Fifteen films from the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Oman, Qatar, Kuwait, Yemen and Iraq will be screened at the Malmo Arab Film Festival, Sweden from September 23 to 27, 2011. A still from the film Sabeel The films, which include shorts, features and documentaries, are part of a special showcase presented by the Dubai-based Gulf […]
Fifteen films from the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Oman, Qatar, Kuwait, Yemen and Iraq will be screened at the Malmo Arab Film Festival, Sweden from September 23 to 27, 2011.
- A still from the film Sabeel
The films, which include shorts, features and documentaries, are part of a special showcase presented by the Dubai-based Gulf Film Festival (GFF). All the films have screened in previous editions of GFF.
The Malmo festival, based in Swedens third-largest city, is organised by the Arabian Scandinavian Cultural Centre (FADO), which works to promote dialogue and improve relationships between the Arab and Scandinavian cultures through initiatives in literature, education and the arts; and to support and engage Arab expatriate youth in Sweden.
Three films will also compete for honours at Malmo: Emirati director Khalid Al Mahmoods Sabeel, the story of two young boys in Ras Al Khaimah tending and selling vegetables to help their ailing grandmother; Hamama, Nujoom Al Ghanems documentary about a 90-year-old female healer and living legend from Al Dhaid; and Iraqi filmmaker Koutaiba Al-Janabis Leaving Baghdad, a road movie that follows the personal cameraman to Saddam Hussein.
Other UAE films in the GFF showcase include: Ali Mostafas feature film City of Life, which depicts the parallel worlds that exist simultaneously in Dubai; Moath Bin Hafezs Constructing Dreams, a documentary on construction workers and the momentary joys in their otherwise routine lives; director Naser Al Yaqoobis Mountain Sheik, which narrates the story of UAE men and their resolution; Elham Sharaf and Hind Al Hammadis Finding Mr. & Mrs. Right: Dubai Style, in which Dubais new generation talks about the search for their perfect match; and Jamal Salims Slow Death, the story of an expatriate grave digger determined to be buried in his adopted home.
Speaking about the festival, Mouhamad Keblawi, Palestinian filmmaker and director of Malmo Arab Film Festival, mentioned: Having started out 10 years ago as a festival dedicated to celebrating Arab cinema, the Malmo Arab Film Festival has witnessed remarkable involvement of talent, underling the evolution of a vibrant Arab film industry. We are pleased to celebrate an eclectic array of feature, documentary, and short films that embody the spirit of creativity.
Masoud Amralla Al Ali, festival director, Gulf Film Festival, commented: Swedens Malmo Arab Film Festival showcases some of the finest Arab films in the world, and is a wonderful opportunity for emerging and established talents to access an entirely new audience. Each of these films has the power to change cultural misconceptions and popular stereotypes by revealing the reality of the modern Arab world.
