A coming-of-age film about two orphans in Iraqi Kurdistan, who hatch a plan to travel to the US on a donkey to meet their hero Superman, has one the top prize for its director at the Gulf Film Festival in Dubai on Wednesday. Director Karzan Kader walked away with Best Director in the Gulf Feature category for his debut film ‘Bekas’ on the closing night of the sixth edition of the week-long festival, which celebrates cinema from the Gulf.
Another notable win was Saudi Film ‘Wadjda’ which won Best Film, also in the Gulf Feature category. The film, about a young girl in Saudi Arabia who hatches a plan so she can ride a bicycle in her conservative country, stars young actress Waad Mohammed, who received a Special Mention honour. ‘Wadjda’ also won the Best Arab Feature award at the Dubai International Film Festival last year, along with a Best Actress award for Mohammed, and has been honoured at the Venice Film Festival. Zamand Taha and Sarwar Fazil, the two protagonists of ‘Bekas’ were also given Special Mention honoures.
More than Dh500,000 worth of prizes were given out at a ceremony attended by His Highness Shaikh Majid Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum. Other categories included Gulf Shorts, Gulf Student Shorts and International Shorts.
A Gulf News-produced film, about Emirati charity walker Jalal Bin Thaneya called ’Journeyman and the City of Pilgrims’, was also screened during the festival.
A special recognition award was given to veteran Emirati actor Mansoor Al Feeli, for his contribution to the industry in the last two decades.
Here is the full list of winners:
New York Film Academy Award
- • Fatima Al Baloushi
- • Fatema Abdulla
Official Competition: International Shorts:
- • Special Mention: Ivan Bogdanov, Moritz Mayerhofer, Asparuh Petrov, Veljko Popovic, Rositsa Raleva, Dmitry Yagodin For FATHER - Bulgaria, Croatia, Germany
- • Best Director: Natalia Saufert For ANA - Moldova
- • Second Prize: Andrea Iannetta For ALLAH IS GREAT - India
- • Special Jury Prize: Kike Mesa For FUGA - Spain
- • Best Film: Eva Blondiau For DIE SCHAUKEL DES ARGMACHERS (THE SWING OF THE COFFIN MAKER) – Germany
Official Competition: Gulf Students’ Shorts:
- • Special Mention: Latifa Al-Darwish, Sara Al-Saadi, Maaria Assami For BADER - Qatar
- • Best Emerging Talent: Khaled Al Bayati For BALLOONS - Iraq
- • Best Director: Ebrahim Najem Al Rasbi For MOMENTS - UAE
- • Third Prize: Hikmat Al Baidhani and Hedar Jama For 48 SAA’A (48 HOURS) - Iraq
- • Second Prize: Essam Jafar For NISAA MIN TABOOQ (WOMEN OF BRICKS) - Iraq
- • Special Jury Prize: Nawaf Alhoshan For MUJARRAD SOURA (JUST A PICTURE) - Saudi Arabia
- • Best Film: Ebrahim Najem Al Rasbi For MOMENTS – UAE
Official Competition: Gulf Shorts:
- • Best Script: Abdulla Aljunaibi For THE PATH - UAE
- • Best Director: Luay Fadhil For COTTON - UAE, Iraq
- • Third Prize: Bader Alhomoud For SCRAP - Saudi Arabia
- • Second Prize: Jérôme Bleitrach For LA SAINTETÉ (SANCTITY) - France, Saudi Arabia
- • Special Jury Prize: Kamiran Betasi For SILHOUETTE - Iraq
- • Best Film: Kobe Van Steenberghe, Hendrik Verthé For BAGHDAD MESSI - Iraq, UAE, Belgium
Official Competition: Gulf Features:
- • Special Mention: Zamand Taha and Sarwar Fazil For their role in BEKAS - Sweden
- • Special Mention: Waad Mohammed For her role in WADJDA - Germany, Saudi Arabia, UAE
- • Best Director: Karzan Kader For BEKAS - Sweden
- • Third Prize: Haider Rashid For STA PER PIOVERE (IT’S ABOUT TO RAIN) - Iraq, Italy, Kuwait, UAE
- • Second Prize: Wendy Kuan and Zhu Yan For A FALLIBLE GIRL - UK, China
- • Special Jury Prize: Sandra Harms For BEKAS - Sweden
- • Best Film: Roman Paul, Gerhard Meixner For WADJDA - Germany, Saudi Arabia, UAE
