East Asia’s best-known and upcoming filmmakers have submitted their newest films for the seventh Dubai International Film Festival’s Muhr Awards competition next month.

Eleven feature and documentary films from China, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea and Thailand have been selected for DIFF 2010’s Muhr AsiaAfrica features and documentary competitions.

An international jury will select the winners during the festival, and present 12 prestigious Muhr Awards and more than $225,000 in prize money on December 19.

Additional films from East Asia are also included in the festival’s out-of-competition segments and its shorts competition. All films are open to the public.

Nashen Moodley, DIFF’s director AsiaAfrica, said six of the films are new to the Middle East; an additional two have never been screened outside their home countries and a third is a world premiere, providing a rare opportunity for residents to view films they have never seen before and are unlikely to see again in the region.

“Choosing the final films to be included in this year’s Muhr AsiaAfrica competition was difficult given the many outstanding documentaries and features completed this year, and the final result is a powerhouse of diverse cinema that reflects the strength of Asian cinema,” he said. “Audiences and jury members alike are in for a feast of filmmaking.”

From China, director Feng Xiaogang’s $25 million blockbuster Aftershock focuses on the psychological scars of survivors of the 1976 Tangshan earthquake that killed more than 240,000 people. Equipped with state-of-the-art special effects, the film begins on the day of the quake and traces its impact on a single family over 32 years.

The seventh edition of Dubai International Film Festival 2010 will be held from December 12 to 19.  - TradeArabia News Service