The Dubai International Film Festival (DIFF) will present Vatche Boulghourjian’s ‘Tramontane’ and Magdi Ahmed Ali’s ‘Mawlana’ to the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA) in Los Angeles for consideration for Best Foreign Film at the 75th annual Golden Globe Awards.

The event hosted on  September 21 in Los Angeles will see Vatche Boulghourjian present his magnificent and captivating Lebanese drama ‘Tramontane’ and Magdi Ahmed Ali’s present his challenging and highly entertaining Egyptian feature ‘Mawlana’ to the members of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA).     

Both have been hailed almost instantly as masterpieces and selected for their interesting and innovative subject matters, compelling storylines, and extraordinary performances and an example of landmark Arab cinema.

Lebanese director and writer, Vatche Boulghourjian’s ‘Tramontane’ is his first directorial feature which he also wrote. The highly acclaimed film was supported by DIFF’s post production initiative Enjaaz and picked up a Muhr award at DIFF last year; it scooped the Grand Golden Rail earlier this year at Cannes Film Festival and received a special mention at Pula Film Festival.

The second showcase is from Egyptian director Magdi Ahmed Ali’s ‘Mawlana’ based on journalist-novelist Ibrahim Eissa’s bestselling book. The multi-award winning renowned director who realized acclaimed films like O Life, O Love, Girls’ Secrets, Fawzeya’s Secret Recipe and Nile Birds brings us ‘a film that has proved to be one of the most discussed films of the year.

Abdulhamid Juma, DIFF chairman said: “Recognition from the Hollywood Foreign Press Association for an Arab film would help propel Arab talent and cinema significantly. Arab cinema is still overlooked in the mainstream despite many films from the region receiving critical acclaim at festivals around the world.

“Both Tramontane and Mawlana are compelling films with a universal appeal and deserve to be seen by a wider audience. We thank the HFPA for their continued support; it’s initiatives like this that champion Arab films and that can really make a difference.”  - TradeArabia News Service