DUBAI: From talking camels to abusive fathers, this year’s four shortlisted nominees for the IWC Filmmaker Award have chosen to deal with myriad characters and issues in their work, but the ultimate winner was named as Saudi director Haifaa Al-Mansour in a glittering ceremony at the One&Only Royal Mirage hotel in Dubai on Thursday night.
The award is sponsored by luxury Swiss watch manufacturer IWC Schaffhausen and takes place annually as part of the Dubai International Film Festival, which is set to run until Dec. 13 this year.
Al-Mansour walked away with a $100,000 cash prize and is the sixth winner of the award dedicated to feature-length fiction film projects development by directors from the GCC.
This year, the jury was presided over by Academy Award winner Cate Blanchett who walked the red carpet before the ceremony alongside IWC CEO Christoph Grainger-Herr, DIFF Chairman Abdulhamid Juma and DIFF Artistic Director Masoud Amralla Al-Ali.
Al-Mansour spoke to Arab News before the ceremony and shared insight on her nominated project, which is yet to be finalized, “Miss Camel.”
An endearing combination of strong will and humility, the friendly, down-to-earth film director shared her thoughts on what it means to be shortlisted for the awards.
“My film Miss Camel is a passion project, so I’m really excited to see it gaining momentum. It’s something I started developing a long time back and it’s about a subject close to my heart, female empowerment, so I hope to continue the journey with it,” she said.
The project is about a Saudi teen named Hayla “who will do anything to escape her arranged marriage and fulfill her goal of attending art school outside of Saudi Arabia,” according to its synopsis on the film festival’s website. “While scheming to make her way to the in-person interviews for the art college in a neighboring Gulf state, Hayla makes a startling discovery at her cousin’s wedding — she can talk to animals.”
Also nominated was Emirati filmmaker Nayla Al-Khaja with her yet-to-be-completed film “Animal,” in which she deals with mistreatment within families, focusing on a father who mentally abuses his family.
The film is set in a Dubai-based household “ruled by an unstable and cruel patriarch,” according to its synopsis on the film festival’s website. “The audience quickly grasps the tempestuous mood swings the other members of the home are forced to endure, and the extreme anxiety this can create.”
Omani filmmaker Muzna Al-Musafer has chosen to focus her storyline on a brothel dancer named Reem is her project, “The Crown of Olives.”
Meanwhile, Bahraini filmmaker Mohammad Rashed Buali touches on a delicate subject in his film “Kobmars,” about a man who sells underwear in a women’s lingerie shop.
In a statement, DIFF’s Artistic Director Masoud Amralla Al-Ali said that the award offers “both promising and established filmmakers” from the region to “take their vision from script to screen.”
