Dalma: dir Humaid Alsuwaidi (2023)

Dana moves to Dalma island when she inherits a house, renovates the property, and starts renting it out to tourists. An innocuous lunch at the only restaurant she finds sets her on a path of collision with many of the island’s inhabitants – especially Ghaith, a doctor who refuses to leave the island despite the many opportunities on the mainland. It’s partly about social traditions and being a woman in a man’s world, but the tensions that emerge mean it develops into a study of interesting characters with layers of complexity that emerge as the story progresses …

The film, written and directed by the UAE-based filmmaker Humaid Alsuwaidi, was shot on location in Dalma Island over a brisk 49 days, with a skeleton crew and a supporting cast largely made up of non-actors from the island. The screening will be followed by an in-person conversation with Alsuwaidi; it’s presented by the NYUAD Film and New Media Program in the CinemaNA series of contemporary Arab film.