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Ibrahim El Batout wins ARTE prize in Dubai Ibrahim El Battout won the International relations ARTE prize on 17 December at the Dubai Film Connection (DFC), which is part of the Dubai International Film Festival (DIFF)
Film director Ibrahim El Battout has won a prize for his upcoming project Ali Meaza (Ali the Goat), which is about a man who believes that his dead girlfriend is reincarnated as a goat. The €6000 prize was presented to the project for its exceptional originality, creativity and writing style. The DFC was launched in 2007 and is the co-production of DIFF.It aims to promote the production of Arab films through bringing international and Arab film professionals together, and work on approximately 15 selected projects each year. According to the DIFF press release, the DFC has showcased a total of 46 films in development (fiction and documentary) and six works-in-progress since its launch. Ten films have now been completed and a further nine are in production or nearing completion. In just three years, 50 per cent of the projects presented have been realized. Ibrahim ElBatout is considered the rejuvenator of independent films in Egypt. Coming from a documentary filmmaking background,Batout turned to low-budget feature films in 2005 with his film Ithaki. In 2007 his filmAinShams was released and won the Golden Bull award at the Taormina film festival in Italy in 2008. Hawi, his latest film, which has won the award for Best Arab Film at the DohaTribeca film festival, was screened at the DIFF and will be screened in January at the Rotterdam film festival.