‘Gulf Nights’ sets the tone for serious discussions on regional cinema at Gulf Film Festival

The third edition of the Gulf Film Festival, held under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Majid Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Chairman of Dubai Culture, is hosting ‘Gulf Nights,’ a gathering of film professionals and media to discuss the various aspects of regional cinema and further strengthen its outreach and appeal.

‘Gulf Nights’ will host a series of sessions including ‘Co-Workers Panels’ and ‘Workshop Panels’ to promote constructive discussions and enhance the relationship between the festival and the guests. Every night a specific topic will be addressed at length.

Masoud Amralla Al Ali, Festival Director, said Gulf Nights plays a key role in promoting the objective of Gulf Film Festival to foster dialogue among all its stakeholders. “It is extremely important that various views are brought to the table, and an integrated approach evolved to further strengthen the outreach of Gulf cinema.”

Salah Sermini, Gulf Nights Organiser and Coordinator and Consultant to Gulf Film Festival, added that the topics being discussed have been carefully selected in view of the current trends and evolution of the regional film industry. “We plan publish the outcome of the discussions as a book that will provide unique insights into the Gulf film industry.”

On April 9, the first ‘Gulf Nights’ session will discuss on the objectives and scope of Gulf Film Festival, and the extent of support it provides to regional filmmakers. The session to be held from 12 am to 1.30 am will be moderated by Masoud and Salah. Hassan Haddad from Bahrain, Khalid Rabee from Saudi Arabia and Issam Zakaria from Egypt will take part in the discussions.

On April 10, from 12 am to 1.30 am, Egyptian film professional Mahmoud Qasem will head the session on ‘Issues with Arabic Cinema Critique.’ Evaluating the objectivity of film critics and the culture of cinema criticism in the Arab world are Ibrahim Al Haj Abdi from Syria, Hovik Habashian from Lebanon and Mustapha Al Musinawi from Morocco.

The third ‘Gulf Nights’ session on April 11, from 12 am to 1.30 pm, will put the spotlight on Iraqi cinema, and will be led by Orfan Rashid. Discussing the various facets of Iraqi cinema are Iraqi filmmaker Mohammed Al Daradji, Huda Ibrahim and Nader Adli.

On April 12, the session will focus on ‘The Cinema Experience in the Gulf from 2000 to 2010’ and the last session of Gulf Nights on April 13 will be centred on ‘Khaleeji 2010 – Movies and Discussions.’

The Gulf Film Festival, being held until April 14, is supported by Dubai Culture and is held in association with Dubai Studio City. More details on the festival are available online at www.gulffilmfest.com.