Submissions are now open for the third edition of the Gulf Film Festival to be held from April 8-14, 2010 in Dubai.

The event is presented by Dubai Culture & Arts Authority in association with Dubai Studio City.

GCC national filmmakers as well as directors of films that depict life in the Arabian Gulf region can make their submissions online at www.gulffilmfest.com until February 15, 2010.

The festival is held under the patronage of Sheikh Majid Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, chairman of the Dubai Culture & Arts Authority.

Gulf Film Festival (GFF) showcased more than 50 movies in 11 key film festival events around the world in 2009.

GFF also served as the official submission organisation for the Gulf region for 2008 and 2009 Asia Pacific Screen Awards (APSA), the region’s highest film accolade.

Among the key festivals that GFF movies were nominated at include APSA; the Zanzibar International Film Festival; Golden Apricot International Film Festival of Yerevan in Armenia; Ahmedabad International Film Festival in India; Beirut International Documentary Festival (Docudays) and the Beirut International Film Festival in Lebanon; Arab Film Festival in Australia; Arab Film Festival Rotterdam; the Nabeul Cinema Nights in Tunisia; and ‘Days of Gulf Cinema in Palestine’.

GFF festival director Masoud Amralla Al Ali said the international acceptance of films screened at GFF, including several movies from the UAE, highlighted the marked evolution of Arab cinema as an established entity.

“One of the founding goals of GFF has been to promote Arab film talent and offer a sounding board for their growth and acceptance globally. The global appeal of our film selection is a testament to the success of our vision,” he said.

“GFF serves as a powerful platform for Arab film talent, across the world, to showcase films that are related to the Gulf and Middle East region. This is the first time that a referral point has been set for Arab cinema, and the international film festivals and cultural organisations bank on GFF to identify the best in Arab film creativity,” added Masoud.

Some of the most popular titles across these international film festivals include: The Circle, Henna, Beyond Words, Revenge, When the People Spoke – Part 3, The Loser Bet, The Sound of Life, Finding Mr & Mrs Right, Sunrise/Sunset, Amal’s Cloud, Bint Mariam and The Window.

These include films by directors from Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Iraq, Yemen, Saudi Arabia and the UAE, highlighting the GCC-wide evolution of cinema. - TradeArabia News Service