Dubai, UAE; December 14, 2011: The 8thDubai International Film Festival, held under the patronage of His HighnessSheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, UAE Vice President & Prime Ministerand Ruler of Dubai, concluded with a glittering award ceremony, whereoutstanding talent from the UAE and the Arab world, Asia and Africa were presentedDIFF's prestigious Muhr Awards.
Over the past eight days, the festivalscreened a vivid showcase of 171 films from 56 nations, hosted live musicperformances that attracted thousands of spectators, and celebrated the spiritof cultural solidarity through its central credo of 'Bridging Cultures. MeetingMinds.'
A strong statement on Dubai'sability to host world-class events, the festival welcomed some of the toweringnames in cinema from Hollywood, Europe, India, Asia, Africa and the rest of theworld. The festival also put the global spotlight on the city with the premiereof Mission:Impossible- Ghost Protocol, shot partly in Dubai.
DIFF's comprehensivescript-to-screen industry initiative, the Dubai Film Market, extendedco-production, post-production and trade & distribution support, inaddition to fostering open discussions on the current trends in cinema andencouraging the development of a new cadre of film journalists.
The presentation of the Muhr Awards, theonly initiative of its kind with the clearly defined mandate of promotingfilmmaking talent in the Arab world, Asia and Africa, brought a perfectculmination to the celebration of the finest in global cinema over eight days.
Some 90 shorts, documentaries andfeatures, selected from over 1,700 entries from 106 countries, had competed formore than 36 Muhr Emirati, Muhr Arab and Muhr AsiaAfrica Awards and overUS$600,000 in prize money in addition to invaluable industry connections. Theywere also eligible for a variety of prestigious global awards including theFIPRESCI International Prize of the Critics Award and the Human Rights FilmNetwork Award.
Earlier, DIFF presented its LifetimeAchievement Awards to veteran Egyptian actor and crossover star Gamil Ratib;Oscar- and Grammy-award winning Indian music composer A. R. Rahman andinternationally renowned auteur Werner Herzog.
The festival also presented the 'PeopleWho Make a DIFFerence' Award to Jafar Varzideh, for flying out from LosAngeles since the inaugural edition of DIFF to volunteer at the festival. TheDIFF Young Journalist Award and Dubai Film Connection prizes were presentedduring the festival.
The du People's Choice Award: ALS DERWEIHNACHTSMANN VOM HIMMEL FIEL (WHEN SANTA FELL TO EARTH) by Oliver Dieckmann -Germany
The annual 'Prize of theInternational Critics' for Arab films from theInternational Federation of Film Critics (FIPRESCI), the world's foremost bodyof film writers, academics and critics from over 60 countries, were awarded to:
- Best Documentary: MARCEDES by Hady Zaccak - Lebanon
- Best Short: SUR LA ROUTE DU PARADIS (THE ROAD TO PARADISE) by Uda Benyamina - France
- Best Feature: HABIBI RASAK KHARBAN (HABIBI) by Susan Youssef - Palestine, USA, Netherlands, UAE
The Human Rights Film NetworkAward, aimed at encouraging and promoting filmsthat address human rights issues, was won by SHOJI TO TAKAO (SHOJI & TAKAO)by Yoko Ide - Japan.
MuhrAsiaAfrica
Muhr Asia Africa Shorts:
- Second Prize: MEHFUZ (SAFE) by Rohit Pandey - India
- Special Jury Prize: TINYE SO by Daouda Coulibaly - Mali
- First Prize: MO-EDON PAE-MIL-LI (MODERN FAMILY) by Kwang Bin Kim - South Korea
Muhr AsiaAfrica Documentary:
· Special Mention: JAI BHIM COMRADE by Anand Patwardhan - India
· Second Prize: ENDING NOTE (DEATH OF A JAPANESE SALESMAN) by Mami Sunada- Japan
· Special Jury Prize: NEGERI DI BAWAH KABUT (THE LAND BENEATH THE FOG) byShalahuddin Siregar - Indonesia
· First Prize: IN FILM NIST (THIS IS NOT A FILM) by Jafar Panahi andMojtaba Mirtahmasb - Iran
Muhr AsiaAfrica Feature:
· Special Mention: Chandani Senevirathne for her role in NIKINI VASSA(AUGUST DRIZZLE) - Sri Lanka
· Best Cinematographer: Gökhan Tiryaki for BIR ZAMANLAR ANADOLU'DA (ONCEUPON A TIME IN ANATOLIA) - Turkey
· Best Editor: Takashi Sato for KITSUTSUKI TO AME (THE WOODSMAN AND THERAIN) - Japan
· Best Composer: Christopher Khoo for TATSUMI - Singapore
· Best Scriptwriter: Shuichi Okita for KITSUTSUKI TO AME (THE WOODSMAN ANDTHE RAIN) - Japan
· Best Actress: Phung Ho Hai Lin for TÂM HÕN MĘ (MOTHER'S SOUL) - Vietnam
· Best Actor: Kôji Yakusho for KITSUTSUKI TO AME (THE WOODSMAN AND THERAIN) - Japan
· Special Jury Prize: BIR ZAMANLAR ANADOLU'DA (ONCE UPON A TIME INANATOLIA) by Nuri Bilge Ceylan - Turkey
· Best Film: TATSUMI by Eric Khoo - Singapore
Muhr Arab
Muhr Arab Shorts:
· SpecialMention: ZAFIR (BREATHE OUT) by Omar El Zohairy - Egypt
· SpecialMention: MAKAN YOUA'AD (A PLACE TO GO) by Wajdi Elian - Lebanon
· SecondPrize: ARD AL ABTAL (LAND OF THE HEROES) by Sahim Omar Kalifa - Iraq
· SpecialJury Prize: BRÛLEURS (BURNERS) by Farid Bentoumi - France
· FirstPrize: SUR LA ROUTE DU PARADIS (THE ROAD TO PARADISE) by Uda Benyamina - France
Muhr Arab Documentary:
· Special Mention: LA KHAOUFA BAADA AL'YAOUM (NO MORE FEAR) by Mourad BenCheikh - Tunisia
· Second Prize: ICI, ON NOIE LES ALGERIENS - 17 OCTOBRE 1961 (HERE WEDROWN ALGERIANS - OCTOBER 17TH, 1961) by Yasmina Adi - France
· Special Jury Prize: HALABJA - THE LOST CHILDREN by Akram Hidou - Iraq,Germany, Syria
· First Prize: SECTOR ZERO by Nadim Mishlawi - Lebanon, UAE
Muhr Arab Feature:
- Cinematographer: Raphael Bauche for SHI GHADI OU SHI JAY (BOILING DREAMS) - Morocco
- Best Editor: Susan Youssef and Man Kit Lam for HABIBI RASAK KHARBAN (HABIBI) - Palestine, USA, Netherlands, UAE
- Best Composer: Le Trio Jubran for AL JUMA AL AKHEIRA (THE LAST FRIDAY) Jordan, UAE
- Best Scriptwriter: Hakim Belabbes for SHI GHADI OU SHI JAY (BOILING DREAMS) - Morocco
- Best Actress: Maisa Abd Elhadi for HABIBI RASAK KHARBAN (HABIBI) - Palestine, USA, Netherlands, UAE
- Best Actor: Ali Suliman for AL JUMA AL AKHEIRA (THE LAST FRIDAY) - Jordan, UAE
· Special Jury Prize: AL JUMA AL AKHEIRA (THE LAST FRIDAY) by YahyaAlabdallah - Jordan, UAE
· Best Film: HABIBI RASAK KHARBAN (HABIBI) by Susan Youssef - Palestine,USA, Netherlands, UAE
Muhr Emirati
- Special Mention: LONDON IN A HEADSCARF by Mariam Al Sarkal - UK
- Second Prize: AKHIR DECEMBER (END OF DECEMBER) by Hamad Al Hammadi - UAE
- Special Jury Prize: CHILDREN by Mohammad Fikree - UAE
- First Prize: AMAL by Nujoom Alghanem - UAE
The award-winning films will bescreened on December 16 at the Mall of the Emirates Vox Cinemas.
TheInvestment Corporation of Dubai is the title sponsor of the Dubai InternationalFilm Festival, held in association with Dubai Studio City. Dubai Duty Free,Dubai Pearl, Emirates Airline and Madinat Jumeirah, home to the DubaiInternational Film Festival, are the principal sponsors of DIFF. The Festivalis supported by the Dubai Culture & Arts Authority. For more informationabout DIFF, please visit www.dubaifilmfest.com or join DIFF on and
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For more information, please contact:
MildredFernandes
Head ofCommunications - Dubai International Film Festival
DubaiTechnology and Media Free Zone Authority
Direct: +9714361 3882; Board: +9714 391 33 78 Cell: +971 50 759 4040
mildred.fernandes@tecom.ae
Nivine William/ Divya Khanna
ASDA'ABurson-Marsteller;
© Press Release 2011
