Dubai Film Fest: The Celluloid Oasis

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Parent Category: Film Festivals

Category: Features

Published on Wednesday, 06 February 2013 05:00

Written by Marian Masone

Dubai has to be one of the strangest places in the world.  The world’s tallest building, probably some of the world’s largest shopping malls – including one with an indoor (of course…) ski slope – and every possible business concern can be found here.

Seeing a Starbucks on every corner is no surprise, and neither are the amount of high, high end stores in the malls – YSL, Chopard, Jimmy Choo – but I was amazed to see a Tim Horton’s (well, they do make good donuts), a GNC vitamin shop, and a Tony Roma’s family restaurant on the way in from the airport. So, high end and low end cohabit in this corner of the Arabian Gulf.

Nothing is much older than 41 years, when the Emirates became an entity. Talking to various guests at the film festival, the place has been described as a movie set, Disneyland, Las Vegas (without the booze and gambling) and, by one sharp observer, a giant airport duty free shop. All descriptions fit the bill.

The film festival, which this year held its ninth edition from December 9 - 16, 2012 manages to bridge the gaps that exist among extreme capitalism, Islam and art cinema. While they have a good selection of films from around the world (most/many culled from other international festivals), they support Middle East filmmaking in many ways, including a competition for Mideast films, as well as initiatives for new and emerging producers and directors from the region.

The Dubai Film Connection is the industry market of the festival, aiming to put good projects together with funding sources, and the Connnection itself gives away a good deal of money; this year awards totaled US$100,000.

A highlight of the mideastern films in this year’s edition was Wadjda, notable for being the first film shot entirely in Saudi Arabia, and for having the first Saudi woman director, Haifaa Al Mansour, at the helm. A lovely story of a girl reaching for the stars, Wadjda won a slew of awards including best Arab feature award and best actress (Waad Mohammed). The film has been picked up for U.S. distribution by Sony Pictures Classics, so expect it on a screen near you in the near future.

Other noteworthy films include some other films in the feature competition, as well as choices from around the globe. Among the first features were Chaos, Disorder, a week in the life of an isolated Egyptian village directed by Nadine Khan; When Monaliza Smiled from Jordan, a sweet romance between a shy woman and an Egyptian coworker which uses fantasy sequences to tell their story; Nesma, Tunisian Homeida Behi’s first feature film following a yuppie whose identity has been stolen – or is he being stalked?

In the Asia/Africa section, Ziba, a first feature by Iranian filmmaker Bani Khoshnoudi, examines the alienation of a disillusioned housewife. And in the Arabian Nights section, Detroit Unleaded from US filmmaker Rola Nashef was billed as the “first Arab American romantic dramedy” showing a class system at work within a cultural community.

The filmmakers came from around the region and around the world to present films, to work on future projects and to discuss the future of their cinema. As strange a place as Dubai is, the festival does a full court press to make sure Mideast films are a vital part of world cinema.

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