Egyptian filmmaker Yousry Nasrallah will head the Muhr Emirati Competition Jury and acclaimed artist and director Ulrike Ottinger will lead the Muhr Feature Jury during the 13th edition of the Dubai International Film Festival (Diff), which runs from December 7 to 14. These filmmakers will be on call to choose the best talents from around the region.
Nasrallah, whose credits include Mercedes, On Boys, Girls and the Veil and Scheherazade, Tell Me a Story will be accompanied by a panel of experts from the film industry.
On his panel, there’s Algerian and French producer and director Salem Brahimi, who’s known for his stories of hardships. Emirati poet, writer, journalist, and broadcaster Adel Khozam completes the Muhr Emirati jury. Known for his portrayal of Emirati heritage and culture, he has published three poetry collections, a history of Emirati visual art and has also written music for theatre and cinema.
Ottinger, who takes on the role of President on the Muhr Feature jury, has a career panning four decades, and is a name in the non-fiction field with award-winning epics such as China. The Arts — The People and Exile Shanghai. Ottinger returns to the festival for 2016 after showcasing her films The Korean Wedding Chest and Under Snow in the Cinema of the World programme at Diff in 2009 and 2011.
Palestinian film and stage legend Saleh Bakri, of Zinzana fame, will join her panel. Known for his multifaceted portrayals of humanity, Bakri starred as the eponymous protagonist in Italian thriller Salvo, which won the Critics’ Week Grand Prize at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival.
Oscar-nominated Iranian-American actress Shohreh Aghdashloo, who was a part of Ben Kingsley’s film House of Sand and Fog, is also a part of this Muhr jury. Joining Aghdashloo is multicultural filmmaker Ann Marie Fleming. The Eurasian Canadian filmmaker born in Japan is celebrated for her award-winning, genre-hopping films spanning almost 30 years and tackling themes of family, history and memory. Her latest debut is the animated feature Window Horses: The Poetic Persian Epiphany of Rosie Ming, starring Sandra Oh and fellow jury member, Aghdashloo.
Concluding the Muhr Feature jury is acclaimed Egyptian producer and director Marianne Khoury, known for the compelling and challenging films such as September 11, Closed Doors and Zelal.
The Muhr Short and Gulf Short Competition Jury will be headed up by famed Ukranian documentary filmmaker Sergei Loznitsa. He has directed documentaries since 1996 and won several awards at festivals including Cannes, London, Oberhausen, Paris, Madrid and Toronto. He will be joined by the Academy Award and Palme d’Or nominated writer and director, Basil Khalil. Khalil returns to DIFF after winning Best Muhr Short in 2015 for his tragicomedy Ave Maria.
Completing the Muhr Short and Gulf Short Competition Jury is Mona Khazindar, the first woman and first Saudi ever to be appointed director general of the Institut du Monde Arabe. A prominent figure in Saudi Arabia’s art scene, Khazindar is also vice-president and founding member of Al Mansouria Foundation for Culture and Creativity, the non-profit cultural foundation which aims to promote contemporary Arab art.
Since the annual Muhr Awards inception in 2006, it has recognised more than 280 cinematic works and distributed 270 awards through its four categories; Muhr Emirati, Muhr Feature, Muhr Short and Muhr Gulf Short.
“The Muhr Awards have always feature an incredibly formidable line-up of work and so it is only fitting that the jury is filled with some of the most experienced and talented individuals in the industry. Some of them are themselves Muhr alumni who understand the dedication and talent needed to make a truly great film. We work hard to ensure the Muhr Awards provide a platform for the best talent from around the region to showcase their work, and this year is no exception as we bring another quality slate of work to Diff audiences,” said Masoud Amralla Al Ali, Diff’s Artistic Director, in a statement.
The Muhr Awards competition will run throughout the duration of Diff.
Don’t miss it
Diff runs from December 7 to 14. For tickets, go todubaifilmfest.com and at the box office at Vox cinemas, Mall of the Emirates or Madinat Arena and Madinat theatre at Souk Madinat Jumeirah.
