Select Sampling of Works Allows Visitors to Sample Short and Independent Works from Around the World

Dubai, April 6, 2009: The 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), announced its lineup of innovative international short films that will form the 'Intersections' programming segment.

The segment provides a counterpoint to the regional offerings, setting them in the context of the short independent production taking place in the international arena, and lending an international flavor to the festival, which is dedicated to promoting regional talent. The films originate from countries from Thailand to Spain and all points in between.  

The shorts are exquisitely diverse, both thematically and technically: from Spain's Arturo Ruiz Serrano's Paseo (The Walkaway) is the story of Gabino, who has never declared his love to a woman. From Romania, Bogdan Mustata's O zi Buna de Plaja (A Good Day for a Swim) is a thriller about a woman, who is abducted by three escaped prisoners who play power games with her. Flung, by UK filmmaker Fiona Walton, depicts a tormented boy and an alienated man whose destinies collide, with unforeseen consequences for them both. In L'Arbitro (The Referee), from Italy by Paolo Zucca, set in the utter confusion of a football match in the lowest division, the destinies of two thieves cross paths.

Many of the shorts take an abstract view of the world: from Austria, Instructions for A Light and Sound Machine by Peter Tscherkassky shows a hero who suddenly becomes aware that he is subject to the moods of spectators and at the mercy of the filmmaker. Between, from Germany by Tim Bollinger, is a narative short about the complex combinations and resulting visions of the human psyche. Noces de Cendre (Ashes Engagement), from Belgium by Pierre Eden Simon, depicts a girl who grieves her father by locking herself in his coffin in the hopes of folling him to heaven. From the Netherlands, Zand (Sand) is Joost Van Ginkel's compelling story about the ties between a father and daughter, who both like the feel of sand.

Family ties are examined in a number of the shorts in Intersections: Megatron, by Marian Crisan, shows an 8-year old whose mother takes him to a McDonald's for a birthday treat. Sommersonntag (Summer Sunday), by Sigi Kamml and Fred Breinersdorfer, depicts a horrific choice: as a train approaches, the 7-year-old deaf and mute son of a bridge guard climbs down into a restricted area. The guard must decide whether to sacrifice his son or let the train crash into the river. A Mère et Marées (Of Mother and Tides), from Canada by Alain Fournier, shows what happens when a young boy turns into a marine animal. In Fereshtegan Dar Khak Mimirarnd (Angels Die in the Soil), by Babak Amini from Iran, an Iraqi-Kurdish girl earns a living for her ill father by selling the bones of Iranian soldiers killed during the Iran-Iraq war.

Two short documentaries reveal a fantastical view of everyday life: Was Weiss Der Tropfen Davon (What Would the Drop Know About That)?, by filmmaker Jan Zabeil, documents immigrant cleaners working in Berlin's Reichstag. As in a genuine ballet, they move around the majestic building with their yellow garbage carts, floor sweepers and squeegees. Safar (The Journey), by Ali Rashidifar, is a whimsical look at the journeys we make in our lives.

Intersections is heavily laden with a diverse range of animated films, a number of which originate from France this year. From Anthony Arnoux, Rémi Dessinge, and Guillaume Fesquet, From the Hoop tells the true story of a New York basketball player who got into heavy drugs and managed a comeback because of the sport.  Eole, by Aurélien Martineau, Moana Wiesnieski, and Etienne Metois, concerns the apparition of a kite on an aircraft carrier. Tokoloshe, a French film by Remi Cauzid, Julien Jobard, Stephanie Saillard, Vivien Testard, is set in South Africa, where a little boy combats a child-eating dwarf. In Le Pont (The Bridge), French-Belgium collaboration by Vincent Bierrewaerts, is about a man and his son living on top of a mountain lose all access to the outside world. In Stop Mo, by Adel Benabdallah, Brice Boisset, Vincent Secher, Romain Hua, and Anouk Eyraud, an archeologist unearths a special effects cinema studio from underwater. In Skhizein, by Jeremy Clapin, Henri has been struck by a 150-ton meteorite, and has to adapt to living 91 centimeters from himself.

From Portugal, Candido (Candid) is José Pedro Cavalheiro's story of a ladykiller. Victim, from Thai filmmakersr Nattapol Nark-Ngen and Nattaporn Yiamchawee, depicts a man who has lost his sense of reality from a life in prison. Our Wonderful Nature is a 3D animation that describes the mating habits of the water shrew, by Tomer Eshed.  Equestrian, from Michiel Van Bakel of the Netherlands, is a surreal picture about a horsewoman riding through an abandoned square, achieved through simultaneous filming with 32 digital cameras.

The Gulf Film Festival will be held from April 9 to 15 and is presented by the Dubai Culture and Arts Authority (Dubai Culture) in association with Dubai Studio City.

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© Press Release 2009