Abu Dhabi announces winners of Emirates and Short Film Competitions

This year marked the first time that the ten-year-old Emirates Competition was formerly part of the Abu Dhabi Film Festival. The five-person jury was headed by Tunisian director and screenwriter Nouri Bouzid. The competition is open to films from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, as well as those that have a strong focus on the region’s history and culture (see full list of winners below).

The Abu Dhabi Film Festival also announced the winners of the first edition of the Emirates Script Competition, which handed out three prizes worth a combined $18,000 to Emirati filmmakers to work on their scripts.

The festival also holds a Short Film Competition which is open to short films from all over the world. The top prize in this section, for best narrative short, went to Tunisia’s Shiraz Fradi for Album. The second prize was split between The City With A Dirty Face, by the UK’s Peter King, and Cinema Azadi from Iran’s Mehdi Torfee.

The three-person jury included director Shirin Neshat, actress and poet Suheir Hammad and director Ali Mostafa (City Of Life).

The Black Pearl Awards for feature-length films will be handed out at a ceremony tonight (Oct 22).

EMIRATES COMPETITION WINNERS

SHORT NARRATIVES:

Best Short Narrative (First Prize, AED 35,000) – GHEAMT SHROOG, directed by Ahmed Zain (UAE)

Best Short Narrative (Second Prize, AED 30,000) – ONE MORE DAY, directed by Chaker Ben Ahmed (Bahrain)

Best Short Narrative (Third Prize, AED 25,000) – NIGHT GUARD, directed by Fadel Al Muhairi (UAE)

Jury Prize (AED 30,000) – CLOTHESLINE, directed by Essa Al Janahi (UAE)

Best Emirati Short (AED 35,000) – SHHH, directed by Hafsa Al Mutawa and Shamma Abu Nawas (UAE)

Best Scriptwriter (AED 20,000) – GHEAMT SHROOG, directed by Ahmed Zain (UAE)

Best Cinematographer (AED 10,000) – DAKEN, directed by Bader Al-Homoud (Saudi Arabia)

SHORT DOCUMENTARIES:

First Prize (AED 30,000) – THE QUEEN, directed by Hadi Shuaib (UAE)

Second Prize (AED 25,000) – COASTAL LAWS, directed by Ebrahim Rashid Al-Dosari (Bahrain)

Jury Prize (AED 25,000) – OF FISH & MEN, directed by Rola Shamas (UAE)

STUDENT SHORT NARRATIVES:

Best Student Short Narrative (First Prize, AED 25,000) – SHHH, directed by Hafsa Al Mutawa, Shamma Abu Nawas (UAE)

Best Student Short Narrative (Second Prize, AED 20,000) – I LOVE YOU, CHAMPS ELYSEES, directed by Mahdi Ali Ali (Qatar)

Best Student Short Narrative (Jury Prize, AED 20,000) – NEW CINDERELLA, directed by Eva Daoud (UAE)

STUDENT SHORT DOCUMENTARIES:

Best Student Short Documentary (First Prize, AED 25,000) – LADY OF THE ROSARY, directed by Sarah Rougani and Shorooq Shaheen (Qatar)

Best Student Short Documentary (Second Prize, AED 20,000) – PETTY DREAMS, directed by Tariq Al Makki (Qatar)

Best Student Short Documentary (Jury Prize, AED 20,000) – ME IN MY COUNTRY, directed by Shorooq Shaheen (Qatar)

EMIRATES SCRIPT COMPETITION

Best Script (First Prize, AED 30,000) – EBNAT AL QADR, by Mohammed Al Hammadi

Best Script (Second Prize, AED 25,000) – MAKTOOB, by Amal Abdulla

Best Script (Third Prize, AED 10,000) – FAN ATLINTIGA, by Fatma Al Mazrouei

SHORT FILM COMPETITION 2010

Best Narrative Short ($25,000) – ALBUM, directed by Shiraz Fradi (Tunisia)

Best Documentary Short ($25,000) – THE CITY WITH A DIRTY FACE, directed by Peter King (Uk) and CINEMA AZADI, directed by Mehdi Torfee (Iran)

Best Short from the Arab World ($25,000) – THE LAST PASSENGER, directed by Mounes Khammar (Algeria)

Best Animated Short ($15,000) – TORD & TORD, directed by Niki Lindroth Von Bahr (Sweden)

Best Student Short (First Prize, $15,000) – THE FIFTH COLUMN, directed by Vatche Boulghourjian (Lebanon)

Best Student Short (Second Prize, $10,000) – THE BIRTHDAY, directed by Luiza Pârvu (Romania)

Best Student Short (Third Prize, $5,000) – DEAF ROCK N’ROLL, directed by Cristian Pascariu (Romania)

Special Jury Mention (Short Narrative) – RITA, directed by Fabio Grassadonia and Antonio Piazza (Italy)