The Gulf Film Festival is a yearly event that provides filmmakers from the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Iraq and Yemen, with the chance to screen their films, and gives us a chance to be shocked. Yes, shocked, and in the best of ways; what the festival really does is show you the region through the eyes of its most creative, most daring artists. Expect films on everything from the evolution of plastic surgery in the Middle East to social fissures in the Arab world. As festival director Masoud Amralla Al Ali says, ‘The films you will see here are small, honest, authentic and, in most cases, fringe. They might not prick up the ears of investors, but that does not lessen their power or importance.’
This year’s fest focuses on France’s experimental legend Gérard Courant, but will also host Gulf-wide competitions, and, for the first time, an international shorts contest. Outside of that, you’ll still find plenty to view, with everything from comedy to horror on the menu. And, as a special treat for filmmakers, there will be workshops and lectures, as well as a class with renowned Iranian director Abbas Kiarostami, who will be passing on his expertise and giving students the chance to shoot a one to five-minute film.
All films are free. Films run noon-midnight at Grand Cinemas in Dubai Festival City. See www.gulffilmfest.com for information
The Desert Angels
Director: Khalid Al Kalbani (Oman)
Genre: Documentary drama
Synopsis: A man tries to leave a life of racial discrimination and be part of a new world where he can live happily with his daughter. Difficulties arise, and he soon has to leave his daughter to the desert to follow his dream.
Hamama
Director: Nujoom Alghanem (UAE)
Genre: Documentary
Synopsis: The story follows the personal and social challenges of 90-year-old healer and local legend Hamama. The film originally screened at the Dubai International Film Festival in 2010, and won the Special Jury Muhr Emarati award.
Kanary
Director: Sophia Al-Maria (Qatar)
Genre: Drama, fantasy, western
Synopsis: A UAE premier, Kanary is a coming-of-age story about an alienated Qatari teenager 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.
Sabeel
Director: Khalid Al Mahmood (UAE)
Genre: Family drama
Synopsis: The only Khaleeji film to be selected for screening at Berlinale 2011, Sabeel is about two boys who grow vegetables and sell them on the roadside, to support their ailing grandmother. The road is their living, and the road will determine their destiny.
The Singer
Director: Kassem Hawal (Iraq)
Genre: Musical, political thriller
Synopsis: A singer is expected in the palace for the dictator’s birthday celebrations. The festivities commence, but the singer’s car collapses on the road. After many difficulties he finally manages his arrival, but his delay has provoked the dictator’s anger.
Interview with Gérard Courant
Gérard Courant is an independent filmmaker born in Lyon, ‘where cinema was invented’. His body of work is massive, and includes more than 300 films. While he’s dabbled in everything from acting to poetry, he’s most famous for Cinématon, the world’s longest film – currently at 156 hours, with no end in sight. Head to the festival and you might even get the chance to be in it: rumours that the Frenchman will be adding to his massive reel are in healthy circulation.
How do you feel about coming to the UAE?
I look forward to discovering a new country, new culture, a new audience and I am eager to know how my films will be received. I always tried to find a universal language and I hope the public will be receptive to my films, even if they are off the beaten path.
What are your plans for Cinématon in the UAE?
I never have pre-established plans for the filming of Cinématon. As always, chance meetings are essential. I hope to meet a lot of film and art personalities of the area and of world cinema. Everything will be decided on the spot; shoots of Cinématon should happen naturally.
Is there an end in sight?
The goal is just to build Cinématon, an anthology of film portraits of artistic and cultural personalities, all filmed under the same rules: a big silent clip of three minutes and 20 seconds, in which every person is free to do what they want with the camera. It’s been going on for 33 years, because it’s fun and because I enjoy it. If the fun were to ever disappear, I’d stop, but as it is I cannot imagine the end of this work, because I don’t plan that far ahead. I never know what I’m doing in a few days, let alone months or years. This is a philosophical attitude in life, and it allows me to be totally free. I refuse to have a plan for the future because it would suppress and bother me.
Is Cinématon most of your body of work?
Cinématon lasts 156 hours, but all my movies, including film series, feature films, short films and my film diary, last a total of 430 hours. So Cinématon represent only 36 per cent of all my films.
