The post production fund, Enjaaz, will support fiction features and documentaries from Egypt, Morocco, Lebanon, Palestine, Jordan

12 Arab films have been selected to receive funding from the Dubai Film Market’s post production fund Enjaaz.

The 12 titles, which include features and documentaries from Egypt, Morocco, Lebanon, Palestine and Jordan, have been shortlisted from more than 110 entries across 17 countries. They will each receive $100,000 towards the cost of post production.

The post-production fund selects up to 15 films in production annually, with the fund’s second shortlist being announced during the eighth edition of the Dubai International Film Festival, which runs December 7 to 14.

Launched in 2009, DIFF’s Enjaaz programme has supported 20 plus Arab and Arab-origin films including Egyptian inner city drama Cairo Exit, UAE heritage biopic Hamama, Iraqi feature Leaving Baghdad, and Susan Youssef’s Habibi Rasak Kharban which world premiered earlier this month at the Venice International Film Festival and will have its US premiere in Toronto.  

DIFF managing director Shivani Pandya said: “When global events like the Toronto, Venice, Cannes and Berlin film festivals pay increasing attention to the Middle East and its cinema, it makes all the work we put into talent development, mentoring, co-production, post-production and trade and acquisitions worthwhile.”

The 12 films are:

Beirut Hotel, dir Danielle Arbid (France/Lebanon) Fiction Feature

Che Guevara Died in Lebanon, dir Christina Foerch Saab (Lebanon) Documentary

Confession and Struggle, dir Eliane Raheb (Lebanon) Documentary

Doaa… Aziza, dir Saad Hendawy (Egypt) Documentary

Gate No. 5, dir Simon El-Habre (Lebanon) Documentary

Hercule vs. Hermes, dir Mohamed Ulad,  (France-Morocco) Documentary

L’Amante du Rif (The Rif Lover), dir Narjiss Nejjar (Morocco) Fiction Feature

Sector Zero, dir Nadim Mishlawi, (Lebanon) documentary

The Last Friday, dir Yahya AlAbdallah, (Jordan) Fiction feature

The Invisible Policeman, dir Laith Al-Juneidi. (Palestine) fiction feature

Uncle Nashaat, Aseel Mansour. (Jordan/Palestine) documentary

Yamo (Mum),Rami Nihawi, (Lebanon) Documentary