MEIFF announces new additions to festival program for 2008

Festival Executives Mohammed Khalaf Al Mazrouei, Director General of the Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture and Heritage and Nashwa Al Ruwaini, MEIFF Director and Board Member welcomed their guests at the reception that was co hosted with the Berlinale Co Production Market headed by Sonja Heinen. Nashwa Al Ruwaini announced the new additions to the festival and the dates that the festival will be held this year.

MEIFF will be held this year from 10th-19th October in Abu Dhabi adding four extra days to the festival in order to accommodate for an extended program and more a larger slate of films than were screened last year. Last year's inaugural festival screened over 80 films from more than 30 countries (CHECK THIS IS CORRECT) with hopes of increasing the number this year.

Mohammed Khalaf Al Mazrouie quoted, "We are honored to be attending the Berlinale this year and hope that we can work on mutual cooperation over the next few years with this prestigious festival. I am also looking forward to meeting with many more industry veterans so we can build on our successful first year".

The categories for this year's festival include:

International Competition sections:
Feature Films
Short Films
Student Films (New)
Promos (New)

Out of Competition:
Environmental Films (New)
Bollywood Showcase
Arab Women Directors
GCC Films

Other sections of the festival will include 'A look back in retrospect', 'Homage to a Filmmaker' and Seminars and Exhibitions.

The Student Film section which is included in the international competition and is open to all students from around the world was added to encourage students to build on their filmmaking skills and to give them the opportunity to meet with international filmmakers and film financers. One of the most interesting additions to the festival line up is the new international competition for Promos. Submissions will be accepted for all types of promos including Trailers, TV, Radio, online and print advertising. With this intriguing new addition to the festival advertisers will be given a platform to showcase their work and gain acknowledgment for their achievements and dedication to the advertising world.

Nashwa Al Ruwaini said, "I wanted to give advertisers from around the world an international platform to exhibit their work and give precedence to an often marginalized industry. I enjoy looking at promos and some of the best adverts in history have been the making of international brands and films."

The addition of the section for Environmental Films is one of the most though provoking sections in the festival's programming. It was inspired by Abu Dhabi's dedication to preserving the environment and its wildlife as it has been working on a number of initiatives over the past few years. Environmental films are becoming increasingly popular in the film world with high profile industry players producing films including Leornado De Caprio and Former US Vice President Al Gore.

The international Jury for each competition section will be composed of a President and six members with Jury members yet to be announced. MEIFF prides itself on its prestigious Black Pearl Awards which last year gave out the largest amount in cash prizes totaling more than US $1 million.

This year's Black Pearl Awards will be given for the following categories:

Black Pearl awards for -
Best Feature Film ($200,000)
Best Documentary ($150,000)
Best Animation Film ($125,000)
Best Actress ($75,000)
Best Actor ($75,000)
Best Artistic Contribution ($75,000)
Best Promo ($50,000)

For Short Films the Black Pear Awards include -

Best Fiction Film ($75,000)
Best Documentary ($75,000)
Best Animation Film ($75,000)

For Student films the Black Pearl Awards include -

Best Fiction Film ($25,000)
Best Documentary Film ($25,000)
Best Animation Film ($25,000)

Over the next few months the MEIFF team will be working on their programming and the development of other sections of the festival. The team intends to have a large presence at the Cannes Film Festival later this year.