FilmFest 2019

UAE 2018; color; Urdu with English subtitles; 11 minutes; minutes; dir./prod. Fahad Hussain

A look at the dual lives of a Pakistani working in the UAE. From a family of street performers, he enacts a king reciting for restaurant patrons, yet his fancy costume belies his meager life.

UAE 2018; color; Arabic with English subtitles; 9 minutes; dir./prod. John Haddad

Abdul Nasser tells us his story by acting out significant moments in his life with diabetes. He is determined to move on with his life.

Saudi Arabia 2018; color; Arabic with English subtitles; 15 minutes; dir. Maha Al-Saati; prod. Maha Al-Saati and Khalid Fahad

Abandoned by her prince, an Arabian Cinderella is left serving guests. Meanwhile, her mentally challenged warden attempts to escape the body of the hairy grown-up he is trapped in.

UAE 2018; color; English; 7 minutes; dir./prod. Duha Abbas

A beauty lover turned Instagram star moved to Dubai to pursue fame and success. But at what cost?

UAE 2018; color; Arabic with English subtitles; 9 minutes; dir./prod. Mariam Alawadhi

Fifteen years of avoiding the source of her anxiety, Mariam at last voices her hidden emotions about her non-Emirati mother, and the uneasiness she feels about her mixed background in Emirati society.

UAE 2018; color; English and Arabic with English subtitles; 10 minutes; dir./prod. Al-Hurr Al-Dalli

When faced with a controversial breaking story, an ambitious news anchor must choose between her integrity and her career.

UAE 2018; color; Arabic with English subtitles; 10 minutes; dir./prod. Fajer Alalami

Hurtful teasing and reckless jokes were the only things three bullies adored, till one joke goes bad and they are sucked into the mysterious world of the very joke they played.

UAE/Saudi Arabia 2018; color; English and Arabic with English subtitles; 66 minutes; dir. Stephanie Brockhaus; dir./prod. Andreas Wolff

In 2010 Saudi poet Hissa Hilal was the first woman to make it to the finals of “Million’s Poet.” She attacks one of the most notorious Saudi clerics for his extremist fatwas.

UAE 2018; color; Arabic with English subtitles; 10 minutes; dir./prod. Raihana Alhashmi

An abused tailor teleports to an affluent customer’s world through a magical dress.

UAE 2019; color; Arabic with English subtitles; 22 minutes; dir. Mohammed Ahmed Alhammadi; prod. Sharjah Art Foundation

Maryam, a young Emirati, dreams of becoming an actress. But her plans clash with those of her conservative family who plan on getting her married.

UAE 2017; color; Arabic and Tagalog with English subtitles; 10 minutes; dir. Ahmad Al Tunaiji

Khalifa struggles to hide his half-Filipino identity from his Emirati schoolmates. When school bullies discover his secret, Khalifa is forced to make a choice.

Sudan/Egypt/Qatar 2019; color; English and Arabic with English subtitles; 19 minutes; dir. Eiman Mirghani; prod. Atheel El Malik and Ali Khechen

After a failed attempt to document the story of a woman who bleaches her skin, a Sudanese filmmaker turns the camera around to discover her own relationship with her skin.

Saudi Arabia 2019; color; Arabic with English subtitles; 20 minutes; dir. Hussam Alhulwah; prod. Mohammed Alhamoud and Hussam Alhulwah

Khaled and his father represent very different generations of Saudi society. When Khaled’s mother is hospitalized, the two find themselves physically closer, but further apart emotionally.

Saudi Arabia 2019; color; 4 minutes; dir./prod. Bentley Brown

Despite the legalization of cinema in Saudi Arabia, film crews are still subject to “moral laws” governing “mixed-gender” work environments.