There are entries spanning from North/South America to Europe. Here's my list of top 5:
A Fábrica / The Facory (Brazil), 15 mins Director: Alysson Muritiba
An inmate convinces his mother to take a risk smuggling a cell phone for him into the penitentiary.
The Sea is all I Know (USA), 29 mins Director: Jordan Bayne
An estranged couple come to the aid of their dying daughter. The experience sends them spiralling into a spiritual crisis and brutal heartbreak. In the end, an act of selfless love, renews their lives, transcends their loss of faith and even death itself.
Hatch (Austria), 19 mins Director: Christopher Kusching
'Hatch' follows two couples as they make heart-wrenching decisions. As illegal immigrants, one couple must acknowledge they cannot raise their newborn. The second couple, older and more stable, desperately want to welcome a child into their lives. Decisions borne of desperation cause their lives to briefly cross.
Eisblumen / Ice Flowers (Germany), 30 mins Director: Susan Gordanshekan
Amir, a young Bosnian, does not have a residence permit. He fights his secret burden. When out of work, he ends up as a care-giver to Mrs Osterloh, who has dementia. An encounter between two people on the fringe who hold on to each other for a moment and lose one another soon after.
Benjamin’s wife dies in his arms following a long illness. As he contemplates death, a young Japanese woman, gently guides him through his mourning – through a series of symbols and exchanges between two cultures.
I've been hearing some good reviews from people I know that watched it. Not sure if it will make it's way to Dubai soon, but I hope it can be part of Gulf Film Festival in April.
Set in Kuwait, Wonderland: A True Story combines elements from Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass to comment on the Arabic state’s power hierarchy and its similarities with Wonderland.
Fourteen films from Germany, Turkey, Greece, France, Spain, Brazil, Iran and India will compete at this year’s competition. Here's my top 10 list.
Casus Belli, Director Yorgos Zois
Casus Belli focuses on people from all walks of life waiting in seven different queues. The first person of each queue becomes the last of the next one, creating an enormous line. The film won the Orizzonti Competition at the Venice Film Festival and multiple awards at the International Drama Film Festival.
Amsterdam, Director Philippe Etienne
Globally acclaimed short fiction drama Amsterdam follows two young men who realize they are the last two people in the world.
Parigot, Director Mehdi Alavi
Parigot features a know-it-all hobo looking for food in Paris and his prey, a delivery man who will be harder to catch than ever. Both characters will be drawn by those they serve in a conflict that is no longer theirs, under the eye of a merciless metropolis.
Vers Le Nord (Heading North), Director Youssef Chebbi
Vers Le Nord (Heading North) is about two smugglers trying to wrap up a human trafficking deal with the Albanian mafia while they’re lost in the middle of nowhere.
Fakir’s Bicycle, Director Hameed Ayubi
Set in Afghanistan, Fakir’s Bicycle documents a religious scholar who repairs bicycles for a living, working alongside an old bridge in Kabul.
Centipede Sun, Director Mihai Grecu
Centipede Sun is a video poem that documents the contemporary environmental condition.
The Order of Things, Director César and José Esteban Alenda
The Order of Things narrates the tale of Julia, whose life takes place in a bathtub.
The Long Goodbye, Director Javier Ideami
The Long Goodbye is a story of a young man trying to have a last conversation with his dying wife after they meet with a car accident. Winner of ‘Best Song’ at the Jerry Goldsmith Music Awards of the International Music Festival in Spain, the film is guaranteed to soften the most obstinate heart.
Just That Sort of a Day, Director Abhay Kumar
This award-winning experimental film follows people randomly, only to find a common thread among them.
Six Strands, Director Chaitanya Tamhane
Six Strands, partially based on true stories, is a character study inspired by the world famous Darjeeling tea industry and its undisclosed secrets. The film was a winner at the Clemont-Ferrand 2011, the International Film Festival Rotterdam 2011, and the Yes Indian Film Festival, among others.
Experimental filmmaker Gérard Courant, who holds the world record for the longest film ever made, the 156-hour Cinématon, will be in the spotlight at this year's Gulf Film Festival on screens across Dubai Festival City, the venue of this year's festival.
Cinématon, made over 33 years and featuring short, silent self-portraits of more than 2,347 people from all walks of life - from filmmakers including Jean-Luc Godard, Youssef Chahine, Ken Loach and Terry Gilliam to models, comedians, psychologists, historians, artists, academics and even children - all shot with a Super 8 camera in single takes.
The films not only provide a glimpse of Courant’s stylistic ingenuity, but also the breadth of the subjects he has explored. Each film is approximately 3 1/2 minutes long and if watched back to back, it will take you around 6 days to complete all 156 hrs.
Courant is one of the most prolific filmmakers of recent times, with more than 300 films to his credit (including Aditya, 24 Passions, She’s a Very Nice Lady, Shiva, Marilyn, Guy Lux, and Nuns and Rasage), he is also a master of conceptual and lyrical cinema. In addition to Cinématon, his work includes contemplative feature films, films made of still images and negative images, films that revisit a single event over 24 years.
Masoud Amralla Al Ali, Festival Director of the Gulf Film Festival said,
The showcase of Courant’s films is intended to inspire emerging filmmakers to experiment with various media, styles and interpretations and find their own way. Courant and his body of work embody what the Gulf Film Festival is trying to achieve. His films are avant-garde; they defy conventional methods of filmmaking to create works that are in a league of their own. He is relentlessly devoted to his craft, investing time and energy into breaking new ground. He is a fine example for filmmakers trying to find their own voice, and we are delighted to welcome him to Dubai.”
Needless to say, I am very, very, VERY excited about this and will try to watch as many as I can during this festival. As a taster, here are 10 clips I found online (my favourite is Terry Gilliam), you can see more here (the complete Cinématon list can be found in Gérard Courant's website). Watching these clips made me wonder what would I do if I had a camera in front of me for 3 minutes.
The 4th edition of the Gulf Film Festival returns this month from 14th-20th April at Dubai Festival City and will screen more than 150 films, all free to the public.
“The Gulf Film Festival celebrates cinematic excellence in the Gulf, offering a solid platform for regional talent to highlight their competencies. This year, complementing our credo of promoting regional filmmaking, we are also opening doors to showcase international shorts for the first time in the region, which will serve as an interactive experience for participants. Short films are a compelling artform that capture the dynamism of cinema within a short span of time. By inviting international talent to the Gulf Film Festival, we want to highlight the diverse approaches in short filmmaking across the world.” Masoud Amralla Al Ali, Festival Director
Whilst the Dubai International Film Festival is the older and more glamourous sister festival and showcases films from around the world, the Gulf Film Festival is the humble younger sister that focuses on films from the Gulf region and this year will also include films from around he world including non-traditional film markets such as Afghanistan, Lithuania, Gabon, and Kyrgyzstan. If you have not been introduced to films from the Gulf, this is your chance to get acquainted
Here are my top 20 picks of short films, full features and documentaries from/about the region. See you at the festival, front row and centre.
Hamama (UAE) Director Nujoom Al Ghanem
Hamama is nearly 90-years-old, a spiritual healer renowned as a living legend across the United Arab Emirates. Blessed with an incredible gift of healing, she nevertheless has to face her increasing frailty which threatens to impact her work and her livelihood. Her skills are incredibly valuable to hundreds who continue to visit her each day where she lives in Al Dhaid (Sharjah), seeking her essential cures. Yet, Hamama struggles with the responsibility of providing the care that is so greatly needed, while confronting her own personal hardships.
The Philosopher (UAE) Director Abdalla Al Kaabi
Baggio is a successful footballer, martial artist and a pianist living the high life with his fame and fortune. Unfortunately, all of the perfections do not help satisfy that urging need in Baggio to do ‘something’ with his life. So he embarks on himself to drop all his titles and adopt a new title as a – philosopher! But if only things were that easy!
Al Seefah (UAE) Director Mohammed Ghanim Al Marri
"Al Seefah" translates to the word beach in Arabic. A fictional drama that conveys the problems that many UAE nationals face, as explored through the eyes of an old fisherman. With new fishing restriction laws being put into effect, fishermen are struggling to preserve their ancestors' source of living. This film demonstrates how an old fisherman reminisces about the old days when it was possible for anyone to place their fishing nets in the sea without paying fines.
telePhoni (UAE) Director Hassan Kiyany
telePhoni tells the story of a nine-year-old boy who discovers a secret through the first test shots taken on his new iPhone.
Soweer (UAE) Director Saud Merwesh
A traditional game lies between the reality and the imagination.
Letters to Palestine (UAE) Director Rashid Al Marri
Letters to Palestine is a documentary film which gathers the voices of various Arabs who are sending their unread letters to the Palestinian people living under occupation in current day Palestine. It captures the stories which never had the opportunity to reach the homes and the families of the Palestinians living under occupation. From young to old, the Arabs captured in this film have the chance to send their love, their stories, their aching for Palestine to the homes, families and children of Palestine.
Al Kandorah (UAE) Directors Lamya Al Mualla and Maitha Al Haddad
A social commentary on the national attire directed.
Sabeel (UAE) Director Khalid Al Mahmood
Two small boys live with their elderly grandmother in the mountains of the UAE. Spending their days tending their vegetables and then selling produce on the road, they have to earn enough money to buy medicine for their sick grandmother. This sweet, poignant film explores their lives and the world in which they live.
Kanary (Qatar) Director Sophia Al Maria
Kanary is a coming-of-age story about an alienated Qatari teenager (Najla), who rebels against her family and their rules. But when she is caught riding in a car with a boy, a dramatic duel between father and daughter ensues.
A Night to Remember (Saudi Arabia) Director Fahmi Farouk Farahat
Two films by director Fahmi Farouk Farahat’s will be screened at this festival, the documentary A Night to Remember is a docudrama of music and dance set in the holy city of Makkah. His other film, The Corporation is a comedy about working in a mixed-gender office, a rarity in Saudi society.
Maher's Camera (Saudi Arabia) Director Mansour Al Badran
Mansour Albadran’s comedy Maher's Camera follows a talented photographer who decides to participate in a photography competition about tourism in Saudi Arabia and has to face several difficulties.
Photon (Saudi Arabia) Director Awadh Alhamzani
A short documentary about the story of a pioneer photographer, Sufyan Al-Khazraje, who left Iraq to Sweden when he was young. He left with a dream. Later , his art won over Swedish prize for photography 10 times in a raw. It's the journey of a photon, started from a peaceful soul that learned to live in harmony lined up with contradictions forced by absence of home and being in different times and places at the same time.
The Power of Generations (Bahrain) Director Mohammed Jassim
Mohammed Jassim’s thriller The Power of Generations shines a light on the developments that the region has witnessed from the beginning of time. A commentary on progress, its fragility and the importance of maintaining development, the film revolves around a man sitting in a chair in the desert, when the world around him starts to evolve and devolve.
Lulwa (Bahrain) Director Osama Al Saif
Lulwafocuses on the sensitive issue of sexual harassment, from a personal to the community level. The film tells the story of the glamorous Lulwa, who is harassed by a family member as well as a leading community figure, and the repercussions within her family and the reactions of the community at large as the wrong people are implicated in the traumatic incidents.
The Quarter of Scarecrows (Iraq) Director Hassan Ali Mahmood
Flocks of crows attack a rich landowner’s property. The landowner tries a variety of ways to prevent them from eating his harvest. A fierce battle ensues between the two parties with the village children becoming victims of the conflict.
Leaving Baghdad (Iraq) Director Koutaiba Al-Janabi
Leaving Baghdad follows the personal cameraman to Saddam Hussein, as he tries to escape the grip of the regime, while being pursued around the world.
Golakani Kirkuk (The Flowers of Kirkuk) (Iraq) Director Fariborz Kamkari
The Flowers of Kirkuk is the story of a young doctor who must choose between her family traditions and her own dreams in 1980s Iraq.
Fragments of Life and Death (Iraq) Director Mano Khalil
Mano Khalil’s Fragments of Life and Deathshows stories of people who stayed alive by chance after mass killings carried out by the regime.
Goodbye Babylon (Iraq) Director Amer Alwan
Goodbye Babylon tells the story of an American soldier drafted to Iraq whose initial belief in the mission of liberation starts to fade over his three years in the nation
Baghdad Film School (Iraq) Director Shuchen Tan
In 2003, only a few months after the liberation of Baghdad, two Iraqi born filmmakers opened the first independent film school in Iraq. Baghdad Film School is the true story of the first independent film school in Iraq and its students’ struggle to fulfil their dreams of making films in the midst of chaos, fear, death, and hardship.
The Gulf Film Festival is an annual event that aims to celebrate cinema from this region. The third edition of this festival is scheduled to happen from 8th-14th April. It's a great opportunity to watch movies from the Gulf region, which is growing slowly year by year. The festival does include a selection of international film as well.
There is also a competition open to students of all nationalities during their academic study or as part of a college project.
Saturday, April 7, 2012 at 4:45PM 
Still from Hatch 
A social commentary on the national attire directed.
