DIFF buzz 2014: Sandfish still moving forward

Saudi filmmaker Ahd Kamel. Courtesy Odd Camel Films
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Saudi actress Ahd Kamel may have missed out on the IWC Filmmaker Prize at this year's Dubai International Film Festival with the hotly-tipped script for Sandfish, for which she'll direct, but she won't be any less busy over the next few weeks as a result.

Kamel tells us that she'll be heading straight from DIFF to Amman, where she'll be continuing to film scenes for Rattle the Cage. Kamel says: "It's a real pan-Arab film with crew from all across the region, including the Emirati director Majid Alansari".

For Sandfish, based on the Emirati author Maha Gargash's debut novel, meanwhile, the road ahead also looks bright. Creative producer Alessandre Priante says: "Of course we were honoured to be put forward for this year's IWC award, but it was never a central focus of our funding plans, just an unexpected bonus. This is a genuine international co-production, with real European and international interest in an Emirati, almost uniquely female-led project, which is an amazing thing, and nothing changes in terms of the film going forward."

cnewbould@thenational.ae