Mahmoud Kaabour (in

Arabic Arabic (, , or , ) is a Central Semitic languages, Central Semitic language of the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family spoken primarily in the Arab world. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) assigns lang ...

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

Beirut Beirut ( ; ) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Lebanon. , Greater Beirut has a population of 2.5 million, just under half of Lebanon's population, which makes it the List of largest cities in the Levant region by populatio ...

Education and occupation

He is the founder and managing director of Veritas Films, a

UAE The United Arab Emirates (UAE), or simply the Emirates, is a country in West Asia, in the Middle East, at the eastern end of the Arabian Peninsula. It is a federal elective monarchy made up of seven emirates, with Abu Dhabi serving as i ...

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 Emirate of Abu Dhabi, which supports the realisation of Abu Dhabi Vision 2030 through the creation and continuing evolution of an Emirate-wide strategic fram ...

, Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture and Heritage,

Dubai Holding Dubai Holding () is Dubai ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum's global investment holding company and personal investment portfolio. Mohamed al-Gergawi built the company's portfolio. Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed al-Maktoum was appointed ...

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'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' "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), or simply the Emirates, is a country in West Asia, in the Middle East, at the eastern end of the Arabian Peninsula. It is a Federal monarchy, federal elective monarchy made up of Emirates of the United Arab E ...

. The film premiered at the 10th

Dubai International Film Festival The Dubai International Film Festival (DIFF, ) was the largest film festival in the Arab world, Arab region. With particular emphasis on showcasing Arab cinema, Arab, Asian cinema, Asian, and African cinema, it also helped to develop industry a ...

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

Burj Khalifa The Burj Khalifa (known as the Burj Dubai prior to its inauguration) is a megatall skyscraper in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. With a total height of 829.8 m (2,722 ft, or just over half a mile) and a roof height (excluding the antenna, but inc ...

, 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 (India), Ministry of Infor ...

, 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. The foundation was offici ...

.''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 Ver ...

'' *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