Most film festivals are stationary events that happen in specific places, on specific days during the year, but not the Green Caravan Film Festival (GCFF). So what makes this film festival different? It’s mobile, that’s what! It has toured Kuwait, Dubai, and London, and on March 15, 2016, it returned to the Gulf for an expanded tour, The 2016 Gulf Tour, of several Gulf cities.
The GCFF was founded in 2009 by an environmental company called Equilibrium, and their aim is to present the Arab world with socially conscious issues that awaken awareness within the people. They also aim to unite audiences, filmmakers, NGOs and supporters to increase collaborations and develop the local film industry in more environmental ways. This festival does not only emphasize passion and inspiration but also holds great importance in relation to global, social, and environmental issues.
This year, the film on center stage is director Mohammed Rashed Buali’s “The Sleeping Tree,” the story of a Bahraini family struggling with their cultural environment. The GCFF celebrates the medium films as a social force that brings together a broad audience of filmmakers, NGOs, supporters, youth and everyone else.
This time, things were done a bit differently at the festival. For the first time, the audience got to judge the film that will win the festival! You can watch many other short films that participated in the festival. The new process could not only inspire more youth to go into the film industry but also encourage a film production for critical films within the Middle East that trigger debate and evoke change.
The audience selected ‘Ave Maria’ by Basil Khalil as this year’s Gulf Tour winner and don’t worry if you missed the festival the Green Caravan Film Festival will be touring again in the Gulf in 2017.
Don’t forget to leave a smile 🙂 !
