ABU DHABI // Thirty-seven of the 53 films to be screened as part of the Abu Dhabi Film Festival’s Emirates Film Competition (EFC) have women directors. Of the films in the EFC, 22 were shot by Emiratis, including 13 women.
The festival, sponsored by Abu Dhabi’s media zone authority twofour54, runs from October 23 to November 1, 2014.
“We have registered an increase in the total number of submissions over the last year,” said Ali Al Jabri, director of ADFF.
“We are particularly delighted with the significant rise in the number of female filmmakers, as well as the great diversity of genres within the submissions. “Short films are witnessing a renaissance today and we are showcasing a strong body of work from the region.”
Works by Emirati filmmakers to be shown include Nasser Al Tamimi's Female Scream, Nasser Al Yaqoubi's Haneen and Hassan Kiyani's Marwan the Boxer. Emirati Sarah Alagroobi's Super Lochal is also among the chosen films.
Some films, such as Bahraini Hala Matar's Desire, which stars Johnny Knoxville, and Koshk, directed by Emirati Abdulla Al Kaabi, will feature in the EFC and ADFF's own Short Film Competition.
“At ADFF, one of our main objective is to allow students to follow their passion for filmmaking,” said Saleh Karama, director of the EFC.
“We also aim to connect aspiring directors with film experts from all over the world.
“Exposure at film festivals like ADFF will help them gain more fundamentals required for contributing to the region’s film industry.”
ADFF was launched in 2007, and EFC has been going since 2001, when it was one of the first contests in the UAE to support film production in the Arabian Gulf region.
But it has grown to become one of the biggest platforms for local and regional filmmakers to show and share their work and experiences.
Each year, the EFC hosts workshops, screens international shorts and publishes profiles of prominent international filmmakers and books on filmmaking themes.
It organises interviews between directors, students and film buffs.
ADFF has evolved to become an important event in the capital’s cultural calendar. It features a 10-day programme of Arab and international cinema, red-carpet premières, co-production meetings and associated events.
Films compete for Black Pearl Awards in the Narrative, Documentary and New Horizons sections.
This year's ADFF will be opened by Emirati director Ali F Mostafa's From A to B on October 23. The film, produced by Image Nation Abu Dhabi, which is owned by The National's parent company, Abu Dhabi Media, is the long-awaited follow-up to his successful 2009 debut City of Life.
From A to B tells the tale of three Arab youths who travel from Abu Dhabi to Beirut to honour the memory of a dead friend. Disney's latest animated film, Big Hero 6, will close the festival.
Last year’s festival at Emirates Palace hotel, had more than 200 screenings of 92 feature films, including 35 films produced in the UAE.
newsdesk@thenational.ae
