• 30 nominations for movies screened at DIFF

Dubai, UAE; March 3, 2010: As global buzz for the 82nd Annual Academy Awards (Oscars) gains steam, the Dubai International Film Festival (DIFF) 2009 selection of movies features prominently in the nominations.

In all, movies screened at DIFF have clinched 30 nominations with Nine and Avatar, the opening and closing galas of the festival, respectively, leading the list in sheer numbers for potential recognition.

DIFF Artistic Director Masoud Amralla Al Ali said the recognitions for movies screened at DIFF at both Golden Globes and now the Oscars highlight the top-notch programming associated with the event.

“DIFF is committed to bringing the best of film experiences from around the world. The recognition gained by movies screened in Dubai at the world’s foremost award events highlight the quality of film selection. These films offer an insight into modern filmmaking for the audiences and serve to inspire regional filmmakers.”

While Avatar is top contender for ‘Best Picture,’ Nine gives company in nomination for ‘Art Direction’ and Penelope Cruz billed for the ‘Actress in a Supporting Role.’ Avatar has also won nominations for ‘Cinematography,’ ‘Film Editing,’ ‘Music – Original Score,’ ‘Sound Editing,’ ‘Sound Mixing,’ and ‘Visual Effects,’ in addition to its director James Cameron contending for best direction laurel.

The Hurt Locker, screened at DIFF 2008, gives Avatar a tight chase with nominations for ‘Actor in a Leading Role’ for Jeremy Renner; ‘Cinematography,’ ‘Film Editing,’ ‘Music – Original Score,’ ‘Sound Editing,’ ‘Sound Mixing,’ ‘Writing – Original Screenplay,’ ‘Best Picture’ and director Kathryn Bigelow pitted against Cameron for ‘Directing.’

Nine has won nominations for ‘Costume Design’ as well as ‘Music – Original Song’ for Take it All composed and penned by Maury Yeston. The music awards has a dominance of DIFF movies with Fantastic Mr Fox competing for Music – Original Score with Avatar, and two songs (Almost There and Down in New Orleans by Randy Newman) from The Princess and the Frog giving hot chase for Nine in the category, Music – Original Song.

Fantastic Mr Fox and The Princess and the Frog, both of which made their Middle East premiere at DIFF 2009, have clinched nominations for ‘Animated Feature Film’ while The Milk of Sorrow from Peru and Un Prophete from France contend for ‘Foreign Language Film.’ Il Divo, which was screened at DIFF 2008 in the In Focus – Italy segment, is another nominee for ‘Makeup.’

The winners will be announced on March 7, 2010, with voting by some 6,000 members of The Academy world-wide currently ongoing.

The sixth edition of DIFF had recorded 50,113 admissions for the 168 films screened. The event was held in association with Dubai Studio City. Dubai Duty Free, Dubai Pearl, Emirates Airline and Madinat Jumeirah were the principal sponsors of DIFF and the event was supported by Dubai Culture & Arts Authority (Dubai Culture).

• 2009 selection of GFF movies showcased in 11 global festivals

Dubai, UAE; February 1, 2010: Gulf Film Festival (GFF), the annual event celebrating Gulf cinema, held under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Majid Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Chairman of the Dubai Culture & Arts Authority, is blazing a trail globally with its film selection chosen for film festivals and cultural showcases across the world.

More than 50 GFF movies have screened in 11 key film festival events in 2009 with the festival also serving as the Official Submission Organisation for the Gulf region for 2008 and 2009 Asia Pacific Screen Awards (APSA), the region’s highest film accolade.

Among the key festivals that GFF movies were nominated at include APSA; the Zanzibar International Film Festival; Golden Apricot International Film Festival of Yerevan in Armenia; Ahmedabad International Film Festival in India; Beirut International Documentary Festival (Docudays) and the Beirut International Film Festival in Lebanon; Arab Film Festival in Australia; Arab Film Festival Rotterdam; the Nabeul Cinema Nights in Tunisia; and ‘Days of Gulf Cinema in Palestine’.

GFF Festival Director Masoud Amralla Al Ali said the international acceptance of films screened at GFF, including several movies from the UAE, highlights the marked evolution of Arab cinema as an established entity.

“One of the founding goals of GFF has been to promote Arab film talent and offer a sounding board for their growth and acceptance globally. The global appeal of our film selection is a testament to the success of our vision,” he said.

“GFF serves as a powerful platform for Arab film talent, across the world, to showcase films that are related to the Gulf and Middle East region. This is the first time that a referral point has been set for Arab cinema, and the international film festivals and cultural organisations bank on GFF to identify the best in Arab film creativity,” added Masoud.

Some of the most popular titles across these international film festivals include: The Circle, Henna, Beyond Words, Revenge, When the People Spoke – Part 3, The Loser Bet, The Sound of Life, Finding Mr & Mrs Right, Sunrise/Sunset, Amal’s Cloud, Bint Mariam and The Window, among others.

These include films by directors from Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Iraq, Yemen, Saudi Arabia and the UAE, highlighting the GCC-wide evolution of cinema.

Sunrise/Sunset (Shrouq/Ghroub), a Saudi Arabian production directed by Mohammad Aldhahri, had won the International Federation of Film Critics (FIPRESCI) award for best shorts in the Muhr Arab Awards of Dubai International Film Festival 2009.

Submissions are now open for the third edition of GFF to be held from April 8-14, 2010, presented by Dubai Culture & Arts Authority in association with Dubai Studio City. GCC national filmmakers as well as directors of films that depict life in the Arabian Gulf region can make their submissions online at www.gulffilmfest.com until February 15, 2010.