Arab Film Studio is a short film programme that takes finalists on a seven-month filmmaking journey that mirrors the real process of developing and producing a film.
Image Nation Abu Dhabi crowned the winners of its sixth annual short film programme, Arab Film Studio.
Two participants were awarded the coveted Best Film award in the documentary and narrative mediums. They were judged by a panel of regional filmmaking elite including Emirati film directors Nahla Al Fahad (The Tainted Veil), Ali Mostafa (The Worthy) and Majid Al Ansari (Zinzana). The night also gave special mention to two students in the Best Producing category, as well as commending an assembly of young filmmakers.
Nabil Chowdhary, 33, from United Kingdom scooped the AFS narrative award for his sci-fi thriller The Replacement.
I am so happy to have won this award. It was a lot of hard work, but it was a great experience and I am so glad it has come to a winning end. You learn so much on the programme over the months and I feel confident now that if I want to go into the film industry or work on a feature film, I have the tools and knowledge to do so, said Nabil.
The AFS Documentary title went to Swapna Kurup, 36, from India, for her documentary short Ranapakhara. In a community centre in Dubai, Indian classical dancer Vonita Singh applies her artform to bring back movement in the lives of people affected by Parkinsons disease.
Commenting on her win, Swapna said, I am so surprised to have won as all the four films were very strong, but I am so happy. Before the programme I had one idea in my mind of how a documentary should be, but throughout the process I was exposed to so many different types of films which was a big eye-opener for me. It was a great learning experience and I hope that winning will enable me to get more funding for different projects that I want to pursue and that I can keep making more films!
Winners of the Best Film, Nabil will undertake a full-time internship with the Image Nation narrative department, whilst Swapna will commence an internship with the documentary department.
Two additional awards were given at the AFS Awards Ceremony, including Special Mentions in Producing for Zahra Mirza producer of short Back Talk, and Fahad Shaikh, producer of documentary short M1-KO.
There was also recognition for the eleven Emirati Young Filmmakers who participated in a three-week summer workshop in partnership with NYU Abu Dhabi. The students learned about the essence of film production from the regions top industry professionals, before making their own one-minute films at the campuses facilities.
Michael Garin, CEO of Image Nation, said Im very proud to see how the Arab Film Studio programme has matured over the last six years. Countless aspiring filmmakers have realised their ambitions through this programme, and now the industry is recognising it as an incubator for fresh talent in the UAE. This plays a crucial part in Image Nations commitment to building the foundations of an industry in the UAE, since a robust talent pool is essential to our local productions.
Hosted at Paris-Sorbonne University Abu Dhabi, the audience was treated to a red-carpet reception attended by special guests and dignitaries, followed by a screening of all the nominated films from the programmes.
Arab Film Studio is a short film programme that takes finalists on a seven-month filmmaking journey that mirrors the real process of developing and producing a film. The competition provides all the tools and knowledge a budding filmmaker needs to kick-start a career in film, delivered by trainers and industry professionals.
It was created by Image Nation in 2011 in partnership with twofour54 to develop UAE nationals and residents filmmaking skills. The programme now consists of four dedicated specialisms; AFS Narrative, AFS Documentary, AFS Scriptwriting and AFS Young Filmmakers.
Past participants have gone on to full-time positions within Image Nation as well as having their AFS films showcased at Academy Award-qualifying film festivals. Most recently, 28 AFS films have reached over 160 selections for film festivals across the world including Beirut International Film Festival, LA Film Festival and Melbourne Film Festival.
Next month, Image Nation in partnership with the Dubai Film Market will be awarding the winner of its AFS Scriptwriting competition at the Dubai International Film Festival.
Image Nation is still accepting submissions for their AFS Narrative programme 2018, closing on December 2nd.
