Five O'Clock by Ayman Al-Shatri Lands World Premiere at the Dubai International Film Festival

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Vying in the Muhr Gulf Short Competition

Five O'Clock by Ayman Al-Shatri Lands World Premiere at the Dubai International Film Festival


Five O'Clock by Ayman Al-Shatri will vie for the awards of the Muhr Gulf Short competition, part of the 13th Dubai International Film Festival (DIFF) (December 7 - 14), where it will be having its world premiere with the attendance of its director and its lead actor Karam Thamer.

Directed by Ayman Al-Shatri, who also co-wrote it with Ameer Ihsan, Five O'Clock stars Karam Thamer, Safa Najem, and Karrar Al Mahdi. MAD Solutions will handle the distribution of the film across the Arab world.

The film tells the story of a suicidal man who intends to carry out a terrorist attack by blowing himself in the middle of a crowd using an explosive belt, as he believes that non-Muslims are unworthy of life and they deserve to die. Despite being brainwashed, he begins to think, search and wonder if all idiots really deserve to die, and will he be granted eternal life in paradise after doing so?

Born in Nasiriyah city, Ayman Al-Shatri is an award-winning Iraqi director, producer and screenwriter who graduated from the Film & TV department in Baghdad University's College of Fine Arts. He started his professional career as an editor in many Iraqi films. Besides his experience in sound designing and sound effects, Al-Shatri's short film Warm Night won several awards at Arab and international festivals.

DIFF is one of the most important film festivals in the Arab world. Every year, DIFF showcases over 120 features, shorts films and documentaries from around the world and hosts several world premieres, presents new and exciting cinema from the Arab world and beyond, and introduces audiences to fresh new talent and original and distinctive filmmaking.

Screening Times of Five O'Clock at the Dubai International Film Festival (DIFF) (GMT+4(
Sunday, December 11, at 09:45 pm at VOX 17 Cinema at Mall of the Emirates
Tuesday, December 13, at 06:00 pm at VOX 14 Cinema at Mall of the Emirates