The Closing Ceremony for the third annual Middle East International Film Festival (MEIFF) was held at the Emirates Palace Hotel on Saturday evening.
During the ceremony, celebrity guests including Naomi Watts and Eva Mendes presented the 2009 Black Pearl Awards to the winners of MEIFF’s competitions.
The awards were the culmination of 10 days of cinema, with 128 films screened. Seventeen Narrative Features, fourteen Documentary Features, twenty-five Short Films, and ten Student Shorts competed for Black Pearl Awards.
A special Black Pearl Award for lifetime achievement was presented to Vanessa Redgrave on October 8, the festival’s Opening Night.
AWARDS & PRIZES
Narrative Feature Competition
Black Pearl Award for Best Narrative Film ($100,000) – Hipsters (Stilyagi), directed by Valery Todorovsky (Russia)
Black Pearl Award for Best New Narrative Director ($50,000) – Glendyn Ivin, Last Ride (Australia)
Black Pearl Award for Best Middle Eastern Narrative Film ($100,000) – The Time That Remains (Al Zaman Al Baqi), directed by Elia Suleiman (Palestine, UK, Italy, Belgium, France)
Black Pearl Award for Best New Middle Eastern Narrative Director ($50,000) – Pelin Esmer, 10 to 11 (11’e 10 Kala), Turkey, France, Germany
Black Pearl Award for Best Actor ($25,000) – Hamed Behdad, No One Knows About Persian Cats, directed by Bahman Ghobadi (Iran)
Black Pearl Award for Best Actress ($25,000) – Alicia Laguna and Sonia Couoh, Northless (Norteado), directed by Rigoberto Pérezcano (Mexico)
Jury Special Mention – Northless (Norteado), directed by Rigoberto Pérezcano (Mexico)
Documentary Feature Competition
Black Pearl Award for Best Documentary Film ($100,000) – The Frontier Gandhi: Badshah Khan, A Torch for Peace, directed by T. C. McLuhan (Afghanistan, India, Pakistan, USA)
Black Pearl Award for Best New Documentary Director ($50,000) – Johan Grimonprez, Double Take (Netherlands, Belgium)
Black Pearl Award for Best Middle Eastern Documentary Film ($100,000) – On the Way to School (Ýki Dil Bir Bavul), directed by Orhan Eskiköy and Özgür Doðan (Turkey)
Black Pearl Award for Best New Middle Eastern Documentary Director ($50,000) – Mohamed Zran, Being Here (Zarzis), Tunisia
Jury Special Mention – The Age of Stupid, directed by Franny Armstrong (UK)
Short Film Competition
Black Pearl Award for Best Narrative Short ($25,000) – The Six Dollar Fifty Man, directed by Mark Albiston and Louis Sutherland (New Zealand)
Black Pearl Award for Best Documentary Short ($25,000) – Wagah, directed by Supriyo Sen and Najaf Bilgrami (Pakistan, India, Germany)
Black Pearl Award for Best Middle Eastern Short ($25,000) – Tripoli, Quiet (Trablos Al-Hada), directed by Rania Attieh and Daniel Garcia (Lebanon)
Black Pearl Award for Best Student Short – First Prize ($15,000) – Anna, directed by Runar Runarsson (Denmark)
Black Pearl Award for Best Student Short – Second Prize ($10,000) – Kasia, directed by Elisabet Llado (Belgium)
Black Pearl Award for Best Student Short – Third Prize ($5,000) – Schautag, directed by Marvin Kren (Germany)
Audience Choice Award ($25,000) – No One Knows About Persian Cats, directed by Bahman Ghobadi (Iran)
Jury Special Mention (Short Narrative) – The Employment (El empleo), directed by Santiago “Bou” Grasso (Argentina)
Jury Special Mention (Short Documentary) – The Herd, directed by Ken Wardrop (Ireland)
Jury Special Mention (Middle Eastern Short) – Fatenah, directed by Ahmad Habash (Palestine)
Jury Special Mention (Middle Eastern Short) – Spring 89 (Rabie 89), directed by Ayten Amin (Egypt)
Jury Special Mention (Student Short) – Our Neck of the Woods, directed by Rob Connolly (USA)
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