DUBAI/JEDDAH — The Dubai International Film Festival (DIFF), which runs from Dec. 9-16, has unveiled an impressive lineup of 16 Muhr Arab Features vying for thousands of dollars in prize money this year. Now in their seventh year, the Muhr Awards — comprised of nine World Premieres, two International Premieres, four Middle East Premieres and one GCC Premiere in 2012 — were instituted to stimulate Arab filmmaking by rewarding the best films and promoting them on DIFF's world stage. “The Muhr Arab program has been in existence long enough for us to see contestants returning with their second and third films, which is incredibly rewarding. The astounding diversity of stories, genres and techniques we have seen year on year strengthens our resolve to nurture Arab cinema and continue to provide a platform for audiences who are hungry for real cinema and eager to see their realities and personal reflections on the big screen,” said DIFF's Artistic Director Masoud Amralla Al Ali. Muhr Arab selections from the Levant extend the common theme of love and its universal struggles, which forms the basis of a number of Muhr selections. First-time feature director Fadi G. Haddad brings the International Premiere of his quirky, uplifting “When Monaliza Smiled” while Lebanese director Fouad Alaywan's feature film “Asfouri” (World Premiere) accounts the tangled weave of stories from the inhabitants of a Beirut building. Meyar Al Roumi's “Round Trip” (World Premiere) is a story about a Damascus taxi driver who goes to Tehran with his beloved Suhair, spending time with her outside his taxi for the first time. In Jordanian filmmaker Aseel Mansour's “Line of Sight” (World Premiere), a carjacking gone wrong poses an emotional dilemma for a thief to decide who should survive: the car's owner or himself. Three films have also been selected from the flourishing Egyptian film industry. Well-known Egyptian filmmaker Khairy Beshara brings his experimental film “Moondog” (World Premiere), a beautifully shot inner journey of spacelessness and timelessness filmed over a period of 11 years. Nadine Khan's “Chaos, Disorder” (World Premiere) follows the struggles of twentysomething friends in love with the same girl, Manal, who finds herself the prize in a football match between them. Finally, straight from the international festival circuit, Ibrahim El Batout's “Winter of Discontent” (GCC Premiere) introduces the activist Amr, previously tortured by a state security officer, who is swept up in the events of January 25, 2011. “This year we have crime dramas, experimental documentary, a strong musical presence, contemplative works about memory and love, and of course a number of entries that comment directly or indirectly on the political changes to the region,” said Erfan Rashid, director of the Arab Program. The DIFF box office is open online at www.dubaifilmfest.com. Additional information is also available through the DIFF's dedicated customer care number, (971) 363 FILM (3456). — SG
