The Gulf Film Festival (GFF) yesterday announced the line-up of short fiction films in its International Shorts Competition, all of which will screen during the annual celebration of the best cinema from the GCC and beyond, held April 11-17 in Dubai’s Festival City.
The films, all of which will screen for free to the public, are in the running for the Best International Short Film prize, worth AED 30,000; the second prize of AED 25,000, and the Special Jury prize of AED 25,000. The Best Director will be awarded AED 15,000.
“A number of these short films have already won awards, including a Student Oscar,” said Salah Sermini, festival consultant, Gulf Film Festival.
’Swing of the Coffin Maker’ by Elmar Imanov won the 2012 Student Academy Award for its tender portrayal of an Azeri coffin-maker, Yagub, who lives with his mentally disabled son Musa.
‘Allah is Great’ is a stellar graduation film from India’s Andrea Iannetta, a graduate of the Film and Television Institute of India. It traces the mayhem that results when two worlds collide — in this case Frank, a Danish engineer, and Salim, a taxi driver, near a remote village.
Children and their unguarded worldview are explored in French filmmaker Thomas Rio’s ‘Hsu Ji Behind the Screen,’ where six-year-old Hsu Ji is hidden away in an attic by her father to escape the attention of the immigration police.
’The Prisoner,’ Venezuelan film directed by Martin Deus, Juan Chappa and Omar Zambrano is a sweet story of rivalry between friends.
On a lighter note, children coming of age is the basis for ‘A Shade of Grey’ by Herve Demers, set on a wintery, fairy-tale-like Canadian farm, where nine-year-old Noémy is about to leave the carefree world of childhood behind.
In the official Gulf Features Category, 'Wadjda,' the first film shot in Saudi Arabia by Saudi female filmmaker Haifaa Al-Mansour will be screened. The film, tale of a girl yearning for a green bicycle has captured hearts at some of the most prestigious festivals in the world including the Venice Film Festival.
Iraqi director Karzan Kader’s 'Bekas' and Iraqi Kurdistan director Hassan-Ali’s 'Shirin' also will be featured in this category. Iraqi-French singer-songwriter and filmmaker Leila Albayaty’s 'Berlin Telegram,' writer, director and producer Haider’s 'It’s About To Rain' are some other notable films in this section.
Short films at GFF inspire, explore diverse themes
