1. Ali Shifau was born on 19 May 1977 and is a Maldivian film director, cinematographer and editor.
10 Facts About Ali Shifau
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One of the most successful filmmakers in Maldivian Cinema, Shifau is the recipient of a number of awards, including seven Gaumee Film Awards, and four Maldives Film Awards.
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Ali Shifau collaborated with Moomin Fuad to direct the critically appreciated crime film Heylaa featuring a cast of Ismail Rasheed, Ahmed Mauroof, Zeenath Abbas, Lufshan Shakeeb and Abdulla Muaz.
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Apart from directing the film, Ali Shifau worked as the editor and cinematographer, marking it as the first Maldivian film to be shot in high-definition digital video.
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Ali Shifau opined that its commercial status was a result of casting "not very prominent" faces in the film and the "film-goers were not ready to accept the genre" at the time of its release.
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At the 5th Gaumee Film Awards ceremony, Ali Shifau won Best Cinematography and Best Art Direction award.
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Ali Shifau then directed the psychological romantic thriller Zaharu starring Ali Seezan, Niuma Mohamed and Sheela Najeeb.
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In 2013, Ali Shifau directed the horror film Fathis Handhuvaruge Feshun 3D which serves as a prequel to Fathis Handhuvaru starring Reeko Moosa Manik and Niuma Mohamed in lead roles.
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Ali Shifau concluded the review by praising the efforts put into the visual effects and addressing the "dislike of the film in comparison to Fathis Handhuvaru".
10.
Ali Shifau's work was positively mentioned in the reviews, Ahmed Nadheem from Avas called it a "masterful creation by Shifau" and wrote: "Till this point, it was perceived that Shifau's talent was vanished with Heylaa, since all the films post his debut direction, his work is average at best".