The festival’s strong debut highlights Fujifilm Middle East’s commitment, with Cinema Akil and Gulf Photo Plus, to nurturing visual storytelling and emerging regional talent.
The inaugural Fujifilm Short Film Festival, presented in partnership with Cinema Akil and Gulf Photo Plus, has wrapped up with an awards ceremony celebrating emerging filmmakers from the Middle East, Africa and Central Asia. The festival concluded at 25hours Hotel One Central, where more than $15,000 in cash prizes and filmmaking equipment were presented by Fujifilm Middle East.
Across its debut run, the festival brought together filmmakers and audiences through a tightly curated programme spanning narrative, documentary, experimental and student films. Every screening sold out, while workshops also reached full capacity, highlighting strong demand and engagement from the regional creative community.
The 2025 jury featured an international panel of industry figures, including Mohamed Tarek, newly appointed artistic director of the Cairo International Film Festival; Gianluca Chakra, CEO of Front Row; producer and cultural commentator Nasri Atallah; curator Shannon Ayers Holden from Alserkal Avenue; Kenyan filmmaker and programmer Hawa Essuman; and Iranian producer Kaveh Farnam.
Among the winners, Sweet Refuge by Maryam Mir received a Special Mention for its humane and quietly powerful portrayal of connection across cultures. The Student Category award went to Almost Intangible by Taraneh Esmailian, which the jury praised for its confident voice and precise storytelling. In the Experimental Category, Nsala by Mickael-Sltan None was recognised for its striking blend of archival and contemporary imagery and its interrogation of colonial legacies.
The Narrative Category prize was awarded to All This Death by Lebanese director Fadi Syriani, a contemplative portrait of grief set in Beirut, while the Documentary Category was claimed by I Told You So by Malak AlSayyad, an intimate exploration of living with endometriosis. The Audience Choice Award went to Glory of the Meadow by Nima Shamsaei, which resonated strongly with festival-goers for its tender depiction of family and resilience.
The jury also named Almost Intangible as Best Film, citing its emotional precision, restraint and clarity of vision, noting that it transcended both scale and category.
Commenting on the festival’s conclusion, Richard Lackey, Marketing Manager at Fujifilm Middle East, said: “Fujifilm is incredibly proud of the first edition of the Fujifilm Short Film Festival and are thankful to everyone who made it possible, from the filmmakers and jury to our partners, Cinema Akil and Gulf Photo Plus. The response from the creative community across the region was beyond all expectations. We look forward to the next edition.”
