The Mohammed Bin Rashid School for Communication (MBRSC) at the American University in Dubai (AUD) announced the return of ON: Original Narrative Student Short Film Festival in its second edition, during a press conference in collaboration with the festivals Platinum sponsor Cadillac. Over 400 films from all over the world including entries from Australia, […]
The Mohammed Bin Rashid School for Communication (MBRSC) at the American University in Dubai (AUD) announced the return of ON: Original Narrative Student Short Film Festival in its second edition, during a press conference in collaboration with the festivals Platinum sponsor Cadillac.
Over 400 films from all over the world including entries from Australia, Morocco, Spain, Brazil, Palestine, Jordan, Lebanon, Peru, Singapore, Egypt, Kuwait, France, India, Argentina, Korea, Syria, Denmark amongst others were submitted this year in the following categories: Documentary, Fiction, Animation and Scripts. Although the entries were of a very high quality, a committee of international experts from the film industry went through the difficult process of narrowing down the selection to the greatest films, finally nominating a total of 65 films to compete this month.
During the press conference in conjunction with Cadillac, Ali Jaber, Dean of MBRSC and Group TV Director of MBC announced the Awards Ceremony, to take place during closing of the festival, where the winners for each category will be selected, including The Peoples Choice Award. “This unique festival aims to give a new generation of aspiring filmmakers a one-of-a-kind opportunity to share their views in the global arena, commented Jaber on the importance of the festival.
“There is no doubt that this festival has become a reference for students filmmakers, proven by the dramatic increase in the number of films submitted this year, which has given us the greater responsibility of providing the best experience and access to knowledge to this new generation of innovators.” Jaber continued.
Cadillac is an iconic brand synonymous with innovation and craftsmanship, said Nadim Ghrayeb, Cadillac Brand Manager at General Motors Middle East. It is in line with this vision that we chose to, once again, partake in this powerful initiative. At Cadillac, we hope to inspire students to tap into their innate creativity and passion for film so they can craft truly cutting-edge content. We look forward to seeing their final work.
This year we are honored to have the support of the Dubai Film and TV Commission (DFTC) who continuously encourage the young and coming up filmmakers. In this occasion, Jamal Al Sharif, Chairman of Dubai Film and TV Commission and Managing Director of Dubai Studio City, said: “We are very happy to be supporting the next generation of filmmakers through ON Student Short Film Festival at the AUD.
“In DFTC, we are committed to nurturing talent and supporting organic growth of the media and production industry, and we are confident that though our support and close engagement with esteemed universities and talented students, we will be able inspire local talent and content.”
Sharif added: “The AUD and ON Student Short Film Festival provide an excellent platform for aspiring filmmakers to learn, compete and exchange creativity and innovation. We are looking forward to being part of it and seeing films produced by talented and passionate young students.”
The festival program includes a variety of recreational and educational activities which will take place to further engage the filmmakers, helping them to develop their skills by exposing them to seasoned professionals. This year, film screenings will include Scheherazades diary an engaging tragicomic documentary in the presence of the director Zeina Daccache, Oscar nominated short Karama has no walls followed by Q&A with the director Sarah Ishaq and Void a Notre Dame University Production written by Georges Khabbaz. The students will also have the opportunity to partake in a series of workshops hosted by Advanced Media Technologies, Cadillac, Jury member Diego Fandos from Prague Film School and a surprise guest professional Arab actor. Participants will benefit from international exposure in addition to many cash prizes and other awards to be granted to the winners.
In addition to the Cadillac Platinum sponsor of the festival, are the Dubai International Film Festival as a strategic partner and MBC group as a media partner.
ON will kick off on the 21st of February with a red carpet gala event and run through to the 24th.
