Dubai International Film Festival 2012: The Winners

Dubai International Film Festival 2012: The Winners

Posted on Tuesday December 18, 2012, 16:56 by Simon Braund in Under The Radar

The last weekend of the festival was launched in fine style on Friday with a gala charity dinner in aid of Dubai Cares and Oxfam, an annual event that last year raised over $1 million. Held at the Armani Hotel - or rather, on the terrace of the Armani Hotel - at the Burj Al Kalifa, the world’s tallest building and \ jewel in the crown of downtown Dunai’s sci-fi skyscrapers. The event was held under the patronage of UN Messenger of Peace HRH Princess Haya Bint Al Hussein, wife of HH Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai.

Other lumanaries on hand included longtime Oxfam campaigner Colin Firth and wife Livia; Sex And The City star Kristin Davies; Slumdog Millionaire’s Frida Pinto; and The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo herself, Rooney Mara.

Items in the charity auction included several pieces of exclusive jewelry, an original oil painting by Nasser Ovisi and an opportunity to see Oxfam ambassador Scarlett Johnansson play Maggie on the opening night Cat On A Hot Tin Roof in New York. Also on offer was the red Valentino dress worn to the 2012 Oscars by Livia Firth. Getting into the swing of things, Frieda Pinto put up the Valentino dress she was wearing that night (although, sadly, she did not offer to hand it over on the spot), and Colin Firth donated his tuxedo, a dashing Paul Smith number. Empire was tempted to bid, but a 28” waist and a 46” chest is hard to accommodate.

The festival, which screened films from over 60 countries, covering 43 languages, officially closed on Sunday with the Muhr Awards ceremony at the Madinat Arena. The Muhr Awards distribute over $600,000 to filmmakers from the region, and this year attracted 83 films to the competition. The winners were as follows:

People’s Choice Award (an unprecedented two-way tie):
Benjamin Renner, Stéphane Aubier, Vincent Patar - ERNEST AND CELESTINE: France
Karzan Kader - BEKAS: Sweden

The annual Prize Of The International Critics For Arab films (from the International Federation of Film Critics (FIPRESCI), the world’s foremost body of film writers, academics and critics from over 60 countries)
Best Documentary: Khaled Jarrar - MUTASALILUN (INFILTRATORS): Palestine, UAE
Best Short: Amr Abdelhadi - HOMMA AAILIYA (FAMILIAL FEVER): Jordan
Best Feature: Djamila Sahraoui – YEMA: Algeria, France, UAE

Muhr Emirati
Best Director: Abdulla Aljunaibi and Humaid Alawadi - THE PATH: UAE
Special Jury Prize: Muna Al Ali – DURBEEN: UAE
Best Film: Juma Al Sahli - RAAS AL GHANAM (THE GOAT’S HEAD): UAE

Muhr Asia Africa Shorts
Best Director: Nargiza Mamatkulova - ZHYMZHYRT (SILENCE): Kyrgyzstan
Special Jury Prize: Taalay Kulmendeiev - ZHYMZHYRT (SILENCE): Kyrgyzstan
Best Film: L. Rezan Yeşilbaş - SESSIZ-BE DENG (SILENT):Turkey

Muhr Asia/Africa Documentary
Special Mention: Sourav Sarangi - CHAR… THE NO-MAN’S ISLAND: India
Special Mention: Mosco Kamwendo - CAMARADA PRESIDENTE (COMRADE PRESIDENT): Zimbabwe
Best Director: Wang Bing - SAN ZIMEI (SAN ZIMEI – THREE SISTERS): France, Hong Kong
Special Jury Prize: Mohsen Amiryoussefi, Pirooz Kalantari - KAHRIZAK, CHAHAR NEGAH (KAHRIZAK, FOUR VIEWS): Iran
Best Film: Nishtha Jain, Torstein Grude, Signe Bryge Sorenson - GULABI GANG: India, Norway, Denmark

Muhr AsiaAfrica Feature
Special Mention: TELEVISION - Bangladesh
Best Actress: Aida El-Kashef - SHIP OF THESEUS: India
Best Actor: Engin Günaydın - YERALTI (INSIDE): Turkey
Best Director: Kim Ki-duk –PIETA: South Korea
Special Jury Prize: Nicholas Bruckman - VALLEY OF SAINT: India
Best Film: Zeki Demirkubuz - YERALTI (INSIDE): Turkey

Muhr Arab Shorts
Best Director: Fyzal Boulifa - THE CURSE: UK
Special Jury Prize: Ghassan Kairouz - KHALFI SHAJAR ALZAYTOUN (BEHIND ME OLIVE TREES): Lebanon
Best Film: Murray Bartlett - NOOR: Egypt, USA

Muhr Arab Documentary
Special Mention: Farah Kassem - Abi Youchbeh Abdel Nasser (MY FATHER LOOKS LIKE ABDEL NASSER) - Lebanon
Best Director: Hinde Boujemaa -YA MAN AACH (IT WAS BETTER TOMORROW): Tunis
Special Jury Prize: Mohanad Yaqubi, Sami Said - MUTASALILUN (INFILTRATORS): Palestine, UAE
Best Film: Khaled Kaissar - SCHILDKRÖTENWUT (THE TURTLE’S RAGE): Germany

Muhr Arab Feature
Special Mention: Alexandra Kahwagi - her role in ROUND TRIP - Syria, UAE, Germany, France, Egypt
Best Actress: Waad Mohammed - WADJDA - Germany, Saudi Arabia, UAE
Best Actor: Amr Waked - EL SHEITA ELLI FAT (WINTER OF DISCONTENT) - Egypt
Best Director: Kamal El Mahouti - MON FRÈRE (MY BROTHER) - France, Morocco
Special Jury Prize: Dina Farouk - HARAG W’ MARAG (CHAOS, DISORDER) - Egypt
Best Film: Roman Paul, Gerhard Meixner - WADJDA: Germany, Saudi Arabia, UAE

Great to see Wadjda, Empire’s pick of the festival, scoop top prize in the prestigious Muhr Arab competition; and a well-deserved Best Actress award for 13-year-old Wadjda star Waad Mohammed. Other films to keep an eye our for - Detroit Unleaded, a charming rom-com from director Roma Nashef set in a Lebanese-owned gas station in the Motor City; Ship Of Theseus, a sprawling spiritual epic from master Indian director Anand Ghandi; and Officer Down, a dark neo noir starring Stephen Dorff, Dominic Purcell and James Woods that, according to director Brian A Miller, has echoes of Memento and The Usual Suspects. The film had its world premiere at DIFF.

Of the festival’s non-fiction films Jeremy Xido’s Death Metal Angola was a personal favourite, a superbly made, riveting documentary that deserves a wider audience. Tag line: ‘The Hardest Hardcore Is Angolan Hardcore’. Believe it.

The awards ceremony was followed by a lavish desert party (i.e. a party far out in the desert, rather than one exclusively serving pudding) featuring local live music, a DJ specially imported from New York, a terrific fireworks display and a mind-boggling array of food and drink . In short, exactly the kind of hospitality the Arab peiople are famous for. And with that it’s shukran and tisbah ala-kheir, or thank you and goodnight, from DIFF 2012.