The Gulf Film Festival (GFF), the annual celebration of the best in cinema from the Gulf region, has listed a group of prominent industry figures including directors, film critics and journalists, as members of its competition jury.

The jury will be mandated to identify the best in regional and international cinema and distribute Dh500,000 ($13,609) in prize money to the winning films. The panel will judge the films nominated in each of the four In Competition categories.

The Gulf Films Competition for Features and Shorts will be judged by prominent Egyptian director Oussama Fawzi, whose work includes The Asphalt Kings, which was awarded the Golden Pardo at the Locarno Film Festival, Fallen Angels Paradise and I Love Cinema.

Joining him from Saudi Arabia is scriptwriter and journalist Faiza Ambah, who was one of the first female journalists to join Arab News in the 1980s and now is a correspondent for The Washington Post's Foreign Service.

Completing the jury is acclaimed Emirati filmmaker Saeed Salmeen Al-Murry, who has a body of award winning work that includes Huboob, Al Ghobna, Urj Al-Teen and Bint Mariam.

Films in the International Shorts and Gulf Students’ Shorts Competitions will be evaluated by Frederique Devaux, French filmmaker, author and professor of art and cinema who has been making experimental films and documentaries since 1980.

Joining her is renowned Emirati director Waleed Al Shehhi, whose film credits include the acclaimed short Aushba’s Well, Water Guard, Door and the award winning documentary Ahmad Suliman and Rima Mismar, film critic and Programming Manager for The Arab Fund for Arts and Culture.

Masoud Amralla Al Ali, director of the Gulf Film Festival, commented: “This year’s Gulf Film Festival jury members cover the complete spectrum of the filmmaking industry, bringing an in-depth knowledge of the art of film from all aspects to the judging panel.

“With a multitude of remarkable films from the GCC and across the globe nominated this year, it will be more difficult than ever for our panel to select the winners.”

The winners will be announced on the closing night of the Festival, April 17. The four categories are: Gulf Films Competition – Features Category, Gulf Films Competition – Shorts Category, Gulf Students’ Shorts Competition and International Competition.

The sixth edition of GFF will take place from April 11 – 17, at Dubai Festival City. – TradeArabia News Service