Here is what happened at the third edition of the Al Ain Film Festival that concluded on 27 January.
The curtain fell on the activities of the “Al Ain Film Festival” in its third session, at Al Jahili Fort in Al Ain, under the patronage of His Excellency Sheikh Sultan bin Tahnoun Al Nahyan, member of the Abu Dhabi Executive Council, and in the presence of His Excellency Sheikh Dr. Saeed bin Tahnoun Al Nahyan, and Mr. Amer Salmeen Al Marri, Director General of the Festival .
At the closing ceremony, he announced the films that won awards in the different categories this year.
Gulf Falcon Competition
The first prize was awarded to the film “Lady of the Sea” by the Saudi director Shahd Amin, and the jury prize went to the film “The Ideal Candidate” by Saudi director Haifa Al-Mansour, while the Farid Ramadan Award was awarded for the best screenplay of “Lady of the Sea” by Shahd Amin
In the short Gulf Falcon Competition the award for best film went to “Bbn BK” by director Youssef Al-Abdullah, and the jury prize went to the film “The Ruler” by Jaafar Muhammad Hassan.
Emirates Short Falcon Competition
In the “Emirati Short Falcon” competition, the film “Athel” by the director Sheikha Al Yazia bint Nahyan Al Nahyan won the best film award, and the jury award went to the film “The Plant” by director Hamda Al Midfa, and two certificates of appreciation for each of the film “Then What Next” by Hamad Saghran, and the film What If, directed by Mursal Al Shamsi.
Make Your Film in the Time of Corona
The award for best film went to the film “Abed” by Medhat Abdullah, and the jury prize for the film “Home Stone” by the director came Ahmed Khattab, and a certificate of appreciation for the film “Al-Mufassel”, directed by Ivor Grasses.
Falcon Competition for Student Films
In the falcon competition for student films, the best film award went to “album” by Ali Larry, while “The Wind of My Father” director Fawzia Mohamed won the jury prize, and in the falcon competition for resident films, the best film award went to “Primary Brilliance” by the director for a day Yongmin Wong, and the Jury Prize for Film 10 went to director Mohamed Samir.
Founders Address
On the occasion of the festival’s conclusion, Amer Salmeen Al-Marri, founder and director of the festival, said: “For 5 days, the guests and fans of Al Ain Cinema watched 85 films of a variety between different cultures and countries. The events, initiatives, agreements and film screenings selected in the third session of the festival were what very well done and appropriate”.
He continued: “Al Ain Cinema” in its third session achieved many achievements in the world of “The Seventh Art”. The “Cinema of the World” program was a strong addition to the festival, which attracted a group of the most distinguished European films, which have a high-quality artistic rhythm and quality.
He added: We always pledge to you that we will choose the most beautiful products produced by cinema everywhere so that our festival, which was launched from local borders to global horizons, expresses the United Arab Emirates.
The third session witnessed intense acceptance and exceptional attendance. For cinematic shows, the most prominent of which is the Algerian opening movie “Heliopolis” in its world premiere, and 5 other films that were nominated from their countries for the Oscar 2021, in a precedent that is the first of its kind in film festivals, in addition to the presentation of a number of films in their first Gulf showings.
We have lived unforgettable days on the banks of the city of Al Ain that flourished with its historical aroma, enriched with art, and embraced the beauty of your hearts, so the days we spent together became bearing We have memories that will remain engraved in the heart, and despite the storm of the Coronavirus pandemic, the “cinema eye” faced it in the manner of “Take your caution and enjoy the cinema”, while adhering to the precautionary and preventive measures and spacing We have opened our hearts to you and the doors and windows of your forefathers in Dar Al Zein, which has a long history.
He explained in his speech that the “Al Ain Cinema” team and its management prepared for its guests throughout the festival period new activities, and we discussed everything in order to prove that the world, despite the dark conditions, is meaningless without cinema with its glamor that catches the eye.
