Take a chance

Competition is present in some shape or form in almost every aspect of our lives. Whether it's a egg-and-spoon race as tots, an emotion-fraught contest for the most popular girl in school against the guy you used to call your best mate or a decision between which bank offers the most competitive interest rate, we are faced with competition almost everyday.

Competition

So it wouldn't have been right to launch the largest regional film festival for the Middle East without adding that all-important element — competition.

The minds of up-and-coming film directors across the globe must have been racing when they heard about the prize details for MEIFF's first screenplay showdown.

Incentive

Catchy and culturally-titled the Black Pearls, the competition, which is split into three categories — Fiction, Documentary and Short Film — is open to first and second time filmmakers from around the world.

And although the trophy each winner will collect is a jewel itself, having been handcrafted to represent the black pearl, originally found in the shallow waters off the Abu Dhabi coastline, there is a greater incentive: a production grant to ensure the director's next film is financed.

Festival director Jon Fitzgerald said: "This is the biggest prize I have ever seen — especially at a first-time festival. It's totally incredible and an amazing opportunity. We are taking the support of independent filmmakers to another level which is a wonderful feeling.

"We at MEIFF are very proud," he added.

Top spot

Vying for the top spots are 12 independent feature films in the fiction section, along with a further six ready to battle it out in the category for documentaries and 20 short offerings in the short film section.

With a lot to play for and even more to lose, the Black Pearls are almost certain to bring a new level of excitement to rival any film festival the world over.

Here is a rundown of the contenders in alphabetical order: Ben X, Caramel, Echo, Grace Is Gone, La Zona, Lucky Miles, Not By Chance, Owl and the Sparrow, Persepolis, The Counterfeiters, The Good Night and The Milky Way.

The Good Night

Directed: Jake Paltrow
Language: English

Boasting an all-star cast including Danny DeVito, Penelope Cruz and Gwyneth Paltrow, The Good Night deals with Gary Shaller who is at a crossroads in his life. A former pop star who now writes commercial jingles for a living, he experiences a mid-life crisis. Set in London and New York, the film follows a man's search for perfection in a world where life rarely measures up to idealised images.

Although he has a steady relationship with a long-time girlfriend, Gary is bored and dreams often of his idealised perfect woman. One day he meets that dream girl, Anna, forcing him to confront his feelings for his girlfriend head-on. Gary sees in Anna the love, happiness and self-worth that are absent in his real life. Anna is fully committed to Gary sexually, artistically and intellectually, but only in his dreams.

Grace Is Gone

Directed: James C. Strouse
Language: English

There was a time when Stanley Phillips could see his entire life clearly. He dreamed of patriotic service and was destined for a military career. He came close to that dream until it was cut short because of his poor eyesight. Now he's serving customers at a home supply store while his Sergeant wife is fighting in Iraq.

Equally as awkward at home as he is at work, he's raising their daughters, Heidi, their 12-year-old daughter, and 8-year-old Dawn. Though a loving father, Stanley is unable to conform to a more affectionate role, and the girls miss their mother deeply.

The Counterfeiters (Die Faelscher)

Directed: Stefan Ruzowitsky
Language: German (English Subtitles)
Website: www.diefaelscher.at

Ruzowitsky's latest work is the true story of Salomon Sorowitsch (Karl Markovics), counterfeiter extraordinaire and bohemian. After getting arrested in a German concentration camp in 1944, he agrees to help the Nazis in an organised counterfeit operation set up to help finance the war effort.

In the biggest counterfeit money scam of all time, over £130 million (Dh970 million) were printed under conditions that couldn't have been more tragic or spectacular. As the German Reich saw that the end of the war was near, the authorities decided to produce their own banknotes in the currencies of their major war enemies. At the Sachsenhausen concentration camp, two barracks were separated from the rest of the camp and transformed into a fully-equipped counterfeiter's workshop. "Operation Bernhard" was born.

Documentary film

Hear And Now
I Love Hip Hop in Morocco
New Year Baby
Salata Baladi
The Power of the Game
We Are Together

Short Films

And Life Went On
Aquarium
Avatar
Bawke
Bende Sira
Hoy No Estoy
I Met the Walrus
I Want to Be a Pilot
Juanito Bajo El Naranjo
Kemo Sabe
Lightning Doodle Project
Looking Glass
Manon on the Pavement
Red and Blue
Tanghi Argentini
Tattoo
The Brass Teapot
The Luminary
The Phonekeeper
The Tale of How