Showcasing the diversity of Arab films produced throughout the Middle Eastern and North African (MENA) region in the past year, the Doha Film Institute (DFI) today announced the feature films and documentaries that will compete in the 2011 Doha Tribeca Film Festivals (DTFF) Arab Film Competition. Leading the five-member Narrative Film Competition Jury will be […]
Showcasing the diversity of Arab films produced throughout the Middle Eastern and North African (MENA) region in the past year, the Doha Film Institute (DFI) today announced the feature films and documentaries that will compete in the 2011 Doha Tribeca Film Festivals (DTFF) Arab Film Competition.
Leading the five-member Narrative Film Competition Jury will be award-winning Syrian director Mohammed Malas, a filmmaking auteur recognised for his critical and socially engaging cinema.
The 2011 Arab Film Competition will feature a diverse and wide ranging line-up, including seven narrative films and seven documentaries, which centre around childhood and love, the turbulence of revolution, the inner world of Arab life and films which reveal the true nature of the lives of contemporary Arab women. All films at the festival will be subtitled in both Arabic and English, aiming to provide full cinematic access for audiences.
Featuring eight world premieres, the competition, in its second year, has been expanded and split into two juried segments of narrative and documentary films, with a set of new awards up for grabs including: Best Arab Narrative Feature; Best Arab Narrative Director; Best Narrative Performance Award; Best Arab Documentary Feature; and Best Arab Documentary Director. The festival will also feature two audience awards; for Best Narrative Film and Best Documentary with cash prizes of US $100,000 each.
Highlighting the importance of the Arab Film Competition for regional filmmakers, Malas commented: To be selected as jury president is a great honour and also a great responsibility one which I take very seriously- especially with the current changes in the Arab world. The Arab Film Competition is an important tool for supporting and promoting Arab films in this part of the world and providing an important recognition to emerging and established filmmakers. The competition places select regional films up on an international platform, opening up various doors for films to gain exposure and distribution opportunities outside of the Arab World, which remains a fundamental issue within the regional industry.
