Abu Dhabi Film Festival reveals Emirati shorts line-up

The selection includes 39 films in competition and nine out of competition. The programme is sponsored by Dolphin Energy for the second year.

Two films are in both the international and Emirate competitions: Rafed Al Harthi’s Feeding Five Hundred, a documentary about a man spending his fortune to feed stray cats, and Hala Matar’s Streetcar, a love story starring Chloe Sevigny.

Other selections includes the musical story Freshman by Deena Stevens, social-political drama My Pink Room by Vachan Sharma, animation Daddy ABC by Hamad a Awar, and housemaids documentary Something About Maids by Salama Mubarak and Sara al Mubarak.

Saleh Karama Al Ameri, director of the Emirates Film Competition, said: “The competition line-up this year mirrors the variety of short films produced in the region and highlights how strong local filmmakers are.

“Two of the films featured in EFC are also competing in the International Short Film Competition, showing that films produced in the region can compete on an international level.” 

ADFF director Ali Al Jabri added: “The Abu Dhabi Film Festival is not only about bringing the best of international cinema to the UAE: it’s about showing the world the best of Emirati cinema.

“The entrants in this year’s Emirates Film Competition have most certainly earned their place on the international stage. At the same time we are seeing a growing number of UAE co-productions.

“International collaborations can help take Emirati storytellers to tell their story to a global audience. It is often at Festivals that international collaborators meet, and encounter one another’s work, and that is an important part of a film festival contribution to building a cinema culture.”

ADFF runs from Oct 24 to Nov 2.