Mahmoud Kaabour
Encyclopedia
Mahmoud Kaabour is a multi award-winning filmmaker, writer, and lecturer from Beirut
.
, after which he pursued a documentary focus at the National Film Board of Canada
and the newsroom at the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
.
He is the founder and managing director of Veritas Films
, a UAE based company that specializes in the creation and production of non-fiction content. 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, Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture and Heritage, Dubai Investments and Dubai Holding
subsidiaries.
, the documentary on the lives and times of six men sharing bin Laden’s first name in the post 9/11 world, received four international awards to date and was aired on twelve international channels. It also made him the youngest commissioned filmmaker in the history of Canadian television.
Mahmoud’s second feature-length film, Teta, Alf Marra
, won the Audience Award for Best Documentary at its world premiere at the Doha Tribeca Film Festival, and also honored Mahmoud with a special jury mention for Best Arab Filmmaker. Furthermore, the film was awarded the Audience Award for Best International Documentary at Dox Box
in Syria.
His third feature-length film, which already received one award, is planned for production in mid- 2011.
Teta, Alf Marra:
Beirut
Beirut is the capital and largest city of Lebanon, with a population ranging from 1 million to more than 2 million . Located on a peninsula at the midpoint of Lebanon's Mediterranean coastline, it serves as the country's largest and main seaport, and also forms the Beirut Metropolitan...
.
Education & occupation
Mahmoud graduated with distinction from the Mel Oppenheim School of Cinema in MontrealMontreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
, after which he pursued a documentary focus at the National Film Board of Canada
National Film Board of Canada
The National Film Board of Canada is Canada's twelve-time Academy Award-winning public film producer and distributor. An agency of the Government of Canada, the NFB produces and distributes documentary, animation, alternative drama and digital media productions...
and the newsroom at the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly known as CBC and officially as CBC/Radio-Canada, is a Canadian crown corporation that serves as the national public radio and television broadcaster...
.
He is the founder and managing director of Veritas Films
Veritas Films
Veritas Films is a filmmaking company based in the United Arab Emirates. It creates cultural and corporate non-fiction content, including corporate films, short and feature-length documentaries, TV programming, and virals, in both English and Arabic....
, a UAE based company that specializes in the creation and production of non-fiction content. 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, Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture and Heritage, Dubai Investments and Dubai Holding
Dubai Holding
Dubai Holding is a holding company that belongs to the Government of Dubai . It manages and controls 20 companies, which operate in real estate, hospitality, finance, healthcare, energy, research, education, entertainment, media, internet, tourism and biotechnology...
subsidiaries.
Film career
Mahmoud's first film Being OsamaBeing Osama
Being Osama is an award-winning documentary produced in 2004 by Tim Schwab and Mahmoud Kaabour. Director Mahmoud Kaabour is the founder and managing director of Veritas Films, now based in the United Arab Emirates...
, the documentary on the lives and times of six men sharing bin Laden’s first name in the post 9/11 world, received four international awards to date and was aired on twelve international channels. It also made him the youngest commissioned filmmaker in the history of Canadian television.
Mahmoud’s second feature-length film, Teta, Alf Marra
Teta, Alf Marra
Teta, Alf Marra is an award-winning documentary about a feisty Beiruti grandmother.The 50-minute film was produced in 2010 as a UAE/Qatar/Lebanon co-production with the financial support of the Doha Film Institute and Screen Institute Beirut. The film was produced by Veritas Films...
, won the Audience Award for Best Documentary at its world premiere at the Doha Tribeca Film Festival, and also honored Mahmoud with a special jury mention for Best Arab Filmmaker. Furthermore, the film was awarded the Audience Award for Best International Documentary at Dox Box
DOX BOX
DOX BOX is an annual independent documentary film festival established in Syria and launched in February 2008.DOX BOX is supported by a wide spectrum of professional international organizations and festivals and organized by a Syrian production company, Proaction Film, as a non-profit, free...
in Syria.
His third feature-length film, which already received one award, is planned for production in mid- 2011.
Awards
Being Osama:- Best Documentary at the University Film and Video Conference
- Best Documentary award at the Big Muddy Film Festival at Southern Illinois University
- An Aurora Award (for Best Documentary) at the Canadian National Youth Film Festival
- Certificate of Merit for fighting racism from the Canadian Race Relations FoundationCanadian Race Relations FoundationCanadian Race Relations Foundation is a Canadian government agency responsible to foster racial harmony and cross-cultural understanding and help to eliminate racism. The foundation was opened in November 1997, after receiving royal assent on February 1, 1991. The Foundation operates at "arms...
.
Teta, Alf Marra:
- October 2010: Audience Award for Best Documentary at the Doha TriBeCa Film Festival, Qatar
- October 2010: unanimous Special Jury Mention for filmmaker Mahmoud Kaabour at the Doha TriBeCa Film Festival, Qatar
- March 2011: Best International Documentary at Dox Box Syria