The film highlights the heroic defence of Khorfakkan’s people during the invasion in 1507 led by naval commander General Afonso de Albuquerque.
Khorfakkan, a debut film production by Sharjah Broadcasting Authority, has won the Best Feature Film Award at the eighth edition of the Vision Film Festival held in Italy after competing with a large number of international films in this category.
The film is based on a book authored by Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah.
After the film got translated into Italian, it was screened this week at the Vigano Theatre in Rome for the Vision Film Festival audiences.
Mohammed Hassan Khalaf, Director General of the Sharjah Broadcasting Authority, and the executive producer of the work, received the award on behalf of Dr Sultan bin Muhammed Al Qasimi, the writer of the film. The film also won the award for the best direction.
Directed by Irish Maurice Sweeney and British Ben Mole, Sharjah Broadcasting Authority’s debut film production came to life in partnership with Get Go Films Limited. A team of more than 300 people, including Arab and Emirati artists and producers, worked on the film that was shot on the shores, farms, and mountains within the ancient city of Khorfakkan by Irish director of photography, Richard Kendrick. The venues were carefully selected to be as close to the actual sites of the 1507 events, as possible.
The two-hour movie highlights the epic resistance put up by Khorfakkan’s residents during a colonial invasion over 500 years ago. The cast includes distinguished Emirati and Arab actors and an international team specialising in producing historical films.
The film documents the prevailing situation and the local way of life in the city, in addition to showcasing the heroism and undaunting spirit of the city’s ancestors, which shone through the Portuguese invasion.
The film’s cast includes Syrian actor Rasheed Assaf, who plays the character of General Afonso de Albuquerque; Emirati actors Ahmed Al Jasmi, Mohammed Al Ameri, and Dr Habib Ghloum; Syrian Qais Shaikh Najeeb; Mansour Al Fili, Abdullah bin Haidar, Abdulrahman Al Mulla, Mohammad Juma, Ashjan, Bodour, late actor Hameed Sambeej, Qasim Melho, and child artistes, Abdulrahman Al Muraqaba and Abdullah Al Jurn.
The film is currently available as part of inflight entertainment on a number of national and Gulf airlines, in addition to Miraya, the digital platform of the Sharjah Broadcasting Authority.
