Dolphins
Directed by Emirati, Waleed Al Shehhi, and written by author and poet, Ahmed Salmeen, the script won the IWC Award for Gulf Filmmakers. The story is of paths crossing over 24 hours. Fadel, an ambulance driver, who is divorced and has one son; Saud, who lives with his mother, Kawthar. Saud lives in a state of uncertainty due to the separation of his parents, which leads him and his friend Hilal on an unusual adventure.
Out of the Ordinary
Egyptian director Daoud Abdel Sayed returns to DIFF this year with a non-traditional story. When his scientific investigation of the paranormal yields nothing, Yehia takes a vacation in a seaside guest house inhabited by a clan of quirky characters. As he grows intimate with the owner and close to her charismatic young daughter, Yehia believes he’s stumbled across the magic he’d so long sought. Something out of the ordinary seems to exist within them all, and perhaps also within himself.
Sara 2014
Set in Gaza, it follows the story of a director and screenwriter making a film about the victim of an honour killing. While the screenwriter can’t formulate a happy ending for the film, the director wants to bring the project to a close and is keen to show the reality of Sara’s death. Directed by Khalil Al Mozian, this world premiere (supported by DIFF’s post-production programme Enjaaz) intersects reality and fiction, highlighting the heroism, love, failings and mistakes in an unsettled city.