Three Gulf filmmakers are in the running for this year’s coveted $100,000 (Dh367,000) IWC Filmmaker Award, the Dubai International Film Festival (Diff) has announced.
The award, by Swiss luxury watchmaker and Diff, is given to one film project in development, with the winner announced during the film festival.
Going to Heaven, by Emirati director Saeed Salmeen Al Murry, is about an 11-year-old who finds solace from his stepmother in the company of a fish. Al Murry won the Best Emirati Filmmaker at Diff in 2008 for his film Bint Mariam.
Sandfish, by Saudi Arabian filmmaker Ahd Kamel, is set in the UAE in the 1960s and tells the story of an orphan girl being sold to an old man who already has two wives. Ahd is best known for her starring role in the critically acclaimed Wadjda, which was Saudi Arabia’s first entry to the Oscars last year.
The Water, by Kuwaiti director Abdullah Boushahri, is a love story set in Kuwait in the beginning of the last century, long before oil was discovered, about two lovers caught in the midst of a drought.
Hollywood star Emily Blunt will lead a jury of film experts who will consider the script and potential of the projects. The winner of the IWC Filmmaker Award will be announced on December 11.
“The GCC is rich in stories, legends and traditions that are waiting to be told through the medium of film. Thanks to the IWC Filmmaker Award and our partnership with IWC Schaffhausen, we have created a platform that allows both emerging and established Gulf filmmakers to take their projects from script to screen,” said Masoud Amralla Al Ali, the artistic director of Diff.
Diff runs from December 10 to 17. For the full schedule and ticket details, go to dubaifilmfest.com.
