The Circuit

Abu Dhabi's Middle East International Film Festival lineup has over 60 films from 32 countries to compete for one of the richest prizes on the fest circuit: The Black Pearl awards of $200,000 for best narrative and $150,000 for the winning doc.  $75,000 will go to best actor and actress each while $125,000 is set aside for a special jury award.

Full lineup, including non-competition film, here.

Narrative Competition

BEIRUT: OPEN CITY (DOKHAN BELA NAR) (Lebanon) directed by Samir Habachi.
**World Premiere

FAWZIA: A SPECIAL BLEND (KHALTET FAWZIA) (Egypt) directed by Magdi
Ahmed Ali.
**World Premiere

GULABI TALKIES (India) directed by Girish Kasaravalli.
**Named Best Indian Film at the 10th Osian Cinefan Festival of Asian and Arab Cinema.

HASIBA (Syria) directed by Remon Butros.
**World Premiere

HENNA (UAE) directed by Saleh Karama.
**World Premiere

LAILA’S BIRTHDAY (EID MILAD LAILA) (Palestine, Tunisia, Netherlands)
directed by Rashid Masharawi.
**Regional Premiere

MERMAID (RUSALKA) (Russia) directed by Anna Melikyan.
**Received the Directing Award at the Sundance Film Festival, the Grand Prix at the Sofia International Film Festival and the FIPRESCI Prize at the Berlin International Film Festival.

O’HORTEN (Norway) directed by Bent Hamer.
**Norway Oscar submission for Best Foreign Language Film.

ON A DAY LIKE TODAY (ZAY EL NAHARDA) (Egypt) directed by Amr Salama.
**World Premiere

WILD BLOOD (SANGUEPAZZO) (Italy) directed by Marco Tullio Giordana.
**Official Selection Cannes Film Festival.

TERRA NOVA (NOVAYA ZAMLYA) (Russia) directed by Alexander Melnik.
**Regional Premiere

TERRIBLY HAPPY (FRYGTELIG LYKKELIG) (Denmark) directed by Henrik
Ruben Genz.
**Grand Jury Prize Karloby Vary Film Festival.

TIME OF COMRADES (ZAMAN AL RIFAQ) (Morocco) directed by Mohamed
Chrif Tribak.
**World Premiere

YELLOW HANDKERCHIEF (USA) directed by Udayan Prasad.
**Official Selection Sundance Film Festival.

ZARA (Switzerland, Austria, Netherlands, Kurdistan) directed by Ayten Mutlu Saray.
**World Premiere

Documentary Competition

SEVEN BLIND FEMALE FILMMAKERS (7 ZAN FILMSAZ-E NABINA) (Iran)

NAGUIB EL-RIHANI: BID YOU FAREWELL (Egypt) directed by Mohamed Kamel
El-Kaliouby.

EVERY LITTLE STEP (USA) directed by James D Stern and Adam Del Deo.
**Received the Grand Jury Prize for World Documentary at the 2008 Sundance Film
Festival.

STRANDED: I’VE COME FROM A PLANE THAT CRASHED ON THE
MOUNTAINS (France, Uruguay) directed by Gonzalo Arijón.

WAR CHILD (USA) directed by C Karim Chrobog.

YOUSSOU N’DOUR: I BRING WHAT I LOVE (Senegal, Egypt, France)
directed by Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi.