Mahmoud Kaabour (in

Arabic Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic languages, Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C ...

محمود قعبور) (born March 11, 1979) is a filmmaker, writer, and public speaker from

Beirut Beirut, french: Beyrouth is the capital and largest city of Lebanon. , Greater Beirut has a population of 2.5 million, which makes it the third-largest city in the Levant region. The city is situated on a peninsula at the midpoint o ...

Education and occupation

He is the founder and managing director of

Veritas Films Veritas Films is a filmmaking company based in the United Arab Emirates. It creates cultural and corporate non-fiction content, including corporate films, short and feature-length documentaries, TV programming, and videos, in both English and Arabi ...

, a

UAE The United Arab Emirates (UAE; ar, اَلْإِمَارَات الْعَرَبِيَة الْمُتَحِدَة ), or simply the Emirates ( ar, الِْإمَارَات ), is a country in Western Asia (The Middle East). It is located at th ...

based company that specializes in the creation and production of non-fiction content. In 2015, he was named as one of the 100 Most Powerful Arabs under 40. His commercial work includes directing tailor-made documentaries, including multiple films for The Ministry of Presidential Affairs and The Executive Affairs Authority in Abu Dhabi, the

Abu Dhabi Urban Planning Council The Abu Dhabi Urban Planning Council (UPC) is the strategic planning agency for the Abu Dhabi (emirate), which supports the realisation of Abu Dhabi Vision 2030 through the creation and continuing evolution of an Emirate-wide strategic framework ...

Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture and Heritage The Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture & Heritage (known colloquially as the ADACH) was a statutory body in the United Arab Emirates that administered cultural heritage in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi.Dubai Holding Dubai Holding ( ar, دبي القابضة) is Dubai ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum's personal investment portfolio, which owns 99.67% of the capital. It is a global investment holding company. Mohamed al Gergawi built the portfo ...

and Dubai Investments subsidiaries.

Film career

Kaabour's second feature-length film, '' Teta, Alf Marra'', won him a ''

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

'' "Critics' Pick" and a special jury mention for Best Arab Filmmaker at its world premiere at the

Doha Tribeca Film Festival The Doha Tribeca Film Festival (DTFF) was an annual five-day film festival that was organised from 2009 to 2012 to promote Arab and international films, and to develop a sustainable film industry in Qatar. One of Qatar's largest entertainment event ...

. The film has garnered an additional 5 major Audience Awards and Best Film awards and achieved several 'firsts' for the regional filmmaking industry. It was the first locally-produced documentary to show in cinemas in the UAE and secure regional distribution. It was also the first documentary produced in the GCC to qualify for Academy Awards qualification, with theatrical runs in Los Angeles and New York City.''New York Times'' Movie Review: Grandma, A Thousand Times
/ref> His third feature-length film, ''Champ of the Camp'' is a documentary filmed in the controversial labor camps of the

United Arab Emirates The United Arab Emirates (UAE; ar, اَلْإِمَارَات الْعَرَبِيَة الْمُتَحِدَة ), or simply the Emirates ( ar, الِْإمَارَات ), is a country in Western Asia (The Middle East). It is located at th ...

. The film premiered at the 10th

Dubai International Film Festival The Dubai International Film Festival (DIFF, ar, مهرجان دبي السينمائي الدولي) is the leading film festival in the Arab region. The 12th edition of DIFF took place from December 9 – 16, 2015. In 2018, the DIFF announce ...

on Dec 7th, 2013 in an historic outdoor screening at

Burj Khalifa The Burj Khalifa (; ar, برج خليفة, , Khalifa Tower), known as the Burj Dubai prior to its inauguration in 2010, is a skyscraper in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. It is known for being the world’s tallest building. With a total height ...

, the world's tallest tower. It attracted +1000 viewers.

Awards

''Mahmoud Kaabour'' *100 Most Powerful Arabs Under 40 *Humanitarian - Esquire Man At His Best Awards 2014 ''Champ of the Camp:'' *March 2014: Best Production at Digital Studio Awards *October 2011: Best Film Award in the "Celebrate Age" category at the

Mumbai International Film Festival The Mumbai International Film Festival for Documentary, Short and Animation Films (MIFF) is a festival organized in the city of Mumbai (formerly Bombay) by the Films Division, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Government of India. It ...

, India ''Being Osama'': * Certificate of Merit for fighting racism from the

Canadian Race Relations Foundation The Canadian Race Relations Foundation (CRRF; , ''FCRR'') is a charitable organization and Crown corporation responsible to foster racial harmony and cross-cultural understanding and help to eliminate racism in Canada.Canadian Race Relations Fou ...

.''Concordia's Thursday Report'': Review
/ref>

Filmography

;Directing *2004: ''

Being Osama ''Being Osama'' is a 2004 documentary about how the lives of men named "Osama" changed in the aftermath of the September 11 attacks. It was produced by Tim Schwab and Mahmoud Kaabour. Director Kaabour is the founder and managing director of Veri ...

'' *2010: '' Teta, Alf Marra'' *2013: ''Champ of the Camp''

References

External links

*
Veritas Films
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kaabour, Mahmoud Lebanese documentary filmmakers Writers from Beirut Living people 1979 births