Cultivating the Desert. Instant Culture in an Arabian Wonderland
by Michael Krass, The Netherlands 2007, 52'
SUBJECT: Deborah Faraone Mennella   MUSIC: Good Sounds
CAMERA: Marco Nauta   PRODUCER: Jan - Pieter Stafleu
SOUND: Bert Zimmerman   PRODUCTION: Wunderbox, Amsterdam in co-produzione con AVRO e SVTE
EDITING: Caitlin Hulscher  

Schermo dell'Arte - Archivio Film Presented at The Screen of the Arts 2009

In the last few years Dubai has undergone a phenomenal economic, demographic and infrastructural growth. Its futuristic and extravagant buildings, among which is the famous sail-shaped hotel, the Burj Al Arab, are known the world over.
The cultural promotion project launched by Dubai’s Sheik in the spring of 2007 in this financial and tourist oasis has also encouraged an extraordinary growth in local contemporary. In May 2006, Christie’s opened a branch in Dubai and the first edition of the Gulf Art Fair took place in 2007. Portraying several art professionals, both local and foreign, the film looks at the emerging Middle Eastern art scene, questioning art’s potential and its role in a society which is both vivacious and contradictory.

Michael Krass
American film maker, has been living and working in The Netherlands for the last 25 years. Creator of successful television programs for numerous Dutch broadcasters such as Discovery Channel and National Geographic Channel, Krass has founded the production house Floyd Bruce Films in order to make films and documentaries both for the commercial scene and for non-profit organisations. His latest movie, Armies of the Lord, explores the work of missionaries.

Selected Filmography
2008 Cultivating the Desert; 2009 Armies of the Lord.

www.cultivatingthedesert.com

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