The year of the woman at
Diff's Muhr Awards
- Image Credit: Zarina Fernandes/ Gulf News
- Shaikh Mansour Bin Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum presents the award to director Khadija Al Salami for best fiction feature for her film Ana Nojoom Bent Alasherah Wa Motalagah (I am Nojoom, Age 10 and Divorcee) at the Muhr Awards during the Dubai International Film Festival. Jury member Lee Daniels (right) is also shown.
Dubai: It was the year of the woman at Dubai International Film Festival's Muhr Awards on Tuesday night, held at the Burj Al Arab.
I Am Nujoom, Age 10 and Divorced by director Khadija Al Salami won the Dh200,000 grand prize for Best Muhr Feature (Fiction). The winning title is loosely based on the real life of Nujood Ali, a famed Yemeni girl who was married off at age 9 to a man in his thirties and granted a divorce shortly thereafter.
Producer-director Lee Daniels, jury president of the Muhr Feature category, gave the film high praise on stage before making the announcement. "I love it so much," he said, repeatedly.
Al Salami was in disbelief over her win, speaking to tabloid! minutes after. "I couldn't believe it when I heard the name. When Lee Daniels was saying 'my favourite film', I said, 'It's not mine, that's for sure'," she said.
"My goal for making this film is to bring awareness, and also, to push the government to adopt a law that prohibits early marriage. That's my goal in making film. That's all I want to do."
Emirati filmmaker Nujoom Al Ghanem won the Dh100,000 prize for Best Muhr Feature (Non-Fiction) with her documentary, "Nearby Sky". "Nearby Sky" follows Fatima Ali Al Hameli, an Emirati camel owner who tries to make a name for herself in the masculine world of camel pageants and auctions. Nujoom was not present at the ceremony, however, her husband accepted the award on her behalf.
Another win for Emirati women came in the form of Aisha Al Zaabi's debut feature, "The Other Dimension", which snagged the Dh50,000 prize for Best Muhr Emirati Film. The story follows a 20-year-old man who, after a car accident, is transported to another dimension where he can reflect on all his past mistakes.
"With how much hard work went into this film, I would be lying if I said I didn't expect a win. Thank God, I was expecting a win for it, and thank God, we worked hard and we reaped the rewards," she said. She added that, in the year of 2014 in the UAE, women are encouraged to reach the highest positions in their fields.
"Thank God for the support of the country, and the support of those who worked with me who treated me as a director, not a woman who they think can't work. A woman can reach very far," she said.
In the Muhr Short category, Hinde Boujemaa took home the Dh50,000 prize for Best Film with "...And Romeo Married Juliette", an 18 minute short from Tunisia.
"It was really a surprise for me. I feel happy -- maybe you can play this song 'Happy' [by Pharrell Williams] now. I think it's a really good time for me to listen to this beautiful song," said a cheerful Boujemma, who added that her producer will be the first person she calls about the big win.
Full list of winners
1. Ministry of Interior Award:
Saeed Salmeen Al Murry for “Going to Heaven”
2. Muhr Emirati
Best Jury Prize:
Mohammed Swaidan
LA CONFESSION (THE CONFESSION)
France & UAE
Best Film:
Aisha Al Zaabi
AL BU’AD AL AKHAR (THE OTHER DIMENSION)
UAE
3. Muhr Short
Special Mention:
Rami Yasin
FI AL WAQT AL DAE'A (IN OVERTIME)
Jordan & Palestine
Special Mention:
Karim Rahbani
WITH THY SPIRIT
Lebanon
Best Jury Prize:
Sahim Omar Kalifa
THE DEEBAD HUNTER
Belgium & UAE
Best Film:
Hinde Boujemaa
ET ROMEO EPOUSA JULIETTE (...AND ROMEO MARRIED JULIETTE)
Tunisia
4. Muhr Feature
Special Mention:
Hisham Zaman
BREV TIL KONGEN (LETTER TO THE KING)
UAE & Norway
Special Mention:
Yacine Mohamed Benelhadj
RANI MIYET (I'M DEAD)
Algeria & UAE
Special Mention:
Yahya Al Abdallah
AL MAJLIS (THE COUNCIL)
Jordan & UAE
Best Jury Prize:
Salim Abu Jabal
ROSHMIA
Palestine, United Arab Emirates, Qatar & Syria
Best Non-Fiction Film:
Nujoom Al Ghanem
SAMMA QARRIBAH (NEARBY SKY)
UAE
Best Fiction Film:
Khadija Al Salami
ANA NOJOOM BENT ALASHERAH WAMOTALAGAH (I AM NOJOOM, AGE 10 AND DIVORCED)
Yemen, UAE & France
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