Mansoor Al Feeli is busy and benevolent

If the Gulf Film Festival were to give out a prize for the hardest working Emirati in show business, surely Mansoor Al Feeli would win. The veteran actor is appearing in no fewer than seven films screening throughout the festival: the shorts Where Are We by Khalid Ali, Sunset by Mariam Al Nuaimi, Rain Without Clouds by Saeed Alsheryani, Murk Light by Yasir Al Yasiri, Men Subdue by Saeed Salem Almas, The Line of Freedom by David Whitney and the feature-length Royal Love by Jamal Salim. More impressive is that Al Feeli was not paid for his work in any of the films; he acted in them to support the filmmakers and the stories they wanted to tell. He’s been in the television and film industry for more than 20 years and often goes out of his way to help them secure locations, permission and, at times, provides his own funding. “I’ve been so busy, I did not expect to be in this many films,” he says. “At first it was to work on Royal Love then The Line of Freedom and suddenly the other movies were also accepted and I ended up with all seven.” Royal Love follows a man in love with a woman who has an accident and goes into a coma. “I play the girl’s father. We tried to do something different by having a romantic story,” he says. Where Are We is about a girl who is sexually abused and The Line of Freedom is based on the true story of the abduction of Nasir Baloch in 2011 by Pakistani security forces and his survival. Murk Light is a fantasy tale about a man who dreams of big-city life and encounters strange beings along the way. The movie will be screened at the forthcoming New York Tribeca Film Festival as part of the Best Narrative Shorts competition. Al Feeli will travel there after the GFF along with the UAE-based Iraqi director Al Yasiri. “The quality of the films here are improving and the system is developing, but in the GCC we have a problem of financial aid,” he says. “Yet although finance is crucial – the question will remain, where can we show our movies? Cinemas are controlled by businessmen and we have no independent movie theatres. If there are no theatres there will be no growth in films, and if there is no funding – filmmaking might be static.” It may help, he suggests, if the UAE's airlines were to offer a package of the films on-board, where they could reach a wider audience and send a message about local talent, history and culture. The last short movie Al Feeli appeared in, Slow Death (2011), took the top honour at the Morocco Film Festival – the Golden Rice Prize – and won the Official Gulf Competition at GFF. It follows a grave digger in the UAE forced to retire after 30 years and leave the only country he calls home. “I felt a personal connection to this film,” says Al Feeli. “It’s the best thing I ever did. It asks the viewer, ‘Is your country the place you are born or the place you live?’ It’s a very touching movie. But who is watching these movies? We need to make them available outside just the industry circles.” Casting agents are also in demand, which is something he will be looking into while in New York. “I would say 90 per cent of filmmakers here have to also have a full-time job,” he adds. “My advice to aspiring actors would be to remain patient and don’t just focus on the money – do it because you love it. Also, do not be too proud or see yourself as way above others.” Despite his years in the business Al Feeli has one more goal. “One of my dreams since childhood is to star in an Indian movie,” he says. “I remember in the 1970s after I finished school, I would catch the bus to the cinema at least twice a week and watch a movie. I was very popular at Deira Cinema.” Al Feeli is excited about his next project – a pilot he appeared in that will become a comedy series if it’s picked up. Follow us on Facebook for discussions, entertainment, reviews, wellness and news. Follow us

Mansoor Al Feeli is busy and benevolent

The veteran Emirati actor talks about the seven films he has been cast in that will screen throughout the festival.