Saudi Arabia makes impressive showing at Gulf Film Festival |
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Country Contributes 27 Films for Second GFFDubai, April 05, 2009: The second annual Gulf Film Festival, held under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Majid bin Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum, Chairman of the Dubai Culture and Arts Authority (Dubai Culture), will screen a number of films from Saudi Arabia, signaling a filmmaking boom in that country's industry.
The films include 22-year old Fawaz Gadri's feature The Revenge, a dark thriller about four brothers who get involved in a gang war, changing their lives forever as they are dragged down a dangerous road leading to danger and revenge. Faisal Al Otaibi's feature-length documentary The Fort is an entry for the Documentaries in Competition segment, and follows the lives of people living in a fortress-like village in Saudi Arabia.
Saudi Arabia has made significant contributions to the Short Films in Competition programming segment: Sameer Arif's Eyes Without a Soul, which will screen at Opening Night, concerns the eyes as windows to the soul--or to nothingness. Three Men and a Woman, by Abdulmohsen Al Dhabaan, follows three scriptwriters who attempt to attract a leading celebrity to star in their upcoming project. According to Local Time, by Mohammed al Khalif, tells the story of a hungry man on the lookout for restaurants in Riyadh before the call for prayer.
In Mohammed Al Hamoud's Shadow, two girls leave the house to buy a wedding dress. Hussam Alhulwa brings I Don' Wanna, a one-shot comedy that looks at the stillness of conformism and the stirring nature surrounding rebellion. Reem S. Al-Bayyat's Shadows represents the emptiness of loss. In Silence, by Tawfik Al-Zaidi, young Khaled has a flashback of his father's death and recalls his fondness for playing the guitar. Mohammad Aldhahri's Sunrise/Sunset examines family, society and security in an ordinary day in a street kid's life.
Hamzah Tarzan's The Window advocates security, caring and a future for women, the bedrock of the community, Ahmad's Xmas Carol follows a mischievous 8-year Muslim-American boy visiting his friend, who is celebrating Christmas.
Saudi Arabia has contributed several shorts to the Student Short Films in Competition segment. Abdulaziz Al Nujaym's Confinement represents a man trapped at a point of decision in his life. Bader Al Hamoud's Distraction delves into the dilemmas of existence by juxtaposing the routines of life and the power of diversion. In Abdullah Al-Ahmed and Abdullah Mohammed's The Date, unintended mistakes made by one person have a severe effect on those around him. Badri? is Anggi Makki's story of Basem, secretly in love with his best friend Maria.
The special out of competition 'Lights' category will comprise several Saudi entries: Nawaf Al Mhanna's Last Day examines the last moments of life, while Basheer Al-Mohaishi's Innocent Dream demonstrates the influence of adults on children's dreams for the future. In Abdulamusin Al-Mutairi's Project, a young man from Riyadh tries achieve his life's dream, while in his The Dream, a Spanish Christian woman living in Saudi Arabia years to visit her sick mother in Spain. Hana Abdullah's short documentary Beyond Words is a musical dialogue between an Argentinean tango group and a Saudi folk music band. Just a Word, by Sameer Arif, follows a young boy dealing with Arabic words as he returns to his home country after spending his childhood in New York. In Remains of Remises, Mohammed Al-Basha revisits the epic of Kilkamish and its relevance to the people of the Gulf and their memories. Finally, Cinemanios, by Talal Ayeel, is a satire on the suffering of cinephiles in Saudi Arabia, a country where cinema is banned.
In the 'Lights' category, feature documentary Valley of Paradise concerns Saudi Arabian students at Valparaiso University in Indiana. How will the Saudi students integrate? Will they help change the image of Islam and their culture that was tarnished by 9/11?
Lulu's Curls, in the Films for Children category, is about what happens when 7-year old Lulu and her sister attempt to straighten Lulu's hair, leading to humorous results and an important lesson in life.
All films can be found on the Gulf Film Festival website on www.gulffilmfest.com. The GFF is brought by the Dubai Culture and Arts Association (Dubai Culture), in association with Dubai Studio City.
-Ends-
© Press Release 2009
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