The two films Musk and Abdullah by Emirati director Humaid Alsuwaidi are taking part in the sixth edition of the Emirates Short Film Festival (24 - 29 February) at VOX Grand Cinema.

Musk will screen on Wednesday, 27 February, and Abdullah will screen on Thursday, 28 February, between 10:00 am and 05:00 pm (GMT 4+) within a programme of short and long feature films.

Launched its first edition in 2013, the Emirates Short Film Festival aims to encourage Emirati filmmakers to present their film projects and motivate them to make more high-quality films.

About Musk:

After giving up a promising career in museum management to attend to his ailing father, Ahmed spends his days managing the family's dying perfume business. This sacrifice and his divorce have made him cynical about human nature and this manifests itself in his relationship with Abdulrahman, his aloof 12-year-old boy. Father and son do not see eye-to-eye, and it is as though they speak in different languages. Ahmed is also rather suspicious that his free-spirited sister is back from her travels in Europe to ensure she gets a nice chunk of the inheritance. Suddenly, Ahmed's ex-wife sues to deny him visitation rights, claiming she doesn't want her son to see his grandfather dying slowly.

The film received the Post-production Grant 2016 from the Doha Film Institute (DFI). Directed and written by Humaid Alsuwaidi, Musk stars Mohammed Ahmed, Suhail Aljneibi, Dhaen Juma, and Manahel Alawadi. The film is distributed worldwide by MAD Solutions.

About Abdullah:

Abdullah follows the story of a young man who grew up in a very conservative family where many things are "haram" while he struggles over the years to hide his love for music.

Written and directed by Humaid Alsuwaidi, who also co-produced the film along with Ahmed Lotfy, Abdullah stars Mohammed Ahmed, Mansour Al Feeli, Fatima Altaei, Alaa Shaker, David Daly and Brent Jenkins.

The film was filmed on a shoestring budget over 34 days in Ajman and Abu Dhabi, while Creative Lab and Twofour54 provided the equipment for filming. Mile Studios in Dubai is handling the film's post-production phase and MAD Solutions is distributing the film in the Arab world.

Born in Abu Dhabi, Humaid Alsuwaidi is an Emirati screenwriter, director and producer. After working in a traditional office job for a few years, he enrolled in the New York Film Academy in 2010. Upon graduation, he worked on a number of short films, both on set and in post-production.