Dubai, 08 April 2013: The British Council invited 16 filmmakers from the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) to take part in Birds Eye View 2013 (3-10 April), an annual film festival that celebrates and supports international women filmmakers.

Birds Eye View featured recent work by female Arab directors making headlines at the world's leading film festivals. Celebrated for over a decade as a champion of women film makers across the globe, this year's Birds Eye View film festival was a unique opportunity to experience the rich, diverse and powerful voices of the Arab world's most inspiring women.

Alma Salem, Regional Arts Programmes Manager, British Council MENA, said: "The past two years witnessed much louder feminine voices echoing across cinemas in the Middle East and North Africa, we are proud that this was reflected in our delegation from the region to Birds Eye View festival in the UK."

BEV founder-director Rachel Millward said, 'I'm thrilled that in 2013 Birds Eye View celebrated the work of Arab women filmmakers. Now, when Arab women are dominating the headlines at the world's most established film festivals, is the perfect time to shine a light on this increasingly important and diverse range of cinematic voices.'

Birds Eye View presented a dedicated industry programme for international delegates aimed at filmmakers and industry representatives from across the MENA region, and included workshops, seminars and networking as well as Festival screenings.

Leading filmmakers from the Arab region who took part in this programme include Aisha Al Muqla and Noora Kamal from Bahrain, Hanan Abdalla from Egypt, Dalia Kury, Sawsan Darwazeh and Carla Dabis from Jordan, Miniature Malekpour and Dana Al Mujil from Kuwait, Marwa Khalifa and Nesreen Rashid from Libya, Buthina Khoury and Dima Abu Ghosh from Palestine, Nayla Al Khaja, Nujoom AlGhanem, Muna Al Ali and Amal Al Agroobi from the UAE.

Nayla Al Khaja Emirati filmmaker and CEO - Producer of D-Seven Motion Pictures commented: "It is a privilege to be selected among the few Arab women film makers to attend BEV. The British Council has supported my career by connecting me to the UK film industry and exposing me to many heavy weight film makers. This is a fantastic opportunity to meet likeminded people who can potentially be future work partners. I am very grateful for the Council's dedication to promoting cultural initiatives and supporting filmmakers like myself."

Nujoom Al Ghanem- Emirati Filmmaker, Said: "You work for so long crafting and polishing your films to be recognized for their quality and deep content. Therefore, when you personally become recognized as a filmmaker because of the success your films have made, you feel satisfied but also responsible for bringing your thoughts and concerns about this profession to a discussion level that can be heard and enriched through a cultural dialogue. Being part of BEV this year makes me thrilled and confident that we are in the right place and moment to share our stories and learn from each other's experiences. Our professional craft not gender is what makes us, the female filmmakers from the Middle East, part of this delegation taking place in London."

Amal Al Agroobi- Emirati Filmmaker: "It's an honour to be invited to the BEV as an Arab Female Filmmaker who's starting out in the industry. The opportunity is prime access industry contacts in the UK who are so valuable to us. BEV festival has brought people together and created a wonderful program for us to access, learn and develop ourselves as filmmakersThere's a lot of knowledge in the film scene that we can bring back to the UAE to develop our film industry.  Therefore, we aim to import the film knowledge and relationships we have built during our time in the UK and work on future collaborations with the UK's film industry."

The 2013 festival hosted 'When I Saw You' by Dir Annemarie Jacir, winner of NETPAC Award Berlinale 2013, 'Habibi' (Darling, Something's Wrong With Your Head) by Dir Susan Youssef, winner of Best Feature at Dubai Film Festival 2011, 'Coming Forth By Day' by Dir Hala Lotfy, winner of Best Director at Abu Dhabi Film Festival 2012, 'Yema' by Dir Djamila Sahraoui, winner of FIPRESCI Best Feature at Abu Dhabi Film Festival 2012, 'In The Shadow of a Man' by Dir Hanan Abdalla, winner of Best Documentary Director at Doha Tribeca Film Festival 2012, 'A Tale of Two Syrias' by Dir Yasmin Fedda, 'The Lebanese Rocket Society' by Dir Joana Hadjithomas and Khalil Joreige, winner of Best Feature Documentary at Doha Tribecca Film Festival 2012, 'Gaza Calling' by Dir Nahed Awwad and 'Picturehouse' by Dir Rania Stephan, winner of Best Documentary Director at Doha Tribeca Film Festival 2011.

The 2013 festival included compelling features, documentaries, ground-breaking short films, insightful events, exclusive Q&As, cutting edge live music, a special edition of the Fashion Loves Film programme, awards, galas and many more.

The delegation increased the international experience and profile for artists and this year's Arab women participation at the BEV festival aimed to increase the international collaboration in the film industry and the exchange by adding international dimension to UK programming.

The Festival is supported by partners across the MENA region including the Doha Film Institute (DFI) as part of Qatar UK, Al Jazeera Documentary Channel, and the Arab Fund for Arts and Culture (AFAC).

British Council
The British Council creates international opportunities for the people of the UK and other countries and builds trust between them worldwide. We are a Royal Charter charity, established as the UK's international organisation for educational opportunities and cultural relations. Our 7000 staff in over 100 countries work with thousands of professionals and policy makers and millions of young people every year through English, arts, education and society programmes.  Insert sentence on local country activities here.

A quarter of our funding comes from a UK government grant, and we earn the rest from services which customers pay for, education and development contracts we bid for, and from partnerships. For more information, please visit: www.britishcouncil.org. You can also keep in touch with the British Council through twitter.com/britishcouncil and http://blog.britishcouncil.org

About The Birds Eye View Film Festival
Founded in 2002 as a positive response to the fact that women make up less than 10% of film directors and 15% of writers, BEV has since become internationally renowned as a driving force in celebrating, supporting and empowering women in the world's most powerful medium, film.

BEV's flagship annual Festival has amassed critical and industry acclaim and a wide audience for its high-quality, innovative programme, attracting over 11,000 people in 2011. Highlights included London premieres of Susanne Bier's Oscar & Golden Globe winner In A Better World and Lena Dunham's SXSW & NY Critics Award winner Tiny Furniture, plus new silent film scores by musicians including Grammy winner Imogen Heap.

Guest speakers have included actresses Rosamund Pike, Thandie Newton, Jane Horrocks & Hayley Atwell; musicians Annie Lennox, Alison Goldfrapp & Kate Nash; and directors Mary Harron (American Psycho), Lucy Walker (Wasteland), Gurinder Chadha (Bend It Like Beckham), Susanne Bier (In A Better World) & Lone Scherfig (An Education). www.birds-eye-view.co.uk

For more information, please contact:
Taghreed Oraibi
BPG PR
Taghreed@bpgpr.com

© Press Release 2013