Posted by editor@vimooz.com on October 20, 2009 under Middle East International Film Festival (MEIFF) | 
Black Pearl Award for Best Narrative Film – Hipsters (Stilyagi), directed by Valery Todorovsky (Russia)
The Closing Ceremony for the third annual Middle East International Film Festival (MEIFF) was held at the Emirates Palace Hotel on Saturday evening. During the ceremony, celebrity guests including Naomi Watts, Eva Mendes, Orlando Bloom, Mahmoud Hemeda, Biyouna, Khaled Abol Naga, Golshifteh Farahani and Sawsan Badr presented the 2009 Black Pearl Awards to the winners of MEIFF’s competitions. The awards were the culmination of 10 days of cinema, with 128 films screened. Seventeen Narrative Features, fourteen Documentary Features, twenty-five Short Films, and ten Student Shorts competed for Black Pearl Awards.
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Tags: 10 to 11, 11'e 10 Kala, A Torch for Peace, Al Zaman Al Baqi, Alicia Laguna, Bahman Ghobadi, Being Here, Double Take, Elia Suleiman, Franny Armstrong, Glendyn Ivin, Hamed Behdad, Hipsters, İki Dil Bir Bavul, Johan Grimonprez, Last Ride, Mohamed Zran, No One Knows About Persian Cats, Norteado, Northless, On the Way to School, Orhan Eskiköy, Özgür Doğan, Pelin Esmer, Rigoberto Pérezcano, Sonia Couoh, T. C. McLuhan, The Age of Stupid, The Frontier Gandhi: Badshah Khan, The Time That Remains, Valery Todorovsky
Posted by editor@vimooz.com on October 15, 2009 under Middle East International Film Festival (MEIFF) |
In its third year, Abu Dhabi’s Middle East International Film Festival (MEIFF) is already making a huge splash. This year’s festival runs October 8 - 17.
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Posted by editor@vimooz.com on October 7, 2009 under Middle East International Film Festival (MEIFF) |
The Traveler (Al Mosafer)
The Middle East International Film Festival (MEIFF) will run from October 8 to 17 with a lineup of feature-length narratives and documentaries that will compete for Black Pearl Awards worth over $1 million.
MEIFF’S Narrative Feature Competition comprises 18 films, including two World Premieres, SON OF BABYLON (Ibn Babil) by Mohamed Al-Daradji (Iraq) and TRUE COLORS (Bil Awan Al Tabiyya) by Oussama Fawzi (Egypt), and one International Premiere (screening for the first time outside its country of production), COOKING WITH STELLA by Dilip Mehta (Canada).
Another film in the narrative competition, THE TRAVELER (Al Mosafer), a debut film written and directed by Ahmed Maher, and starring Omar Sharif, Khaled El Nabawy and Lebanese singing star Celine Abdel Nour in her first major film role, will be screened as the Opening Night Gala.
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Posted by editor@vimooz.com on November 20, 2008 under Middle East International Film Festival (MEIFF) |
It has been exactly a month since the UAE capital witnessed the glamorous closing ceremony of the second edition of the Middle East International Film Festival (MEIFF), held in Abu Dhabi from 10th — 19th October at the Emirates Palace and organized by Abu Dhabi’s Authority for Culture and Heritage (ADACH).
“The event proved to be very successful in its second edition,” said Mohamed Khalaf Al Mazrouei, MEIFF’s Vice Chairman and ADACH’s Director General. “It positioned itself among the most important industry events in the region, and this has been amply proved by the amount of visitors and the amount of interest shown in it.”
MEIFF 2008’s ten days of cinema screenings and events concluded with 152 movies and 186 screenings being shown in five Abu Dhabi venues. A total of 76 feature films and 34 short films from over 35 countries competed for the MEIFF 2008 Black Pearl Awards.
During the festival, four books were launched at the MEIFF ‘Book Conferences’ whilst panels for the Research Circle discussed specially-prepared papers on “The Film Industry in the Arab World”, looking at the industry across the whole of the Arab world. In addition there were three panel discussions highlighting ‘Environmental Filmmaking’, the ‘Palestinian Cause in Cinema’ and ‘Muslims’ image in TV and in the Cinema’ which were highly attended by interested media and key people in the industry. The MOST panel and Environmental panel proved to be much more successful than expected highlighting a need for more discussion and action on these topics in the region.
The event also staged an exhibition for the late, celebrated, Arabic film Director Youssef Chahine who passed away last July. As a result the exhibition will now travel to Tunisia and Egypt.
Audience interest in this year’s event registered a noticeable increase on last year with 15,000 people purchasing over 50,000 tickets with sales of all-screening passes topping the 220 mark.
The Festival also generated extraordinary interest from local, regional and international media with 480 registered press from 22 countries - made up of 358 Non-Arabic language press and 122 Arabic language press. In terms of guests, MEIFF received a total of 443 industry guests at MEIFF.
“We are extremely proud of the success we have generated this year,” said Nashwa Al Ruwaini, Director of MEIFF. “It is no surprise, however, because we have worked so hard to accomplish our goals, believing that if there is a will there is a way, we recruited the best professionals from the region and from beyond in order to assure a world class festival”.
“I would like to extend our sincere appreciation to everyone who contributed to this success including sponsors, supporters, media, and — of course - our staff. Everyone, regardless of their role has strived to make it happen. However we have to remember that this success adds to our responsibilities to work even harder for next year’s edition,” she concluded.
[via MEIFF]
Posted by editor@vimooz.com on October 20, 2008 under Middle East International Film Festival (MEIFF) |
T
he official Black Pearl Awards ceremony for the second annual Middle East International Film Festival (MEIFF), organized by the Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture and Heritage ADACH) was presented at Emirates Palace on Sunday 19th October.
The awards were the culmination of ten action-packed days of cinema, with 152 movies and 186 screenings shown in five Abu Dhabi venues. A total of 76 feature films and 34 short films from over 35 countries competed for the MEIFF 2008 Black Pearl Awards.
MEIFF 2008 Black Pearl Award Winners:-
The Black Pearl for Best Narrative Film - $200,000
Disgrace
Director: Steve Jacobs. Producers: Anna Maria Monticelli, Emile Sherman, Steve Jacobs
The Black Pearl for Best Documentary - $150,000
Stranded
Director: Gonzalo Arijon. Producer: Marc Silvera
The Black Pearl Special Jury Prize- $125,000
Youssou N’Dour: I Bring What I Love
Director and Producer: Elisabeth Chai Vasarhelyi
The Black Pearl for Best Actress - $75,000
Fawzia: A Special Blend
Actress: Ilham Shaheen
The Black Pearl for Best Actor - $75,000
Wild Blood
Actor: Luca Zingaretti
The Black Pearl for Best Artistic Contribution - $75,000
Laila’s Birthday
Screenwriter: Rashid Masharawi
The Black Pearl Audience Choice Award
Saving Luna
Co-Directors: Suzanne Chisholm & Michael Parfit. Producer: Suzanne Chisholm
The Black Pearl for Best Narrative - Short Film- $75,000
The View
Co-Directors: Hazim Bitar & Rifqi Assaf. Producer: Amman Filmmaker Cooperative
The Black Pearl for Best Documentary - Short Film- $75,000
Breadmakers
Director: Yasmin Fedda. Producers: Jim Hickey & Robin Mitchell
The Black Pearl for Best Animation- Shot Film- $75,000
Jacinta
Director: Karla Casteneda. Producer: Luis Tellez
Best Advertisement - Cultural Category - $25,000
Anti Slavery
Director: Eric Lynne. Producer: Partizan Films - Midi Minuit
Best Advertisement - Consumer Category - $25,000
Battle
Director: Traktor. Producer: Partizan Films - Midi Minuit
Best Advertisement - Artistic Contribution - $25,000
Great Pretender
Director: Patrick Bergh. Producer: Partizan Films - Midi Minuit
The Black Pearl for Best Narrative - Student Films - $25,000
Illusion
Director: Burhan Qurbani. Producer: Fabian Gasmia
The Black Pearl for Best Emerging Filmmaker - Student Films- $25,000
Lullaby
Director: Serena Abi Aad. Producer: IESAV
The Black Pearl for Best Animation - Student Films - $25,000
Adherent
Director: Julian Nazario Vargas. Producer: Rube Baggerud
Posted by editor@vimooz.com on September 30, 2008 under Middle East International Film Festival (MEIFF) |
The second edition of the Middle East International Film Festival (MEIFF), organised by the Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture and Heritage (ADACH) announced the selection of films to be shown in the “Festival of Festivals” and the “Environmental” programmes. They are considered by many to be the most exciting programmes taking place during MEIFF to be held in Abu Dhabi from 10th to 19th October 2008.
“This initiative is important in that it brings to the local community internationally renowned films. Of course, not everyone can attend all the world’s film festivals to watch these films; but, at MEIFF, we believe that borders are no longer boundaries, and so we introduced the “Festival of Festivals” to enable cinema lovers to fulfil their passion in catching up with what they missed,” said MEIFF Vice Chairman Mohamed Khalaf Al Mazrouei.
Over half of the 24 narrative films and documentaries to be screened in “Festival of Festivals” have won or were nominated for awards in the past year at film festivals in France, Germany, Spain, Sweden, Mexico and the USA.
“With so many wonderful films playing at festivals around the world, MEIFF 2008 is endeavouring to present a unique combination of the year’s top movies: a taste of the best,” said Nashwa Al Ruwaini, Director of MEIFF highlighting the “Festival of Festivals” programme. “Nearly all of these selections have already won top prizes at international festivals. Whether you’re seeking crowd favourites or critics’ picks, this section has something for you,” she added.
The films shown under this section are from a number of countries representing various cultures including Canada, Belgium, Germany, Spain, Australia, South Korea, India and Iran among many others. All films screened have been made by talented directors who didn’t feel constrained by their countries’ borders and have crossed cultural borders to represent all types of people and places. Some of the films have also been co-produced across countries, which has further enriched the variation of cultures represented. The films cover a variety of different themes; however, social issues have taken the lion’s share. Read more of this article »
Posted by editor@vimooz.com on under Middle East International Film Festival (MEIFF) |
Over 60 films from 32 countries around the world will take part in the Official Competition for this year’s Middle East International Film Festival, running October 10-19, 2008. This year’s festival will see 138 films screened from East to West, up from 80 films in MEIFF’s inaugural festival in 2007. This year’s Official Competition is comprised of four sections: feature, documentary, short films and student films. “I am pleased to say that MEIFF 2008 has attracted some of the top films, filmmakers and distinguished industry guests from all corners of the world and we are honoured to host them in Abu Dhabi,” said Vice Chairman of MEIFF, Mohamed Khalaf Al Mazrouei.
“The Official Competition is the place to be at MEIFF to see up and coming films and premieres from across the globe,” said Nashwa Al Ruwaini, Director of MEIFF. “These films should be the first stop for cinema lovers in Abu Dhabi. Among our many world and regional premieres, the In Competition feature films O’Horten (Norway) and Mermaid (Russia) have both been submitted for the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film. ”
With ten days in this year’s Festival, the slate of films has increased and is balanced with both international and Arab films. The line-up includes critically acclaimed films, award winners and crowd pleasers. The Black Pearl cash prize distributed to the winners, along with a trophy, has been increased this year with prizes totaling over $1 million. All Black Pearl Award Winners will be decided by a jury split into two sections, a feature and documentary jury and a shorts, students and advertisements jury with the winners announced in the Closing Ceremony on October 19, 2008. Read more of this article »
Posted by editor@vimooz.com on September 18, 2008 under Middle East International Film Festival (MEIFF) |
The organizers of the second Middle East International Film Festival, to be held from October 10-19, announced the special presentations line-up today at a press conference held at the Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture and Heritage (ADACH).
Unveiling the special presentation screenings were Vice Chairman of MEIFF and Director General of ADACH, Mohamed Khalaf Al Mazrouei, Project Coordinator Eissa Al Mazrouei, Executive Director Nashwa Al Ruwaini and Abdalla Bastaki, Director of the Emirates Film Competition.
“Abu Dhabi’s cultural project, with its future horizons and openness to the other, would not be completed without a strong presence of cinema which constitutes one of the major themes of contemporary culture. The Middle East International Film Festival, since its launch in October last year, constitutes the first crucial step on that long road,” said Mohamed Khalaf Al Mazrouei.
“The inaugural Middle East International Film Festival was a huge challenge as to start a new festival that strives to have a predominant role in the international festival world is not easy with over 3000 other festivals taking place every year around the world. We believe that universality does not happen except through regionalism the Festival serves Arab cinema, especially in the Emirates and the Gulf, and we are honored to have great Arabic titles both in and out of competition as well as a massive selection of international films. We aspire to serve the art of film from all over the world. This year we promise an experience not to be missed for cinema lovers and interesting industry initiatives that would cater for the Industry professionals. Our extended ten days of the festival along with the new and returning sections of the festival will add on to the quality of achieving status as a must attend festival” quoted Nashwa Al Ruwaini.
In its second year, MEIFF strives to become a centre for filmmakers in the region and internationally to meet and present their films in a city fast becoming the leading cultural centre in the Middle East. The international element of the Festival this year is truly reflected in the line up of films that we will be screening this year. Jon Fitzgerald, MEIFF’s Director of Programming stated “It was a real challenge trying to achieve a true balance between East and West in our programming due to the sheer excellence in submissions from both this part of the world and beyond. Our viewing committee and programmers have viewed over a thousand films in order to get to the stage we are at currently in finalizing the final slate.” The festival has films from over 35 countries and all the five continents scheduled to screen this year, with the competition films and the other programming sections due to be released over the coming weeks leading up to the festival.
This year’s MEIFF has expanded to ten days and the prize money for the prestigious Black Pearl Awards has been increased to more than one million US Dollars, giving MEIFF its own unique personality within the film festivals of the world.
Cinema Verite:
In addition to the special presentation films, organizers also announced a special event in partnership with Cinema Verite to pay tribute to the Oscar winning actress Jane Fonda. Cinema Verite is in an exhibition/screening space located in Paris, dedicated to social and humanitarian issues, associated with it is a fund that finances socially conscious films on a yearly basis and the international rendezvous yearly event that aims to bring together prominent directors, actors, politicians and leaders to address social issues. Jane Fonda has been an incredible success since her early screen performances in the 1960s and has been a dedicated political and social activist throughout her entire career. Joining Fonda for the event with Cinema Verite will be the icons of cinema including Susan Sarandon, and Carole Bouquet.
MEIFF Tribute:
A tribute honouring the great Tunisian director Nacer Khemir will also be held during MEIFF on his 60th birthday with a special screening of his film “Touaq al Hammama al Mafqoud,” based on the book by Ibn Hazem. Nasser is a theatre and film director as well as a poet, writer and painter. His films have won many awards worldwide and his famous theatrical show, “Al Hakawati” has appeared on stages in Africa, Europe and America. There have also been several exhibitions of his artwork in Tunis,Paris and other European cities as well as many illustrated books, joining together images and words.
Industry Initiatives:
Nashwa Al Ruwaini also announced that MEIFF will be launching the ‘MOST’ initiative during the Festival this year in conjunction with The Saban Center for Middle Eastern Policy at The Brookings Institute in Washington. ‘MOST’ stands for ‘Muslims on Screen and Television’ and will become a cultural resource center providing valuable resources and information on Islam and Muslims for the US entertainment community. Its aim is to meet the critical need for increased understanding and accurate representation on both sides during this time of great tension and mutual suspicion between the US and Muslim World.
MEIFF will also be launching the Arab Film Industry Research Circle that covers the current situation of Arab cinema in the Levant, Egypt, The Gulf and North Africa. This research circle aspires to shed light on the points of strengths and weaknesses in Arab cinema along with ways in which co-production initiatives can be achieved
MEIFF will also offer a symposium about the power of women in the entertainment industry. Which we will release more details on in the coming days.
The MEIFF 2008 Special Presentations to be screened are:
Opening Night Gala: The Brothers Bloom (USA), directed by Rian Johnson. Starring, Mark Ruffalo, Adrien Brody, Rachel Weisz, Maximilian Schell and Rinko Kikuchi.
Brothers Stephen and Bloom are orphans who bonded in childhood and were mentored into becoming the best con men in the world, swindling millionaires with complex scenarios of lust and intrigue. They’ve decided to take one last job before dissolving their partnership-showing a beautiful and eccentric heiress the time of her life with a thrilling adventure that takes them around the world.
Vicky Cristina Barcelona (USA/Spain), directed by Woody Allen. Starring, Rebecca Hall, Scarlett Johansson, Patricia Clarkson, Javier Bardem and Penélope Cruz.
Vick and Cristina visits Barcelona for the summer and becomes enamored with the artist Juan Antonio who they meet at an art exhibition and gets entwined with him and his beautiful but insane ex-wife. When they all became amorously entangled, the results can only be described as chaotic.
Miracle at St. Anna (USA/Italy), directed by Spike Lee. Starring Derek Luke, Michael Ealy, Laz Alonso, John Turturro and Kerry Washington.
The film chronicles the story of four black American soldiers who are members of the US Army as part of the all-black 92nd Buffalo Soldier Division stationed in Tuscany, Italy during World War II. They experience the tragedy and triumph of war as they find themselves trapped behind enemy lines and separated from their unit after one of them risks his life to save an Italian boy.
The Lucky Ones (USA), directed by Neil Burger. Starring, Rachel McAdams, Tim Robbins and Michael Peña.
After suffering an injury during a routine patrol, hardened sergeant TK Poole is granted a one-month leave to visit his fiancé. But when an unexpected blackout cancels all flights out of New York, TK agrees to share a ride to Pittsburgh with two other stranded servicemen: Cheever and Colee and what begins as a short trip unexpectedly evolves into a longer journey.
Easy Virtue (UK), directed by Stephan Elliott. Starring, Jessica Biel, Kristen Scott Thomas, Colin Firth and Ben Barnes.
Larita, a Jazz Age race-car driver impulsively marries young Englishman John Whittaker in Monte Carlo and travels to England to meet his privileged and batty family who naturally, hate her. John’s mother and sisters try their best to sabotage the newlyweds while his father, develops a deep bond with the bride founded on their mutual appreciation for motorbikes and flouting social etiquette.
Igor (USA/France), directed by Anthony Leondis. Animated film with the voices of John Cusack, John Cleese, Steve Buscemi, Sean Hayes and Eddie Izzard.
In a world filled with mad scientists and evil inventions, one talented evil scientist’s hunch-backed lab assistant, Igor, has big dreams of becoming a mad scientist himself and winning the annual Evil Science Fair.
Closing Night Film: Body of Lies (USA), directed by Ridley Scott. Starring, Leonardo DiCaprio, Russell Crowe, Mark Strong and Golshifteh Farahani.
A CIA operative, Roger Ferris, is sent to Jordan to track a high-ranking terrorist. The spy is aided by the head of Jordan’s covert operations in an uneasy alliance that leads to cultural and moral clashes between the men.
MEIFF, held in Abu Dhabi, is an annual event and a project of the Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture and Heritage (ADACH). The Festival is a cultural event dedicated to bringing a diverse slate of international films and programs to the community and introducing filmmakers from around the world to the resources of the region.
This year’s MEIFF will see several new additions to an already exciting schedule. For the first time, there will be a section of the Festival concentrating on Environmental Films as well as a showcase of documentaries highlighting the 60 years since the division of Palestine. The prestigious Black Pearl Awards will also return in the second edition with the total prize money now exceeding $1 million in cash in the categories of fiction, documentary, animation, shorts, student films and animation.
Posted by editor@vimooz.com on September 9, 2008 under Middle East International Film Festival (MEIFF) |
Mohamed Khalaf Al Mazrouei, Vice Chairman of the Middle East International Film Festival, has announced that the second year of the festival will premiere seven films from the UAE, Egypt, Morocco,Lebanon and Syria. These films, to be shown in the International Competition Feature Film and Documentary sections, are some of the most important recent Arabic films. Premiering alongside the seven films is a Palestinian film that will see its long-awaited release in the Middle East.
Executive Director, Nashwa Al Ruwaini announced that the Arabic films taking part in the International Competition Feature Films section of MEIFF would be ‘Fawzia: A Special Blend’ directed by Magdi Ahmed Ali from Egypt, ‘On a Day Like Today’ directed by Amr Salama from Egypt, ‘Haseeba’ directed by Remon Butros from Syria, ‘Beirut Open City’ directed by Samir Habashi from Lebanon, ‘Time of Comrades’ directed by Mohammed Alsharif Al Taribeq from Morocco, ‘Henna’ directed by UAE national Saleh Karama. The Egyptian documentary ‘Bid you Farewell’ directed by Mohammed Kamel El Kaliouby will premiere as part of the International Competition Documentary section of the festival.
Premiering in the Middle East is the Palestinian film ‘Laila’s Birthday’ by Palestinian filmmaker Rashid Masharawi. The film, about a father who tries his best to overcome the daily chaos in Palestine to make his daughter’s birthday memorable, is set to show at the San Sebastian International Film Festival in Spain.
Nashwa Al Ruwaini, also announced that the second edition of the festival, held in Abu Dhabi from October 10-19, will see major Arab stars attending the festival in support of their films. Among them will be Syrian actress Sulaf Fawakherji from ‘Haseeba’, Egyptian actresses Elham Shaheen, Ghada Abdel Razaq and Hala Sadqi and actors Fathi Abdel Wahab and Ezzat Abu Ouf from ‘Khalta Fawziya’, Lebanese actress Serene Abdel Noor and Egyptian actor Khaled Al Nabawi from ‘Smoke without Fire’, and the world-renowned Palestinian stars Mohammed Bakri and Areen Omari from ‘Laila’s Birthday’ alongside a slew of new and rising faces like Egyptian actors Basma and Ahmed Al Fishawi and Asser Yassin from ‘Zay Al Naharda.’
Arabic programmer for MEIFF and acclaimed Egyptian journalist Samir Farid commented, “We are extremely impressed with this year’s selection of films from the Arab world and are honoured to have a number of world and regional premiers screening during our festival”.
MEIFF is an annual event and a project of the Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture and Heritage (ADACH). The festival is a cultural event dedicated to bringing a diverse slate of international films and programs to the community and introducing filmmakers from around the world to the resources of the region.
This year’s MEIFF will see several new additions to an already exciting schedule. For the first time, there will be a section of the festival concentrating on Environmental Films as well as a showcase of 16 hours of documentaries highlighting the 60 years since the division of Palestine. The prestigious Black Pearl Awards will also return in the second edition with the total prize money now exceeding $1 million in cash in the categories of fiction, documentary, animation, shorts, student films and animation.
Tags: Amr Salama, Egypt, independent film, indie, Lebanon Syria, Magdi Ahmed Ali, Middle East, Middle East International Film Festival, Mohammed Alsharif Al Taribeq, Morocco, Remon Butros, Saleh Karama, Samir Habashi, UAE, vimooz, ‘Beirut Open City’, ‘Bid you Farewell’, ‘Fawzia: A Special Blend’, ‘Haseeba’, ‘Henna’, ‘On a Day Like Today’, ‘Time of Comrades’
Posted by admin on July 5, 2008 under Middle East International Film Festival (MEIFF) |
A number of films on environmental issues will be screened at the Middle East International Film Festival (MEIFF), as part of a special program dedicated to protecting the environment. This year, the festival is extended to 10 days, from October 10 to October 19. It will include several new features: a competition for advertising films; the “Festival of Festivals”, a selection of movies screened at various festivals around the world; and Abu Dhabi’s Emirates Film Competition which, from now on, will be incorporated into the MEIFF. The environmental films in the festival will not be part of the competition but presented as an adjacent program.
via