Sep 22 2014
Strong Lineup of Films by Female Directors
53 films to compete across Short Narrative, Short Documentary, Student Short Narrative and Student Short Documentary categories
Abu Dhabi-UAE: 22 September, 2014
Abu Dhabi Film Festival (ADFF) 2014, powered by twofour54, has announced the selection for this year’s Emirates Film Competition (EFC).
The upcoming edition of the competition features a total of 53 films, of which 37 films are directed by women, representing a variety of genres. The line up also features films by Emirati filmmakers such as Nasser Al Tamimi’s “Female Scream”, Nasser Al-Yaqoubi’s “Haneen”, Hassan Kiyani’s “Marwan The Boxer” and Ali Mostafa’s musical “Rise”. In addition, Sarah Al Agroobi’s “Super Lochal” is among the selected films. “Desire” by Hala Matar (Bahrain, starring Johnny Knoxville) has been selected for ADFF’s Short Film Competition along with “Koshk”, directed by Emirati Abdullah Al-Kaabi. These two films will participate in both EFC and the Short Film Competition.
Highly anticipated films from the GCC region include “Now Showing” directed by Abdullah Al Daihani (Kuwait), “Rainbow” directed by Mahmood Al-Shaikh (Bahrain), “623” directed by Shaikha Al-Naimi (Qatar).
Saleh Karama, Director of the Emirates Film Competition, said: “At ADFF, one of our main objectives is to allow students to follow their passion for filmmaking and we also aim to connect aspiring directors with film experts from all over the world. Exposure at film festivals like ADFF will help them gain more fundamentals required for contributing to the region’s film industry.”
Ali Al Jabri, Director of ADFF, added: “We have registered an increase in the total number of submissions over the last year. We are particularly delighted with the significant rise in the number of female filmmakers as well as the great diversity of genres within the submissions themselves. Short films are witnessing a renaissance today and we are showcasing a strong body of work from the region.”
EFC was launched in 2001 and hosts annual workshops, as well as interviews between directors, students, those interested in cinema and film industry.
ADFF was established in 2007 to create a vibrant film culture throughout the region. A key event in Abu Dhabi’s cultural calendar, ADFF features an extensive 10-day programme of Arab and international cinema, complemented by red-carpet premieres, co-production meetings and associated events. Films compete for Black Pearl Awards in the Narrative, Documentary and New Horizons sections of ADFF’s programme.
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For more information, please contact:
William Royce, twofour54: D: +971050 614 6653 , E: william.royce@twofour54.com
About Abu Dhabi Film Festival
Abu Dhabi Film Festival (ADFF), powered by twofour54, is presented each October to help create a vibrant film culture throughout the region. With a focus on Arab cinema and the wealth of emerging and established film talent from around the world, ADFF has become one of the most anticipated cultural events in Abu Dhabi, helping to enhance the emirate as a hub of creativity.
Abu Dhabi Film Festival is committed to curating exceptional programs and engaging and educating the local community with their own and other cultures through the art of cinema. The films of Arab film directors are presented in competition with those of the most respected film-makers from all over the world.
About twofour54
twofour54, the commercial arm of the Media Zone Authority-Abu Dhabi, is a leading media and entertainment hub in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, aiming to nurture the development of creative industries in the region through supporting talent, content development, and young entrepreneurs.
As part of its mission to help Arabs realise their ambitions across diverse media platforms, twofour54 provides financial support, a creativity lab that engages members in creative projects, as well as training and networking opportunities through tadreeb, and world-class production facilities through intaj. All of these services are supported by its end-to-end business services provider, tawasol.
A key contributor to the UAE’s economic growth and diversity, twofour54’s Abu Dhabi campus is home to more than 300 local, regional and international media and creative companies including Ubisoft, Cartoon Network, Sky News Arabia, CNN, Flash Entertainment, Sports 360, Reed Exhibitions, Charisma, Tahadi and Jawaker.
twofour54 powers the Abu Dhabi Film Festival and Abu Dhabi Media Summit annually to drive the development of a vibrant film and entertainment industry. The Abu Dhabi Film Commission (ADFC) is also part of twofour54 and offers international projects incentives such as a 30 per cent cash-back rebate on their first production.
For more information, visit: www.twofour54.com
© Press Release 2014
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