Three Emirati filmmakers to capture the Soul of Dubai

Three Emirati filmmakers have been commissioned to make short films by the Dubai Culture & Arts Authority (Dubai Culture), the Emirate’s dedicated Authority for culture, arts, and heritage.

The Authority’s new cultural initiative is titled Soul of Dubai and is set to portray the dynamic growth of the city as well as its cultural diversity and heritage. The inaugural ‘Soul of Dubai’ focuses on film, with Dubai Culture commissioning Emirati filmmakers to capture on screen the cultural essence of the city.

The selected filmmakers include Ali M Mostafa, Nayla Al Khaja and Khalid Ali whose films will be screened at the 2013 edition of the Gulf Film Festival (GFF), held under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Majid Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Chairman of Dubai Culture.

“The three filmmakers selected for the inaugural ‘Soul of Dubai,’ represent the rich cinematic talent in the UAE, who are the forefront in driving the growth of an Emirati film industry. By exploring the varied facets of Dubai, they will provide audiences with vivid insights into the cultural and arts scene of the city, underlining Dubai’s position as a thriving artistic and cultural destination,” said Salem Belyouha, Project & Events Director, Dubai Culture & Arts Authority.

Ali M Mostafa’s Don’t Judge a Subject by its Photograph is set in Dubai’s buzzing art scene, as gallerist Maha tries to make a good impression on Indian writer Bobby Dhillon, Dubai’s infamous art critic.

Recently, Mostafa won the award for ‘Best Emirati Filmmaker’ at the 4^th Dubai International Film Festival (DIFF). In addition his debut feature film City of Life will feature at the sixth edition of the Festival.

Nayla Al Khaja’s The Neighbor is the story of an anorexic girl, who is new to the city of Dubai, and finds herself struggling with low self-esteem and loneliness, when a simple human act from her neighbor changes her perspective in life and opens her appetite for hope.

She is the first woman film producer in the United Arab Emirates and is the producer, director, and CEO of D-Seven Productions. Her film Malal was the first Emirati-Indian film and was extensively shot in Kerala. It won her Winner of ‘Best Script’ at DIFF 2010. She is also recognised by Arabian Business as one of the ‘500 Most Powerful Arab People’ in 2012.

Khalid Ali’s Night shines the light on the vibrant city of Dubai, its pulsating spirit, identity and simplicity. But within the city resides the innocent dreams of an Emirati family preparing for Hag Alilah, despite the challenges that they face, underlining how joy and sorrow can both be found even in the most obstinate of times.

He has won numerous accolades for his short films, which explore hard-hitting topics including drugs and terrorism. Using film as an outlet to tackle social issues, Ali also directs TV-movies, in addition to work across the region’s theatre circuit.

“While the inaugural phase of ‘Soul of Dubai’ focuses on film, the Authority will broaden the initiative’s horizon and branch out to cover the remaining disciplines of art including visual arts, performing arts, and literature, providing an all-encompassing outlook of the city’s cultural facets to a global audience,” concludes Belyouha.