Dubai, Mar 22 (IANS): The Gulf Film Festival (GFF) received over 1,300 submissions from 77 countries, including India, seeking entry into various categories at the annual event to be held in Dubai next month.

Submissions have come from India, China, the US, South America, Europe, Middle East and North Africa. The Festival, scheduled April 8-14, also received applications from Afghanistan, Ghana, Macedonia and Vietnam, WAM news agency reported.

The large number of submissions from across the globe highlights the emergence of the Gulf region not only as inspiration for films but also as one that promotes independent filmmaking, GFF Director Masoud Amralla Al Ali said.

"The Gulf Film Festival showcases the best of both cinema making - movies about the region and movies made in the Gulf," he said, adding that it provides a "platform for local talent and thus contribute to further strengthening the industry".

Winners will be selected for three sub-categories- feature, short films and documentary - under the Official Competition category, while short film and documentary under Students Competition. A Special Jury Prize will be given in both the categories, besides a separate award under Script Competition, which is open to UAE scriptwriters.

The first and second prize winners of the two main categories will get AED 50,000 ($13,614) and AED 35,000 ($9,530) respectively. The first, second, and third place winners of documentaries will be awarded AED 25,000, AED 20,000, and AED 15,000 respectively.

Winners of the short films categories will be awarded AED 25,000, AED 20,000, and AED 15,000 respectively. Documentary films and shorts films will also be awarded special jury prizes of AED 20,000 each.

The GFF, held by the Dubai Culture and Arts Authority and Dubai Studio City, will also present awards worth AED 485,000 ($132,059) to professionals and aspiring filmmakers.