DIFF announces the second slate of films to complete the prestigious Muhr Short lineup

Dubai – October 26, 2015: The final eight films to complete the Muhr Short Competition lineup have been revealed today by the Dubai International Film Festival (DIFF). Demonstrating regional talent through the encapsulating medium of shorts, the competition is set to host 15 films over the course of the Festival, from the thrilling to the heart-touching and profound, in an unparalleled display of Arab cinematic excellence. 

Now entering its ninth year at DIFF, the Muhr Short Competition provides an exclusive platform for Arab filmmakers to gain global recognition and support. The Muhr Short category has quickly become a pillar for the most inspiring, inventive and distinctive short films from the Arab World. The competition offers the opportunity of a lifetime for one talented director as the winning short film will qualify for consideration at the world-renowned 2017 Academy Awards.

The final eight entrants that complete the Muhr Short lineup this year include; Palestinian director and previous Muhr winner Nasri Hajjaj, who presents the world premiere of his latest short film ‘The Purple Field’ which has an up-to-the-minute storyline that follows one young refugee as they flee a war-torn Syria in search of a better life. A journey that takes the young Palestinian-Syrian child through Turkey, Greece, Macedonia, Serbia, Hungary and Austria, the film raises awareness of current affairs and the effects of the refugee crisis on all who are affected.

Tunisian director Jamil Najjar latest film ‘Stranded’, presented as a world premiere is one of adventure and mystery as he portrays a day-in-the-life of Arbi, a taxi driver whose sudden urge to go to toilet throws him into the inexpected.

Jordanian director, producer, writer and literary critic, Yahya Alabdallah, is an acclaimed filmmaker whose talents have seen him awarded the Special Jury, Best Actor, and Best Composer Awards at DIFF in the Muhr Arab Feature Competition in 2012. His latest feature ‘5th Floor Room 52’ and presented as a world premiere at DIFF takes on the form of a silent film and touches on the troubles of a young woman searching for room 52 where she hopes to meet a construction worker.

Multiple award-winning short ‘Ave Maria’ directed by Basil Khalil will also appear at DIFF following being in competition at the Cannes Film Festival earlier this year and wins at the Grenoble Short Film Festival and the Palm Springs International Film Festival in 2015. With Basil Khalil - formerly selected by SCREEN International as one of the “Top 10 Arab Filmmakers to watch”. ‘Ave Maria’ begins somewhere in the West Bank wilderness in a Palestinian convent. The routine of 5 nuns is suddenly disturbed when a stray Israeli family shows up at its doorstep, with no hope of leaving without the help of the nuns.

In keeping with the theme of addressing real-world problems through the medium of cinema, the programme also welcomes Saudi director, Faiza Ambah, and her short film ‘Mariam’. Set in France in 2004, just as the country passed a law banning religious symbols in public schools. Mariam, born in France to Arab parents, recently began to wear the hijab after performing the hajj with her grandmother. At the start of the academic year, she pretends the new law does not exist, as she does not want to acknowledge it and so be forced to make a decision. To complicate matters, Kairm, a popular young Arab boy in school, starts paying attention to her and she develops a powerful crush on him.

Previous Muhr winner Egyptian director, Sherif El Bendary, returns to DIFF with the world premiere of his latest film ‘Dry Hot Summers’. The short encapsulates the audience in a romantic journey of self-discovery that takes place when two lonely people accidentally meet one summer’s day in Cairo. In two very different places in life, the pair are trapped in their routines and it is their journey through the city that ends up bringing them closer together.

Futuristic sci-fi short, ‘In The Future, They Ate from the Finest Porcelain’, directed by Larissa Sansour and Soren Lind, utilizes video art and photography to tackle issues relating to the complexity of life in Palestine. The short film tells the tale of a resistance group that buries elaborate porcelain – suggested to belong to a lost civilization of hi-tech Palestinians – for future archaeologists to excavate, and the ensuing narrative once it is discovered.

Director Maryam Touzani brings her second short film to DIFF 2015. After garnering acclaim for her previous film ‘When They Slept’, her latest short ‘Aya Goes to the Beach’ get its world premiere at the 12th edition of the Festival. In the film Aya, a child of 10, is forced to take on the responsibilities of an adult through her work as a maid in Casablanca. This doesn’t stop the roguish and intelligent little Aya from dreaming of a going back home as Eid fast approaches.

With a host of spectacular and diverse short films set to appear at DIFF in the Muhr Short Category, DIFF’s Artistic Director, Masoud Amralla Al Ali, remarks that cultural diversity is an incipient part of the Festival’s success:

“Every year the Muhr Short Category attracts more and more talented filmmakers with fresh and exciting concepts that give a whole new perspective to the filmmaking industry. The creativity and diversity of these up-and-coming directors is testament to the talents that are striving to make a name for themselves. With a lineup boasting international acclaim and undeniable talent, the Muhr ShortCategory will impress audiences with the evocative short films on display.”

DIFF’s Programmer, Salah Sermini was full of praise for the Muhr Short Category and the talents of the filmmakers who had taken on the difficult task of directing a short:

“Producing a short film is a challenging prospect even for the most experienced and talented directors because of the unique challenges that arise when tackling this style - such as how to create compelling content with both limited resources and time. The Muhr Short Category is an integral part of DIFF’s programme and allows filmmakers to have their unique talents recognized on a global stage.”