By Hani Mustafa SINCE the second half of the 20th century Arab governments, writes Hani Mustafa, have appreciated the importance of establishing film festivals on their own soil. Forty years ago national identity was a significant factor in the success of a festival; in the region there were three significant events: the Cairo Film Festival (with an international orientation screening only premieres), the Damascus Film Festival (whose Arab nationalist orientation gave it a political flavour) and the Carthage Festival (which was African first, then Arab). In the last four decades the cinematic limelight has played in the space shared by Egypt, Syria and Tunisia with each of the three festivals complementing rather than competing with the two others. Since the turn of the millennium, however, the Gulf has joined in the game, with the Dubai International Film Festival proving a significant success since its inception in 2004. More recently, also in the UAE, the Middle East International Film Festival (MEIFF), a more regionally oriented event based in Abu Dhabi, has emerged on the scene. In its third round this year, MEIFF boasts the presence of Peter Scarlet, the San Francisco Festival director for 19 years, whose arrival should herald a new phase in its evolution. Egypt contributes to MEIFF filmmaker Ahmed Maher's Al-Musafir (The Traveller) - the Venice Film Festival contestant's Middle East premiere - starring Omar Sharif, Khaled El-Nabawi and Serine Abdel-Nour. Egypt also contributes Ahmad Abdallah's Heliopolis and Osama Fawzi's Bil'alwan Al-Tabi'iah (In Technicolour). Arab participants include the Palestinian director Iliya Solaiman, winner of Cannes's Grand Jury Award, and the Syrian director Hatim Ali, best known for televised serials like last year's famous King Farouk series. Alongside the official competition, MEIFF includes a documentary programme in which the Egyptian filmmaker Tahani Rashed is participating with Giran (Neighbours) and a short film programme as well as a special programme entitled "What in the World Are We Doing With Our World". Youssri Nasrallah's Ehki ya Shahrazade (Tell it, Sheherazade) will also be screened on the fringe of the event. The event closes on 17 October with the American filmmaker Grant Heslov's The Men Who Stare at Goats.
