Gulf Film Festival offers young filmmakers a growth platform, say documentary filmmakers

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 the Dubai Culture & Arts Authority (Dubai Culture), brought together documentary film-makers from across the region to share their views on the Gulf film industry.

The team of documentary makers – young first-timers and experienced professionals – was unanimous in their outlook that the Gulf Film Festival has provided them with a growth platform, with potential opportunities for wider distribution.

Hady Mahoud, the director of Iraqi entry Collapse, which is screened in competition at the festival, said that through his participation in GFF and Dubai International Film Festival he was able to take his film to a global audience in addition to strengthening his skills as a film-maker.

“I am currently working on my first feature script through support from the Dubai International Film Festival, and I expect to begin work by next winter. For us in Iraq, we make films with meager resources and do not even have a theatre infrastructure. Festivals like GFF help us to attract a wider audience.”

Khalid Alzhraou, director of Tonight, Next Week, said Gulf Film Festival offers young filmmakers the opportunity to fulfil their ambitions. “This is a very important festival for the emerging film talent – especially since it covers films from Iraq and Yemen, where directors are in a constant struggle to find resources.”

UAE national Nawar Al Shamsi, Video & Sound Editor of the movie Re-Construction, said that the emerging UAE film industry is also led by young filmmakers tending to take on different and difficult subject matter. “Re-Construction, for example, is about the increasing trend of plastic surgery by national men and women, and we found that while women were more forthcoming, men hesitated to come on camera.”

This year, Gulf Film Festival showcased 111 films from the Gulf region alone. Of the 194 films from 41 countries, there are 128 short fiction, 28 short documentaries, 8 feature fiction, 5 feature documentaries and 25 animation films.

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.