Two Bahrain films to premiere at DIFF 2015

Two Bahrain films will premiere at the 12^th Dubai International Film Festival (DIFF) 2015 next month that will showcase 134 films from 60 countries in eight days.

The line up includes 55 world premières across the Arab and Emirati competitions, plus out-of-competition segments dedicated to children, the Arab world and cinema from around the globe.

Star guests confirmed as attending include Hollywood actors Richard Dreyfuss, Jake Gyllenhaal, Melanie Griffith, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje and Dev Patel.

DIFF will open on December 9 with Lenny Abrahamson’s, Room, based on Emma Donoghue’s 2010 best-selling novel of the same name.

Internationally renowned screenwriter, director, comedian and actor Adam McKay’s star-studded financial-crisis comedy-drama The Big Short, based on Michael Lewis’ best-selling novel, will bring the curtain down on the festival on December 16.

Jannat Ala’Ard (Earth’s Heaven) and El Ladron de Luz (The Light Thief) are the films from Bahrain.

Earth’s Heaven is a Bahrain-Saudi entry with Arabic dialogues and English subtitles.  The film spans for 26 minutes and comes under the genre Drama. The movie is about a group of young Saudi men and women who are on their way to celebrate New Year's Eve in Bahrain. An incident changes some of their attitudes, which makes them reconsider their relationships. The director of the film is Saudi filmmaker Sameer Arif who has worked on several TV commercials and documentaries. He also directed several MBC TV series. The producer  of the film is Tariq Alnefisi, scriptwriter Asmahan Tawfeq, cinematographer Omar Alrojoub, editor Abdullah Qafeeshah and composer Hani Mafasil.

The cast includes Zara Albalushi, Tariq Alnefisi, Ali Alsa'ad and Asmahan Tawfeq.

Meanwhile The Light Thief is a Bahrain-Spain entry with Spanish dialogues and English subtitles. The film is a drama with a duration of 19 minutes. The film revolves around the bitter tale of victims and their executioners, as they all exchange turns robbing each other of their love and souls.

The director is Bahraini filmmaker Eva Daoud. Her first student film won the Special Jury Prize for Short Films at the Emirates Film Competition of ADFF. Daoud has made six short films that have screened in international film festivals. The producer is Juan Aritio and Hassan Ashoor, scriptwriter Eva Daoud, cinematographer Miguel De Olaso Macgregor, editor Sergio Rozas, composer Jorge Magaz. The cast includes Maria Pedroviejo, Angel De Miguel, Alicia Lobo, Aloma Escuder, Julia Fournier and Rebecca Roldan.

The red carpet Gala Screenings at Madinat Jumeirah are always guaranteed to bring out Dubai’s best-dressed.

All films will be screened at the Madinat Jumeirah Arena, Madinat Theatre, Souk Madinat Jumeirah and VOX Cinemas, Mall of the Emirates

Tickets will be available online at www.dubaifilmfest.com from Friday. 

Caption : A scene from Earth's Heaven