DUBAI: The second annual Gulf Film Festival (GFF) will screen a number of films from Saudi Arabia, signaling a film-making boom in Saudi film industry.
The GFF, a six-day event brought by the Dubai Culture and Arts Association (Dubai Culture) in association with Dubai Studio City, will be held from April 9 to15 at the Grand Cinema in Festival City.
Saudi 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 programing segment: "Sameer Arif's Eyes Without a Soul", which will be screened at opening night, concerns the eyes as windows on 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.
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 yearns 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 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?
Films from Kuwait in the festival offer a glimpse of varied works that reveal sophistication in Kuwaiti film production and an international view of the world that is at the same time rooted in a strong sense of place.
Kuwaiti filmmaker Tarek Rashed's "Petro World" is the first 3D production to combine education and entertainment in the Middle East. The film is set in a kingdom similar to Disney Land, where King Carbon and Queen Hadrooja live with their children Nafout and Nafouta. "The Dragon" decides to invade Petro World and take the King's throne with the help of Sha'alool and Wala'a. Nafout and his sister must fight the villains and unveil the secret of "Petro World".
From Iraq, journalist, critic and director Abbas Fahdel's "L'Aube Du Monde" (Dawn of the World) follows cousins Mastour and Zahra, who are married in a joyous wedding. Forced apart by the Gulf War, their lives change forever. "Dying Mastour" forces a promise from his friend Ziad to marry Zahra when the war is over. However, she is devastated by the loss of Mastour and shuts herself off. In a foreign environment, Riad must do the impossible to find his place.
Iranian-Emirati filmmaker Ali Shah Hatami brings his new feature, "Sound of Life", a co-production between Iran and the UAE.
