to date, said Festival Director Masoud Amralla Al Ali: “This year we received an overwhelming amount of submissions from 138 countries. This is a testament to the Festival as a platform for launching new work, as well as a measure of the rapid growth of the GCC film culture that has been embraced whole-heartedly, particularly by young people.”

Reflecting on the share of submissions originating from the UAE, resulting in a strong Emirati presence in the official competitions he commented: “While each country within the Gulf region shows an increase in activity, filmmaking in the UAE has skyrocketed in recent years. This attests to the number of training initiatives for nationals, as well as the many opportunities for our young people, from scholarships to internships and mentoring programmes. This talent is further nurtured through year-round initiatives which support the film industry such as New York Film Academy (NYFA), Doha Film Institute (DFI), Image Nation and TwoFour54. It is through the combined support and commitment of these initiatives that GFF can act as a true platform for emerging talent. As the cinema community here continues to mature, we will see a true industry take hold and a number of strong voices emerge. The roots are there, and they are spreading.”

Besides the in competition segments, the Festival offers three ‘Official Selection’ programmes: Lights, an array of short films from some of the GCC’s most dynamic talents; Intersections, which favours bold subjects and stylized films from around the world; and Films for Children, a wonderful selection of animated and short films for young audiences.

The GFF has dedicated a number of impactful industry activities under the umbrella of the inaugural Gulf Film Market, which will run from April 14 to 17 and is geared toward GCC nationals in the film business at all levels. Initiatives include the Gulf Film Forum, which comprises discussion panels, ‘how-to’ sessions and networking events; and two funding initiatives for regional artists. First, Enjaaz, the post-production fund of the Dubai Film Market, will extend its reach to offer production funding for short films for GCC filmmakers. Also, a new partnership with the Robert Bosch Foundation, a philanthropic organization that funds film projects in Germany, the Middle East and Eastern Europe will allow Gulf filmmakers to pitch their projects to the Foundation’s producers as part of an initiative to fund Arab shorts.

GFF Shivani Pandya, GFF Managing Director said: “The industry programme is central to the festival and this year GFF presents a rich and varied programme which will appeal to professionals across the film industry spectrum. The Gulf Film Market has been designed to foster greater sustainability within the GGC film industry and create more opportunities for both new and established talent so we can continue to bring exciting new films from the region to audiences around the world.”

Also under the Gulf Film Market is the second annual Gulf Script Market, which connects the region’s best scriptwriters with directors and producers. This represents an incredible opportunity for GCC scriptwriters to be mentored by a very distinguished lineup: Egyptian filmmaker Yousry Nasarallah, whose film ‘After the Battle’ was chosen for the 2012 Cannes Palme D’Or competition; and Emirati screenwriter Mohammed Hassan Ahmad, who wrote the 2011 UAE drama ‘Sea Shadow,’ which has screened around the world.

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