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« Reply #2 on: September 21, 2010, 01:41:10 AM » |
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Big prizes for short films in Abu Dhabi
A staggering 1,334 entries from all over the world were sent in for this year’s Emirates Film competitions, organisers said Monday. They will compete for individual prizes ranging in value from $2,700 (Dh9,917) up to $25,000 (Dh91,830).
Nearly 90 of these films have been shortlisted for screening at the Abu Dhabi Film Festival, which is being held from October 14 to 23. They will compete in two categories, the Emirates Competition and the Short Film Competition. Both award prizes to short narratives and documentaries, providing vital support for this important, but underfunded format.
Competition Director Ali Al-Jabri said the vast majority of entries dealt with the human experience. “Generally speaking, we can say that the films were primarily of a humanitarian character, portraying human spirit in the face of life’s problems and pressures,” he said in a press note to Emirates24|7.
Short filmmaking is a particularly febrile area in film, serving both to train young directors as well as allowing established filmmakers to experiment with new ideas. However, they are traditionally a difficult format for commercial release and are often restricted to festival programmes.
“Above all, short films should be seen as a fully-fledged cinematic art form, which engenders particularly imaginative kinds of storytelling. Short films offer a level of artistic freedom that is irresistible, even to famous filmmakers and actors. The fact that many of them are more than happy to get involved in short films for next to no financial reward is a telling sign of what an intriguing format this is,” said Peter Scarlet, Executive Director of the Abu Dhabi Film Festival.
Al-Jabri said the region’s filmmakers would benefit from being screened at the festival, adding that the event would provide filmmakers from the UAE and other Gulf countries with greater exposure through an international platform for regional film culture. “This will make local filmmakers feel more connected and give them an incentive to think even deeper and work even harder,” he said.
“A short film can be a catalyst for feature-length films,” he added, offering the example of Nawaf Al-Janahi, who made his first feature film, “The Circle”, after several shorts.
Established names
“A short film is like a calling card,” added Alice Kharoubi, selector and programmer of the Short Film Competition. “Through a short, a filmmaker has to express a message in a very sharp and powerful way. From experience, the short film scene is where new talents are discovered, which is important for the development of the film industry.”
Some well-known names also feature in this year’s competition, Kharoubi said. “Sometimes [established filmmakers] really like a story and it just fits perfectly in a short format. One of the selected films, ‘The Second Battery Attack’, is directed by Carlos Cuarón, an influential producer who has also directed several films. Of course, if you are such a well-connected producer, you can get the actors you want, so Kirsten Dunst stars in his film. Another example is ‘Le Rodba’, a comedy I am very enthusiastic about. It is the first short film by Hafsia Herzi, the acclaimed young French-Tunisian-Algerian actress, and it has its premiere at the festival.”
Each contest will give away Black Pearl Awards to films in five categories, including special awards for short documentaries, narratives, student films and scripts.
Eissa Saif Rashed Al Mazrouei, the festival’s Project Director said winners would benefit from a full spectrum of support, including publicity and prizes, networking opportunities and year-round mentoring.
The Abu Dhabi Film Festival (formerly the Middle East International Film Festival) was established in 2007, with the aim of helping to create a vibrant film culture throughout the region.
Fledging filmmakers in the spotlight
ABU DHABI // Filmmakers will have more opportunities to gain international exposure and forge career-changing contacts at the Abu Dhabi Film Festival next month, organisers said yesterday.
This year, the regional Emirates Competition falls under the festival’s umbrella, a move that will boost networking possibilities, said Peter Scarlet, the festival’s director.
“The festival is all about meetings on every level,” he said. “Not just in the formal sense, but those chance encounters and unexpected connections.
“In previous years, the Emirates film competition has been separate from the main event. This year, it is all taking place under the same tent so filmmakers from all over the GCC will have better opportunities to meet globally respected filmmakers.”
The full short list for the competition was revealed yesterday at the Abu Dhabi Theatre on the breakwater, which was also revealed as the competition’s new screening venue.
The competition, which has been running since 2001 to foster Emirati and GCC filmmaking, with a focus on the region’s culture and history, will present 16 of the festival’s Black Pearl Awards.
Ali al Jabri, the head of the competition, said he had received 134 submissions this year that had been whittled down to 47 in the narrative, documentary and student categories.
Mr al Jabri also predicted the new partnership with the festival would have “a lot of fruitful results”. “This is the chance for the spotlight to be put on Emirati filmmakers,” he said. “They will see actors, critics and industry insiders who they have not seen before.”
Ahmad Zain, who has been writing films for more 10 years, said his technique had improved along with his entries to the festival.
His films Gheamt Shroog, a short narrative about a group of boys who skip a day of school, and Father Grant, a documentary about an elderly woman who refuses to leave her farm in the Al Ain desert because it was a gift from Sheikh Zayed, the founding President of the UAE, are both on the competition’s short list and eligible for prize money of up to Dh35,000.
Mr Zain said the festival has helped move Emirati cinema forward. This year’s event runs from October 14 to 23.
“The competition and the festival helps us a lot to know about cinema,” he said. “There are many benefits. Last year, for example, I met many directors from Egypt and Syria and we talked a lot about Arab filmmaking. I also met Europeans who helped me understand the foreign film market. It was very useful.”
Mr Zain’s film Seashells won the jury prize for Best Short Film at the 2008 competition and was shown at Cannes last year. He said such international exposure was invaluable.
“It is very important for us because we want to make cinema here in the UAE and we are constantly improving. We have many films already and more to come. I’m sure in 10 years’ time, we will be regularly making feature films as popular as City of Life.”
Also revealed yesterday was the short list for the Short Film Competition, which offers US$120,000 (Dh440,790) prize money across seven Black Pearl awards.
A regular part of the festival since 2008, the short film competition accepts entries from all over the world, including students. One-quarter of the selected films are from the Middle East and 14 from women filmmakers.
Alice Kharoubi, the programme’s director, selected 44 submissions from 1,200 entries in 25 countries. One of the most notable entries was The Second Bakery Attack, based on a short story by the Japanese author Haruki Murakami, directed by Carlos Cuarón and starring Kirsten Dunst.
She also pointed to Le Rodba, a comedy that is the first film by the French Tunisian actress-turned-director Hafsia Herzi, as one not to miss.
Eissa Saif al Mazrouei, the festival’s project director, said the main objective of including the Emirates Competition into the main festival was to support Emirati youth in as many ways possible.
“We believe this is the best way to create motives and incentives for young and aspiring mentors in this country,” he said. “We hope to continue to encourage and inspire them.”
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