Eleven Saudi Arabian films will make their world premiere and one its GCC debut at the fourth edition of the Gulf Film Festival to be held from April 14 to 20 at the Dubai Festival City. From a comedy feature to evocative documentaries and shorts by students, the Saudi contingent provides a rare look into life in the Kingdom.
All 12 films will be screened free to the public at the Grand Cinemas with English subtitles. The Festival, held under the patronage of Sheikh Majid Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Chairman of the Dubai Culture & Arts Authority (Dubai Culture), will screen more than 150 regional and international features, documentaries and shorts.
Masoud Amralla Al Ali, the festival director, said: “The evolution of the film industry in Saudi Arabia is astounding as demonstrated by the dozen films being screened at GFF. We are delighted to see filmmakers, from experienced cinema professionals to emerging enthusiasts, experiment with different themes, genres and concepts.”
Director Fahmi Farouk Farahat’s "The Corporation" is a comedy about working in a mixed-gender office, a rarity in Saudi society. The film competes in the Festival’s Gulf Competition — Feature segment.
Two short films from Saudi Arabia are competing in the Students Competition. Mohammed Bahadi’s "The I-Pencil Project" is an animation fantasy that takes viewers through an extended adventurous voyage mired with obstacles. Mansour Albadran’s comedy "Maher Camera" follows a talented photographer who decides to participate in a photography competition about tourism in Saudi Arabia and has to face several difficulties.
Two films by director Abdulmuhsin Almutairi are screening in the Festival’s Lights segment: The thriller, "A Man Between Two Gangs and a Grave," which follows a young man rushing home to a family emergency and unwittingly gets involved with gangs in Riyadh, and "Skype," which follows the evolving relationship between a lady and the stranger she talks to on the Internet. The third Saudi entry in the non-competition Lights segment is Abdullaziz Alnujaym’s psychodrama, "Where Are You?" making its Gulf premiere at the Festival.
The three Saudi documentaries competing in the festival are just as diverse. Fahmi Farouk Farahat’s "A Night to Remember" is a docudrama of music and dance set in the holy city of Makkah, while "Photon," directed by Awadh Alhamzani, is a short documentary about immigration seen through the story of the Iraqi/Swedish photographer, Sufyan Al-Khazraje. Exploring the realm of science fiction is "Vincent," the story of a time traveler by Mazin Elfehaid Power.
Three short films from the Kingdom are also included. "Six Blind Eyes" by acclaimed filmmaker, critic and founding member of the Saudi Film Competition Abdullah Al-Eyaf follows a psychiatrist who takes on a case he could never have imagined. Abdullah Ahmad’s "Football Baby?" set in the summer vacation, is the intersection of three stories: three children trying to buy a ball, a girl yearning to join a football team and a young lover waiting for his sweetheart. Finally, "Locally Made" by Bader AlHomoud portrays the last minute of a man’s life and the transformation it contains.
The Gulf Film Festival is the home of bold, experimental and contemporary cinema from the Arabian Peninsula, and this fourth edition will be held at the InterContinental Hotel and Grand Cinemas at Dubai Festival City. The 2011 Festival includes out-of-competition segments, a master class by renowned director Abbas Kiarostami and other special events. All films are free and open to the public.
For more details on the Festival, please visit:
