Gulf Film Festival makes impressive debut

The Festival will take place from April 13 to 18 at Dubai Community Theatre and Arts Center at Mall of Emirates.

More than 200 entries have poured in from filmmakers in the region including Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Oman, Qatar, Kuwait, Iraq and the UAE to compete for jury prizes in the competitive segment. In line with the competition's focus, the entries provide creative testimonies to Arab history and culture, and social issues impacting the Arab community.

The Competition received a higher amount of shorts and documentaries, reflecting an interest in the Arab world in realistic cinema on the many issues facing the region.

Festival Director Masoud Amralla Al Ali spoke on the preparations for the first-time event: "We are pleased to announce we have secured a great line-up of films from the region and would like to thank the talented filmmakers for their enthusiastic response.

GFF is going to be an important platform for Arab film makers to have their voices heard by international industry leaders. The event not only serves as a global arena for the celebration of Arab cinema, it will also provide momentum for the growth of the regional film industry."

The cash prizes for the Official Competition Feature category are Dhs50,000 and Dhs35,000 for first and second prize. First, second and third prizes in the Documentary and Shorts sections stand to win Dhs25,000, Dhs20,000 and Dhs15,000, and the Special Jury Prize is a purse of Dhs20,000.

The GFF aims to develop the local and regional film culture in the Gulf, creating greater opportunities for filmmakers from the Gulf to screen their films and develop future film projects. In celebrating the cinematic excellence of the region, GFF aims to become a destination festival that will showcase what Gulf cinema can offer to the international film community.

Festival accreditation for media and industry professionals from the UAE and abroad is open till the 31st of March.