Abdullah Al-Eyaf ( ar, عبدالله آل عياف; born October 31, 1976) is a
Saudi Arabian film director
A film director controls a film's artistic and dramatic aspects and visualizes the screenplay (or script) while guiding the film crew and actors in the fulfilment of that vision. The director has a key role in choosing the cast members, p ...
also known as Abdullah Al Eyaf or Abdullah Aleyaf. He has directed many award-winning films.
His first film was a 42-minute documentary ''
Cinema 500 km
''Cinema 500 km'' ( ar, السينما 500 كم) is a 2006 Saudi Arabian documentary film and was directed by Abdullah Al-Eyaf. The film depicts the experiences of Tariq Al-Husaini, a 21-year-old Saudi movie fan despite no cinemas and are a ...
,'' which discusses the ban on
cinemas in
Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in Western Asia. It covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and has a land area of about , making it the fifth-largest country in Asia, the second-largest in the A ...
by following a young Saudi movie fan during his first trip outside the country to experience his first ever film in a theater. Al-Eyaf's second project was a 19-minute short film called ''Etaar'' ("A Frame"). His third short film he made was the 23-minute drama ''Matar'' ("Rain"), which was shown in many international film festivals around the world. His most recent project was the short film "Aayesh" in 2010, which won the Gulf Film Festival award for best short film and was well received by audiences and critics.
Abdullah Al-Eyaf works as an engineer for a living. He wrote a weekly column in the ''
Al-Riyadh
Al-Riyadh Saudi Club () is a football team based in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, that is currently playing in the Saudi Second Division (third level). It was established in 1953 as Ahli Al-Riyadh, then changed to Al-Yamamah and finally to Al-Riyadh. ...
'' newspaper between 2007 and 2010. In 2007, he also co-established and edited a weekly cinema page for the ''
Al-Watan'' newspaper.
Abdullah has been a jury member of many film festivals, such as Gulf Film Festival and Abu Dhabi Film Festival.
His first novel, ''Hole to Heaven,'' was nominated for the
Arabic Booker Prize in 2021.
Awards
* Golden Palm - Short Documentary: ''Cinema 500 km'', in Saudi Film Competition 2008
* Saudi Arabia's winner of International Young Creative Entrepreneur in 2008.
* Silver Palm - Short Drama ''Matar'' (aka ''Rain''), in Saudi Film Competition 2008
* Special Jury Prize - GCC Films: ''Etaar'' (aka ''A Frame''), Emirates Film Competition 2007
* 1st Prize for Best Short Film - Official Competition: "Aayesh", Gulf Film Festival, 2010
* "Aleph" Second Best Short Film (SILVER): "Aayesh", Beirut International Film Festival 2010
* Best Screenplay: "Aayesh" Saudi Films Festival 2012.
See also
*
Cinema 500 km
''Cinema 500 km'' ( ar, السينما 500 كم) is a 2006 Saudi Arabian documentary film and was directed by Abdullah Al-Eyaf. The film depicts the experiences of Tariq Al-Husaini, a 21-year-old Saudi movie fan despite no cinemas and are a ...
References
External links
Coming Soon, Scorsese of Arabia The Washington Post
*
Interview with Saudi Film Director, Abdullah Al Eyaf by Mirza al-Khuwaylidion Asharq Alawsat (January 3, 2007)
A Frame website at EFC database
1976 births
Living people
Saudi Arabian film directors
People from Al-Hasa
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