Middlesex University's film graduates showcase their original short productions on Xtreme, the MENA region’s largest screen, at Roxy Cinemas, Dubai Hills Mall.
MDX Studios, the Film School at Middlesex University Dubai, celebrated another highly successful edition of Premiere de MDX Studios, its annual student film festival. Hosted at Xtreme at Roxy Cinemas in Dubai Hills Mall last month, the event marked ten years of filmmaking at the university and saw its talented graduating filmmakers debut their original productions at the venue to a packed audience of the region’s film and cinema industry leaders, as well as faculty, classmates, friends and family.
As well as being the first edition where every film was produced in the newly enhanced MDX Studios film lab launched in February, the event marked the first time that any university has presented student work at Xtreme, the largest cinema screen in the MENA region.
Each student director was given the chance to premiere their film and discuss their process and inspiration with the audience. Head of MDX Studios Afroz Nawaf also shared news and updates about the studio’s growth, future plans and upcoming industry projects.
The films showcased touched on subjects as diverse as homelessness, mental health, mother-daughter bonds and childhood fears. Lamcy, for instance, created by final-year students Jatin Kalwani and Omar Al Amri, focused on a young boy who sets off a chain of terrifying events when he wins a toy clown from an arcade.
Kalwani said: “The idea for this movie came from our feeling that people don’t actually get scared while watching movies anymore. We wanted to change that and create a film that really addressed social and mental health issues. The name of the clown is inspired by Lamcy Plaza, an old mall in Dubai that had a clown hanging outside. We had one-on-one coaching from Afroz throughout every step of the process, and we learned so much about sound design working with the Dolby Atmos sound system on campus, and all the stages involved with film production.”
“This year’s edition … featured the first student films to be created in the brandnew MDX Studios” -Afroz Nawaf, Head of MDX Studios, Middlesex University Dubai
Ashwin Ashta Kumar and Micheal Yazji incorporated their own personal experiences from relationships in their lives into the plot of their psycho-thriller Polaroid. Kumar said: “We gained so many new skills in story development, synopsis and tagline writing and directing. The tips and techniques from our professors about how to grab the attention of investors was really useful, and we loved learning how to use the RED cameras, set up our sets and shoot our films at MDX Studios.”
A series of awards for the Class of 2023 were also given to several students in recognition of their achievements. The award for Best Film went to director Zyrus De Leon and producer Vine Aerien Bianzon for their short film Pink Rose, while The One-on-One from director Ashwanth Ashwinikumar and producer Vine Aerien Bianzon won the Audience Choice Award. Several other awards were also given at the event.
Dr David Tully, Head of Media at Middlesex University Dubai, said: “Today’s milestone event, our biggest ever, celebrates not only the extraordinary filmmaking abilities of our students, but also ten years of the Film Department at Middlesex University Dubai. That is a decade of continuous, spectacular growth in student numbers, in quality of studio resources, in industry-trained faculty, and we’re just getting started. We have revolutionised and redefined film education in the Middle East, as the outstanding quality of today’s films in every aspect of visual storytelling, cinematography, direction and production value makes clear. Here’s to the next decade of cutting-edge filmmaking in the region!”
“Today’s milestone event … celebrates not only the extraordinary filmmaking abilities of our students, but also ten years of the Film Department at Middlesex University Dubai” – Dr David Tully, Head of Media, Middlesex University Dubai
Afroz Nawaf, Head of MDX Studios, Middlesex University Dubai, said: “This year’s edition held extra significance, as it featured the first student films to be created in the brand-new MDX Studios. The film festival gives students a unique chance to experience what it’s really like to prepare a project for being showcased in the cinema, and I thought that each of the featured films were all equally creative, thought-provoking and impressive. Each production involved a team of first-, second-and third-year students who worked together to bring our directors’ and producers’ creative visions to life on the big screen, presenting an immersive learning opportunity for our students right from their first class. I am immensely proud of all our filmmakers!”
Offering an integrated, end-to-end film production university course, MDX Studios has an extensive facility of co-production space for filmmakers, and a dedicated podcast studio, pitch desk, writers room, viewing theatre and Dolby Atmos Mixing Theatre. It has professional gear including Blackmagic Design cameras, as well as the RED camera ecosystems approved for use by content producers for global media platforms such as Netflix. With the newly upgraded cameras and editing suites, students have access to advanced industry software, equipment and filmmaking techniques as part of their degrees, even being able to produce finalised movies in line with the latest industry standards.
