Dubai International Film Festival will present two Arab films a year for Golden Globe Awards consideration, they announced on Tuesday.
Diff, now in its 13th edition, will submit the films to the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA) in Los Angeles in two weeks.
The HFPA, a non-profit organisation of reporters that was founded in 1943, held the first Golden Globes in 1944. In 2006, Paradise Now by Hany Abu Assad became the first Arab film to win a Golden Globe. It won in the category of Best Foreign Language Film.
On November 14, Mohammad Diab will present his thriller Clash for consideration, while Assad Fouladkar will present his comedy Halal Love.
“The Golden Globes are one of the greatest iconic awards honouring film excellence and this kind of recognition is key to raising the profile of Arab cinema on the world stage. Mohammad Diab and Assad Fouladkar are great examples of outstanding Arab talent who have both made hugely compelling features and who truly deserve the acclaim they have been receiving,” said Abdulhamid Juma, Diff Chairman.
Clash is Diab’s second feature film. It opened at Cannes Film Festival earlier this year and is Egypt’s entry to the 2017 Oscars. The film takes off two years after the 2011 revolution in Egypt, and follows a group of people from different backgrounds who were thrown into the back of a police truck for investigation.
Halal Love, Foulkadkar’s second feature film, is Lebanon’s entry to the Oscars. It held a world premiere at Diff last year. It tells three separate but intertwined stories of unhappy couples, impacted by religion, jealousy and love.
Nominations for this year’s Golden Globes will be announced on December 12. The ceremony will be held on January 8.
