By Samiha S Naaz

Twenty-nine films out of the 155 films arrived in the captial starting today, April 12 to 14 at the Abu Dhabi Theatre on the corniche. The Gulf Film Festival’sf fifth edition will be marked with free documentaries, features and shorts and simultaneously go in both cities, Dubai and Abu Dhabi.The Abu Dhabi screenings is organized in partnership with

Sultan Bin Zayed Centre for Culture & Media and will open on April 12 at 8pm with the opening film of Tora Bora, by the award-winning Kuwaiti director Walid Al Awadi. The weekend screenings will include Gulf Student films, Gulf

shorts films and a feature film daily.The lineup of films for Friday, April 13 comprises of seven films

selected from the official Gulf Student Short competition of the GFF out of which three films are made by Emiratis-Life Spray by Fatema Abdulla Al Nayeh; Cats by Marwan Alhammadi; and London in a Headscarf by Mariam Al Sarkal. Friday’s screenings will close with the 9pm science fiction

feature from Qatar Lockdown: Red Moon Escape by Mohammmed Al Ibrahim and Ahmed Al Baker. Screenings on Saturday, April 14 will kick off with a sceond

set of student films at 3pm. Followed by the screening of two short films shortlisted under the official Gulf competition. The Abu Dhabi screenings will close with Emirati feature film

Amal by Nujoom Al Ghanem at 9pm.

Day 02 - April 11, 2012

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GFF arrives in the capital tonight

GFF DAILY

Walid Al Awadi, director of Tora Bora opening in Abu Dhabi Theatre For more photos, click here

ORGANIZER: MEDIA PARTNER:

Photo Credits: Abeer Moham

ed

WHAT’S ON

By Fathima Layeek

RED HEARTDirector – Halkawt Mustafa A romantic tale based in Kurdistan where

conventional norms need to be altered just for the sake of love, written and directed by Halkawt Mustafa. Red Heart is a romantic drama revolving around two teenagers who are madly in love and their struggle to convince their families to approve their marriage.

In a land, where falling in love is disgraced, Shirin and Soran develop a liking for each and wish to spend their lives together. But what awaits them is a roller coaster of cultural crisis, generation gap and societal dilemma.

I AM A WHITE MERCENARYDirector – Taha Karimi Left on viewer’s discretion, Taha Karimi’s I

am a White Mercenary is the real life account of Saeid Jaf, a mercenary commander of Saddam Hussein’s Iraqi Bath Party. Accused of being involved in the Anfal genocide that killed 182,000 Kurds during Saddam’s regime, Saeid Jaf is put on trial in an Iraqi court for his alleged involvement in crimes against humanity.

The biopic on Saeid Jaf brings to life a grim reminder of the countries inglorious past, but what adds a twist to the tale is Jaf’s humanitarian side and his efforts to save about thousand lives from the massacre. According to Taha Karimi, his film does not portray Saeid Jaf’s negative or positive side; instead the viewers are left to decide for themselves without being opinionated.

UP AND DOWN Director - Bilal Shakr Giving the cycle of life a new dimension, Bilal

Shakr’s Up and Down is a story of life, growth

and death. Divided into three parts, the first part starts with life, for all we know it’s as short as wink of an eye, how life can change in a fraction of a second. The second phase talks about the young and vigorous, the age of desire. The last phase which is an end, end to Life, end to dreams, the ultimate end. Up and Down is one short film that is truly inspired by life.

MESOCAFÉDirector - Ja’far Abd Al- Hamid Set amongst the Iraqi community in London,

Mesocafé is a love story of an active blogger Yousif who leaves his country during the tyrant regime of Saddam in 2003. He then takes refuge in a small café in London. In a bid to draw attention to the consequences of the UN sanction in his country, Yousif travels to London only to find out that the bigger problem his country faces is the war , not a mere UN sanction. With a love interest Basin, he finds solace in her as there are bigger problems to tackle.

Up close and personal with Iraqi filmmakers

By Gurjeet Kaur & Syeda Nawab Fathima

“Iraqi people are very tired and injured, they want peace and calm,” says Iraqi filmmaker Taha Karimi at the 5th Gulf Film Festival. The country of Iraq has seen different phases of never ending violence and Iraqi filmmakers like Karimi believe that this has become a vital part of any story that they want to showcase.

Many films directed by Iraqi filmmakers showcased at the festival have an underlining element of violence like Taha Karimi’s ‘Man Yek Mozdore Sefid Hastam - I Am A White Mercenery’ and Akram Hidou’s ‘Halabja – The Lost Children’ stress on the suffering of people under the oppressive regime of Saddam Hussain.

According to Iraqi director Akram Hidou,

there have been way too many movies shedding light on the plight of the Iraqi people where’ve been through constant violence , rather than focusing on the resilient nature of the Iraqi people to move forward in life.

“It is going to be hard for Iraqi film-makers to get out from beneath this cloud of chronic state of chaos caused due to the various problems in the country. The next generation of filmmakers may be able to focus more on other aspects of Iraqi stories,” according to Ja’far Abd Al Hamid; producer and script-writer of the film, ‘Mesocafé’.

Despite the portrayal of Iraq as an injured society, the filmmakers try to show ray of hope in their films. The slew of films shows the signs of an Iraq, that though severely hit

Real Scars on Reel

Stills from Red Heart. For more photos, click here

Caught on camera by Manipal Dubai TV - Iraqi Filmmakers . Click here

By Rabab Kazi

“A producer needs to be creatively talented and financially aware,” says Dr Angus Finney; journalist, editor and now

a producer at Two Four 54 Tadreeb, a professional media training academy in Dubai. But this does not come effortlessly. The business of making films is intricate as it was highlighted in the Production Management workshop as part of the Gulf Film Festival 2012.

Producers are the crucial ingredient to the mix that goes into making successful films. It is these individuals who must perform various tasks, right from locating a script to hiring a director, to making sure the film sees the light of day. “A

producer must have the taste, the nose and the gut for a good story,” says Finney. They are an intensive lot who pour their hearts and souls into their projects, with very little in return and in the case of independent filmmakers, they create a product right from scratch with little help from the production companies. For the big wigs, production is a tricky trade too, as everything from the idea, to the final product must ultimately appeal to the audience.

Packaging a film is essential to ensuring it is sold and distributed in one, if not numerous markets. According to Finney, “Packaging is not the outer look, glossy ads and posters that make a film. The package is the very core of the film- the

script, the producer, the director, the budget and the cast.” It is the arrangement of this package that will either make or break a film. The person in charge of the package is the producer. In the trade of making films, producers remain the key element to creating a product for the audience. By understanding the package available, a skilled producer can create a film that works creatively and financially too.

Production management then, is not a clear science with tried and tested formulas. It is more like a game where you must understand the players- the product, the financiers and the audience of a film and make them play for your team.

Festivals, financiers and film markets are where the producers head on to, after completion of their films. Selling a film is nearly half as important as making it. As Finney said, “If a film repays its budget, it will make money every year through internet streaming, TV rights and more. If you get to the point that you can repay your money, you’re in business.”

We go the cinemas to experience the magic. With the right producer and the right technique, any film can do just that.

By Fathima Layeek

It’s a zombie ruckus this year at Gulf Film Festival 2012, with movies featuring the “living dead” premiering for the very first time in the

U.A.E; one such horror flick debuting this year is Isa Swain’s, Hassad al Mota (Envy the dead). Envy the dead is an enthralling horror movie with conventional

zombie hue and cry. Written and directed by Isa Swain, the film revolves around a lone survivor of a zombie pandemonium that

plagued the entire city, and his encounters through the deadly wreckage. Set up in Abu Dhabi, with post production in Bahrain, Envy the

dead is a distinctive zombie movie and the very first of its kind in the Middle East. While in conversation with Swain on his directorial debut, he seemed very pleased with his accomplishments as the very first Arab filmmaker to direct a zombie movie in the region. “I have a deep liking for horror,” said Swain when asked why he had

chosen this genre of filmmaking. “Horror is a way of talking about things without talking about them, Horror is all about metaphor, and everything in horror represents essentially something human.” Swain explained. When asked what inspired him to make the very first zombie movie

in the gulf region, Swain claimed his love for horror especially zombies along with the fact that it was never done before drove him to make the first Arab horror film. Uncertain of the immediate reaction from the viewers, Swain hopes

his directorial venture; Envy the Dead grabs as much attention as possible. Praising Gulf Film Festival for providing enough exposure to the budding film makers, Swain added GFF was the first to acknowledge his work in the Middle East.

For more on the director click here for the videoCatch the film @ Grand Festival Cinemas #12 Monday, 16 April: 15:00-16:00

Look out for the walking dead at GFF’12

By Maria Hussain

“Documentary makes people live the experience”,says Tareq Yosef Aldakheelallah, director of Snap Shot: A

Trekking Man, a film part of the Gulf Student’s Shorts Competition at GFF 2012.

The 17 minute documentary unfolds the journey of Jalal Bin Thaneya, an Emirati activist who undertook a walk to

Mecca from Abu Dhabi, UAE, in order to raise funds and social awareness for people with special needs. The director, Tareq Yosef, walks with him for a day to learn more about the man and his journey.

As a Saudi filmmaker, Yosef believes there is hope for Saudi cinema. There is massive support from the youth regarding the changing perspective of films. “It’s all a matter of time”, he says.

Yosef developed the idea of the documentary through the social networking platform, Twitter where Jalal Bin Thaneya kept people informed about his journey.

Tareq Yosef is now working with Jalal Bin Thaneya,to expand the film into a feature length documentary to be shot in the UAE. Satisfied with the final outcome, he still feels it could have been better. “Even if one person likes it, it is more than enough,” he enthuses.

ONE-ON-ONE WHAT’S NEXT?April 12, 2012

13:15 Meet the filmmakers –UAE Students (Filmmaker Lounge)

20:00 GFF in Abu Dhabi – Opening Ceremony (Abu Dhabi theatre)

00:00-2:00Gulf Nights Forum : Silent Light (Filmmakers lounge)

April 13, 2012

10:00-12:30 Gulf Script Market Individual Sessions (Suites)

15:00-17:00 Gulf Script Market Pitching Coaching Sessions (Suites)

For Film Screening Schedule click here

INDUSTRY WORKSHOPS

VIDEO CLIPS

Publication by the Media and Communcations Department, Manipal University Dubai Executive Editors: Joseph John, Sabir Haque Managing Editor: Megna Kalvani Technical In-Charge: Sambhram Pattanayak

Production Designers: Chris D’Souza, Khadija Shabbir Proofreader: Zainab Akbarali

Production Management: Key to Creating a Successful Movie

Snap Shot: A Trekking Man at GFF 2012

Red Carpet Opening Ceremony catch the action...

#GFF12

In Conversation with Isa Swain. Photo By: Chris D’souza