As the sixth Gulf Film Festival, celebrating films and filmmakers from, and in the Gulf, kicks off on April 11, tabloid! picks it’s top films not to be missed.
Wadjda (Opening film + Official Gulf Feature Competition)
Director: Haifa Al Mansour
This cute Saudi film, about a young girl who hatches a plan in order to buy and ride a bicycle, was a bigger winner at the Dubai International Film Festival last year. Organisers it seems haven’t had enough. The film is back this year with a prime time slot as opening film.
*Showing at 8pm at Grand Cinemas 5 (Entry is invite-only).
A Fallible Girl (Official Gulf Feature Competition)
Director: Conrad Clark
From British director and writer Conrad Clark comes this thought-provoking if not stark film about two Chinese women who decide to set up a mushroom farm somewhere in Dubai. Things don’t go as planned as the two women are confronted by tragedy and have to figure out how to reconcile with fate and life in a foreign country.
*Showing on April 16 at 9pm at Grand Cinemas 4 and April 17 at 2.30pm at Grand Cinemas 2.
Baghdad Messi (Official Gulf Short Competition)
Director: Sahim Omar Kalifa
If you missed this film at the Dubai International Film Festival last year, here’s another chance to watch the heartwarming tale about a one-legged football-obsessed Iraqi boy called Hamoudi. Rejected at his neighbourhood football matches because of his disability, a result of war, the eight-year-old’s only means to find acceptance is via the TV set his father owned. But right before a crucial match, the rickety set breaks down. Determined to win, Hamoudi and his father journey through conflict-ridden Baghdad to have it repaired.
*Showing on April 16 at 5.30pm at Grand Cinemas 6 and April 17 at 11.30am at Grand Cinemas 8.
Bekas (Official Gulf Feature Competition)
Director: Karzan Qader
Another big winner at last year’s Dubai International Film Festival, this is a story about two homeless orphans in Iraqi Kurdistan who decide to travel to the US to find their hero Superman. The only problem is they have no means and their only option for travel is a donkey called Michael Jackson. A story of hope and determination and dreams, this film will remind you that often in life, it’s about the journey and not the destination.
*Showing on April 13 at 6pm at Grand Cinemas 2 and April 15 at 2.30pm at Grand Cinemas 6.
Calcutta Taxi (Official Selection, Intersections)
Director: Vikram Dasgupta
The city of Calcutta (now, Kolkata) in West Bengal, India, has 34,000 taxis. That is the premise of this fast-paced drama where three lives come crashing into each other during a time of political unrest in the city. Each of them are in search of something they’ve lost. When they find it, they must reconcile with the fact that it might not be the thing they’re looking for.
*Showing on April 12 at 2.15pm at Grand Cinemas 10 and April 13 at 9.30pm at Grand Cinemas 10.
Murk Light (Official Selection, Light)
Director: Yasser Al Yasiri
From the Abu Dhabi Film Festival to the Tribeca Film Festival in New York, UAE-based director Yasser Al Yasiri’s film has gone places. And now, Dubai audiences will have another chance to see this coming-of-age tale about two friends who set off on a bus journey together but with very different purposes. Set in the 60s and shot entirely in Ras Al Khaimah, the film is among 59 films shortlisted for the Tribeca Film Festival, which starts on April 17. If it wins, it will qualify for consideration in the Short Film category at next year’s Oscar awards.
*Showing on April 16 at 5.30pm at Grand Cinemas 6 and April 17 at 11.30am at Grand Cinemas 8.
Moments (Official Gulf Student Short Competition)
Director: Ebrahim Najem Al Rasbi
Somewhere in the UAE, two friends find the courage to go to a ‘magical’ well where they reminisce about a dead friend. As they come face to face with memories of a dearly beloved they’ve lost, they both look for the strength to move on. Emirati director Ebrahim Najim Al Rasbi paints a moving picture in this short shot in Ras Al Khaimah.
*Showing on April 12 at 6pm at Grand Cinemas 9 and April 14 at 2.45pm at Grand Cinemas 10.
The Sons of Two Suns (Official Selection, Lights)
Director: S.A. Zaidi
Here’s a science fiction film to watch out for. Some time in the future, the city of Dubai is devastated by two suns burning over the horizon. In the emptiness, three survivors come out to find proper shelter and survive under the hostile conditions. Directed by Dubai-based S.A. Zaidi, the trailer for the post apocalyptic film was recently showcased the Middle East Film & Comic Con in Dubai. This will be the film’s premiere, which has been more than a year in the making.
*Showing on April 14 at 6pm at Grand Cinemas 2 and April 16 at 2pm at Grand Cinemas 7.
The Orphanage (Official Selection, Lights)
Director: Mohammad Al Otaiba
From the head of Image Nation Abu Dhabi himself comes this horror film about a journalist who goes looking for an answer when several children end up in an orphanage. Funded by the Abu Dhabi Film Commission, expect nice production values and a chill down your spine.
*Showing on April 13 at 6pm at Grand Cinemas 6 and April 15 at 2pm at Grand Cinemas 9.
It’s About to Rain (Official Gulf Feature Competition)
Director: Haider Rashid
An Algerian immigrant and his two sons struggle to come to terms with the fact that their adopted country, Italy, does not want them any more. Torn between the prospect of going back to a country they’ve never known and a country which is doing its best to show them out, director Rashid paints a poignant picture of the reality of our world today, of belonging and of the determination to stick to what we believe is our right.
*Showing on April 14 at 9pm at Grand Cinemas 4 and April 16 at 5.15pm at Grand Cinemas 9.
