A Falcon, A Revolution
Directed by Jassim Al Romaihi, Md Rezwan Al Islam
This student docudrama, made in Qatar, invites viewers to experience the Egyptian revolution from the eyes of a Bedouin, who speaks of how falcons and governments are similar: if you keep them in check, they will do what they are supposed to, and if you let them misbehave, they will.

Cats
Directed by Marwan Al Hammadi
Curious about the lion cubs and leopards photographed popping their heads out of UAE-registered Land Cruisers, or on a leash in JBR? Ambitious student short Cats spotlights four people who keep exotic cats as pets in the UAE, bravely asking these important men why they do it and their long-term plans for their animals.

Divine Intervention
Directed by Yen-Chi Tseng
Two turtles are making a living as street performers when suddenly, their earnings disappear. A fight follows, but neither is to blame. This Taiwanese children’s animation invites viewers to ask who the real culprit is.

Fatin Drives Me Crazy
Directed by Mohammed Al Sendi
This Saudi Arabian short gets its world premiere at GFF. Fatin and Sultan are young newlyweds who share a loving relationship in modern-day Saudi Arabia. While stuck at home with Sultan at work, no driver around and a car in perfect working order, Fatin struggles to run errands.

Fireworks
Directed by Giacomo Abbruzzese
For 50 years, Taranto in Italy has been home to Europe’s largest steel industry, an immense, hideous complex that occupies every economical, visual and imaginary horizon, making it the most polluted city in Western Europe. On New Year’s Eve, as the fireworks explode, an international group of ecologists decides to blow up the entire factory. A short action thriller produced in France and Italy.

Halabja – The Lost Children
Directed by Akram Hidou
Twenty-one years after Saddam Hussein’s poison gas attack in 1988 killed up to 5,000 people in this Kurdish town in northern Iraq, and injured up to 10,000 more, the presumed-dead Ali returns to Halabja looking for his lost family. He discovers five families, each of them hoping he is their missing child. A haunting feature film made in Germany, Iraq and Syria.

Hi
Directed by Nayla Al Khaja
A UAE-produced drama focusing on the humble washing line. Can your laundry make you feel lonely? If your neighbours’ washing line reflects their busy life and the love that surrounds them, and yours pales in comparison, what’s next?

Red Heart
Directed by Halkawt Mustafa
After the death of her mother, 19-year-old Shirin discovers her father’s plans to trade her in exchange for a new wife. Unable to accept this, she escapes to the big city with her secret boyfriend. When he is arrested, she must face the dangers and challenges of her new life alone. A feature-length contemporary version of Romeo and Juliet, set in Iraqi Kurdistan.

The Gamboo’a Revolution
Directed by Abdulrahman Al Madani
The Gamboo’a Revolution discusses the phenomenon of the gamboo’a (otherwise known as the beehive hairdo, a.k.a. the ‘camel hump’). This UAE student short asks why young women are embracing the fashion so enthusiastically.

This is London
Directed by Mohammad Bu-Ali
A couple’s mission to send a photograph to their son in London should be an easy task, but when the wife refuses to go to the studio, the photographer has to think of innovative and unusual ways to capture the perfect shot. A professional short film from Bahrain.

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