ADFF Announces Emirates Film Competition and Short Film Competition Winners
On Wednesday night, the Abu Dhabi Film Festival announced the winners of the Black Pearl Awards for the Emirates Film Competition and the Short Film Competition. The awards were presented in a ceremony at the Emirates Palace.
The 2013 EFC selection comprised over forty short films from the region. The competition is open to filmmakers from all GCC nations. There was also a special screening of Out-of-Competition (Mahatat) EFC films. ADFF has been instrumental in promoting regional cinema and is shaping up a world-class film industry through its continued efforts.
The Short Film Competition is made up of short narratives, documentaries and animated works selected from all over the world. Twenty titles were selected for this year's competition.
Two separate juries for each competition, made up of established filmmakers and industry professionals, decided on the awards.
EMIRATES FILM COMPETITION (presented by Dolphin Energy)
Short Narrative Competition:
- First Prize: BIDOON directed by Mohammed Al Ibrahim
- Second Prize: WITH TIME directed by Malak Quota
- Special Jury Award: DADDY ABC directed by Hamad Al Awar
Student Short Narrative Competition:- First Prize: I DON’T UNDERSTAND directed by Noura Al Zarouni
- Second Prize: MIRROR directed by Ameera Madhi
- Third Prize: GRIEF directed by Omnia Al Afifi
Short Documentary Competition
- First Prize: FEEDING FIVE-HUNDRED directed by Rafed Al Harthi & Ray Haddad
- Second Prize: TEMSA7 directed by Latifa Al Darwish & Rouda Al Meghaiseeb
- Special Jury Award: BADER directed by Latifa Al Darwish, Sara Al Saadi & Maaria Assami
Student Short Documentary Competition:
- First Prize: OOPS! directed by Reem Al Meqbali
Second Prize: SILENT ART directed by Hana Mire
- Third Prize: AGAINST THE WIND directed by Aisha Abdulla
Best Emirati Film
- DADDY ABC directed by Hamad Al Awar
Best Cinematography Award
- MIRROR Cinematographer Hamda Al Qubaisi
Best Script Award
- BIDOON Writer Mohammed Al Ibrahim
SHORT FILM COMPETITION
- Best Narrative: THE WOUND (Obida) directed by Anna Budanova (Russia)
- Best Film from the Arab World: THOUGH I KNOW THE RIVER IS DRY directed by Omar Robert Hamilton (Palestine, Egypt, Qatar)
- Best Documentary: LE JOUR A VAINCU LA NUIT directed by Jean-Gabriel Periot (France)
- Best Animated Short Film: REALITY 2.0 directed by Victor Orozco Ramirez (Germany, Mexico)
- Best Producer: Saïd Hamish for the film ZAKARIA directed by Leyla Bouzid (France, Tunisia)
- Best Producer from the Arab World: Adila Bendimerad for the film THE DAYS BEFORE directed by Karim Moussaoui (Algeria)