Arab Student filmmaking skills in full bloom today at the Gulf Film Festival

The strong participation of the student community from across the Arabian Peninsula will be in full bloom on Sunday, April 17, 2011 at the fourth Gulf Film Festival, held under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Majid Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Chairman of the Dubai Culture & Arts Authority (Dubai Culture). 

More than 15 short films and documentaries directed by students from the GCC region, Iraq and Yemen will be screened today – all of them competing in the Gulf Competition, Students category at the festival. There is also a rich showcase of documentaries, features and shorts by professional Gulf-based filmmakers, as well as international shorts, together competing for a total prize money of over half a million dirhams. 

Documentaries by four UAE and two Iraqi student filmmakers will be screened today from 12 pm at Grand Cinema 7 at Dubai Festival City. These include: Nation and Tribes by Maysoon Al Ali; Maseera by Thabit Al Mawaly; A Car is Just a Car by Marwan Alhammadi; and Rabbit Hole by Fatima Ibrahim (all from UAE), and Gulls of the Peace by Hashim Al Efari and Sing Your Song by Omar Falah (both from Iraq). 

The student shorts to be screened from 12 pm at Grand Cinema 10 include: Style by Sultan Al Hussaini (Oman); Free As a Bird by Malak Quota (USA); The I-Pencil Project by Mohammed Bahadi (Saudi Arabia); Al Seefah by Mohammed Ghanim Al Marri; 11:00PM by Khalid Ali Al Abdulla; and Undergone by Saeed Salem Almas (all from the UAE); and Kanary by Sophia Al Maria; Land of Pearls by Mohammed Al Ibrahim; Um Al Sebian by Wafa Al Saffar (all from Qatar). 

GFF 2011 will also screen the first feature film shot and produced in Qatar, Clockwise, directed by Khalifa Al Muraikhi, which competes in the Gulf Competition, Features segment, from 9 pm at Grand Cinema 5. Inspired by local folk music, the film narrates the story of Saad, who sells old watches in a souk. Through Saad, the film traces the roots of the folk music, which is an integral part of the Qatari heritage. 

Audiences can also watch the feature, Al Raheel Min Baghdad (Leaving Baghdad), to be screened at 6.45 pm at Grand Cinema 9. The Emirati-UK-Iraqi production, directed by Koutaiba Al Janabi, is a road movie shot in Iraq, the UK and Hungary, following Sadik, the personal cameraman to Saddam Hussein. 

An interesting cross-section of films, drawn from the Gulf region, will also be screened today in the Lights segment of the festival, including Qarantina, directed by Oday Rasheed at 9.30 pm at Grand Cinema 4, which tells the tale of crime, passion and childhood innocence set in Iraq; and The Caller by Matthew Parkhill at 6.30 pm at Grand Cinema 8, which reminds us that some calls are best left unanswered. 

GFF 2011 will screen a selection of international films that reflect the contemporary trends in filmmaking at its Intersections segment to be screened from 6.15 pm at Grand Cinema 10. 

GFF 2011 is screening 153 films from 31 nations until April 20. The festival is being held at the InterContinental Hotel, Crowne Plaza and Grand Cinemas at Dubai Festival City. The festival is supported by Dubai Culture & Arts Authority and is held in association with Dubai Studio City. 

The Gulf Film Festival box office is open from 10.30 am to 10 pm daily at the Grand Cinemas Dubai Festival City. All patrons are welcome to up to two tickets per person on a first-come, first-served basis.