Abu Dhabi: A star-studded week of red carpet glamour, inspiring conferences and not forgetting great film wrapped up on Sunday night at the Dubai International Film Festival closing ceremony.
The seventh annual event has seen A-listers including Colin Firth, Colin Farrell, Ed Harris, Jim Sturgess, Beau Garrett, Kelly Brook, Emma Caulfield, Carey Mulligan and Peter Weir grace the red carpet.
The festival, held at the Madinat Arena, confirmed its credentials as the leading festival of the Arab world, Africa and Asia, with a line-up of 157 films from 57 countries, and didn’t disappoint. With 41 world premieres, 13 international premieres, 58 Middle East premieres and 32 Gulf premieres, the options were endless.
This year the Muhr Awards - with categories for Arab, Emirati, Asian and African cinema - handed out a total prize fund of $575,000.
Introduced in 2006 the Muhr Awards has so far honoured 65 filmmakers, producers and actors as well as facilitated in raising the profile of the winners at an international level.
The in-competition Muhr Awards scooped a record 848 entries this year, with the Muhr Arab segment drawing 62 feature films, 228 short films, and 113 documentary films. The Muhr AsiaAfrica competition, dedicated for filmmakers from Asia and Africa, similarly received 445 entries, encompassing 136 feature films, 199 short films, and 110 documentary films.
The Festival’s new Muhr Emirati competition, introduced to further strengthen and recognise rising Emirati talent, received 25 feature films, short films, and documentaries.
Full list of winners:
Muhr Emirati:
First Prize: Nayla Al Khaja for MALAL (BORED) - UAE
Second Prize: Khalid Al Mahmood for SABEEL - UAE
Special Mention: Waleed Al Shehhi for REEH (WIND) - UAE
Special Jury Prize: Nujoom Al Ghanem for HAMAMA - UAE
Muhr Asia-Africa Documentary:
First Prize: Jia Zhang-Ke for HAI SHANG CHUAN QI (I WISH I KNEW) - China
Second Prize: John Akomfrah for THE NINE MUSES - Ghana, UK
Special Mention: Ashvin Kumar for INSHALLAH, FOOTBALL - India
Special Mention: Shahin Parhami for AMIN - Iran, Canada, South Africa
Special Jury Prize: Ariane Astrid Atodji for KOUNDI ET LE JEUDI NATIONAL (KOUNDI AND THE NATIONAL THURSDAY) - Cameroon
Muhr AsiaAfrica Short Films:
First Prize: Nargiza Mamatkulova for SOIKO (THE EARRINGS) - Kyrgyzstan
Second Prize: Jong-chul Park for UNFUNNY GAME - South Korea
Special Jury Prize: Chih Yi Wen for SLEEPING WITH HER - Taiwan
Muhr AsiaAfrica - Feature
First Prize: Mahamat-Saleh Haroun for UN HOMME QUI CRIE (A SCREAMING MAN) - France, Chad, Belgium
Special Jury Prize: Oliver Schmitz for LE SECRET DE CHANDA (LIFE, ABOVE ALL) - South Africa, Germany
Best Actress: Kobra Hasanzadeh Esfahani for MARHAM (SALVE) - Iran Best Actor: Youssouf Djaoro for UN HOMME QUI CRIE (A SCREAMING MAN) - France, Chad, Belgium
Special Mention: Lee Min-Ji for JIMSEUNG UI KKUT (END OF ANIMAL) - South Korea Best Cinematography: Sayombhu Mukdeeprom and Yukonteorn Mingmongkon for LOONG BOONMEE RALEUK CHAAT (UNCLE BOONMEE WHO CAN RECALL HIS PAST LIVES) - UK, Thailand, Spain, Germany, France
Best Composer: Jonny Greenwood for NORWEGIAN WOOD - Japan
Best Editor: Marie-Helene Dozo for UN HOMME QUI CRIE (A SCREAMING MAN) - France, Chad, Belgium
Best Screenplay: Mohsen Abdolvahab for LOTFAN MOZAHEM NASHAVID (PLEASE DO NOT DISTURB) - Iran
For Muhr Arab - Feature
First Prize: Georges Hachem for RSASSA TAYCHEH (STRAY BULLET) - Lebanon
Best Actress: Bushra for 678 (SIX, SEVEN, EIGHT) - Egypt
Best Actor: Maged El Kidwaany for 678 (SIX, SEVEN, EIGHT) - Egypt
Special Jury Prize: Mohammed Al Hushki for MUDON AL TRANZIT (TRANSIT CITIES) - Jordan
Best Cinematography: Xavier Castro for PEGASE (PEGASUS) - Morocco
Best Composer: Essam Rafea for MATAR AYLOUL (SEPTEMBER RAIN) - Syria
Best Editor: Hicham Saqer for MICROPHONE - Egypt
Best Screenplay: Jillali Ferhati for DES L'AUBE (AT DAWN) - Morocco
For Muhr Arab Documentary:
First Prize: Mahmoud Al Massad for HATHIHI SWRATI WA ANA MAYET (THIS IS MY PICTURE WHEN I WAS DEAD) - Netherlands, USA, UAE
Second Prize: Soudade Kaadan for SAQF DIMASHQ WA HYKAYAT AL JANNAH (DAMASCUS ROOF AND TALES OF PARADISE) - Syria, Qatar
Special Mention: Iman Kamel for BEIT SHA'AR (NOMAD'S HOME) - Egypt, Germany, Kuwait, UAE
Special Mention: Abdallah Al Ghoul for TATHKARA MIN AZRAEL (TICKET FROM AZRAEL) - Egypt, Germany, Kuwait, UAE
Special Jury Prize: Omar Sharqawi for FRA HAIFA TIL NOERREBRO (MY FATHER FROM HAIFA) - Denmark
For Muhr Arab Short Films:
First Prize: Sabine El Chamaa for UN MARDI (A TUESDAY) - Lebanon
Second Prize: Halima Ouardiri for MOKHTAR - Canada
Special Jury Prize: Abdenour Zahzah for GARAGOUZ - Algeria
