Slices of life at Gulf Film Festival

The Documentaries in competition will vie for the First, Second and Third Prizes. The films represent the cream of Gulf talent, with the greatest number this year originating from Iraq.

Adasat Maftouha fil Iraq (Open Shutters Iraq) chronicles a photography project where women from five cities in Iraq train together in Damascus. As they train, they discuss their struggles, loves and betrayals, and experiences of war. This film explores how traumatised people can resist the 'un-making' of their world and assert their existence through creativity. Iraqi-British director Maysoon Pachachi is a founding member of London-based Women's Action For Iraq.

Hayat Ma Baad Al Sukut (Life After the Fall) follows Iraqi director Kasim Abid's return to Baghdad in 2003. Shot over the next four years, the film charts the optimism of 2003 descending into despair as the country struggles with growing anarchy. The film won Best Film at the Munich International Film Festival and a Golden Hawk Prize at the Arab Film Festival in Rotterdam in 2008.

Memory and Roots documents the life and memories of the Iraqi writer Ghayib, who lives in exile. The film shows his struggle against the powers that suppress the collective memory of his nation, documented by filmmaker Farouk Dawod.

When the People Spoke-Part 3 is a fascinating glimpse into the Kuwaiti electoral process, following candidates in the election in which women participated for the first time, by award-winning Director Amer Alzuhair. His previous documentary, "When the People Spoke - Part 2," won First Prize at the 2008 Gulf Film Festival.

Two other films explore the beauty and atmosphere of special spaces: Jaber Alwan, by Kais Al-Zubaidi, asks about the source of Jaber Alwan's inspirations, following the theme of colour from a studio in Rome to an old traditional house in Damascus and Faisal Al Otaibi's The Fort explores the similarities between life and a fort.

Four short documentaries delve into identity and loss. Only A Beginning is a 19-minute visual diary tracing filmmaker Noor Hamidaddin's journey in life a Muslim woman in the Arab world, using archival and experimental imagery. What I've Lost, a Canada-Iraq co-production by Duraid Munajim, follows fifteen Iraqi refugees living in Jordan who share the loss they have experienced since the start of the Iraq war. Koutaiba Al-Janabi's Against the Light is a portrait film about Mahmoud Sabri, an Iraqi artist in exile. Jamal Amin's Virus deals with a spontaneous weekend trip of five Iraqi friends. The minibus in which they travel breaks down, but the friends begin to push it forward in spite of their disagreements.

The Gulf Film Festival is in its second year. For more information on show times and screening locations, please consult the festival website.