The Circuit

All week we had noticed an odd group at the Intercontinental Hotel, where the festival kept the staff and press.  They were all incredibly fit and kept to themselves.  They looked tired all the time.  They ate a lot at the continental breakfasts.  Some worked out in the hotel gym every day.  One was a dwarf.

Then it hit us as we watched the closing night ceremony – they were actors and dancers from LA brought in to do a Broadway-styled number choreographed by Otis Salid who's put together similar theme-shows for the Academy Award and the Olympic ceremonies.  This theme – an American film director escorting an Arab boy through a history of film, with dancers and actors performing to clips projected on three screens.  One actor dressed as a gangster glared under "The Godfather." An Asian dancer jumped around with a sword under "Crouching Tiger."  A woman on stilts and the dwarf in clown makeup rolled about.  (Hard to say where they fit in to the film theme.)

Later, festival awards went to:

Producer Peter Bouckaert, and Director Nic Balthazar of BEN X
Winner of the Black Pearl Grand Jury Prize for Best Feature Film. The
award carries with it a cash prize of AED 300,000  ($81,000 US)
 
Michael James Rowland of LUCKY MILES
Winner of Black Pearl Jury Prize for Best New Director (Feature Film).
The award carries with it a cash prize of AED 300,000
 
Ensemble Cast: Nadine Labaki, Yasmine Al Masri, Joanna Moukarzel.
Gisele Aouad and Sihame Haddad of CARAMEL
Winner of the Black Pearl for Best Actress. The award carries with it a
cash prize of AED 300,000 
 
Carl Markovics of THE COUNTERFEITERS
Winner of the Black Pearl for Best Actor. The award carries with it a
cash prize of AED 300,000  
 
Paul Taylor of WE ARE TOGETHER
Winner of Black Pearl Jury Prize for Best Documentary Film. The
award carries with it a cash prize of AED 300,000
 
Producer Gundny Hummelvoll, and Director Hisham Zaman of BAWKE
Winner of the Black Pearl for Best Short Film. The award carries with it a
cash prize of AED 100,000 ($27,000US)
 
Elizabeth Marre and Olivier Pont of  MANON ON THE PAVEMENT
Winner of the Black Pearl for Best New Director (Short Film). The award
carries with it a cash prize of AED 100,000 
 
Josh Raskin of I MET THE WALRUS
Winner of the Black Pearl for Best Animated Short Film. The award
carries with it a cash prize of AED 100,000 


Afterwards, the dancers and the rest of the contracted American help who had been rushing and sweating this Herculean project through finally let their tense shoulders drop – relaxing at the closing night party, then proceeding to get hammered.