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Three Emirati filmmakers have reached the final of Image Nation and twofour54’s amateur film competition, Arab Film Studio, including mother of seven, Fakhrah Abdullah.
The three participants, who are joined by a UK/Pakistani expat, a Kuwaiti and an Egyptian, will attend an award’s ceremony held at the Abu Dhabi Film Festival for the first time in the competition’s history.
Fakhrah, 34 from Fujairah, whose short film tells the story of a wheelchair bound boy, said: “I am overwhelmed at the news that my film has been selected as one of the final six. It’s been an incredible few months learning from industry experts and getting a behind the scenes, up-close look at the film industry. I’m lucky to even get this far in the competition, winning would just be the cherry on top!”
Six awards will be given out during the event, including the coveted Best Film which includes a 50,000AED prize fund and a chance to work with Image Nation on future projects.
Michael Garin, CEO of Image Nation said ahead of the award ceremony: “Arab Film Studio is one of my favorite events of the year – it’s a chance for the UAE to see the next generation of filmmakers and this year we have some well-deserved finalists.
“Our new partnership with ADFF to host this year’s award ceremony is great for all our participants who will get the chance to screen their hard work in-front of film industry professionals. I wish the best of luck to all of them.”
This year’s finalists, chosen by a panel of judges including David Hasselhoff, include Ali Al Marzouqi from the UAE; Maryam Alabbad from Kuwait; Mohamed Magdy from Egypt; Salman Ahmad from the UK and Shahad Al Shehhi from the UAE.
Last year, Sara Saber from Egypt won the top prize and has gone on to screen her final film, In Her Eyes, at festivals around the world, including the Arab Film Festival in San Francisco.
Three of the AFS participant’s films, Shadows by Mohamed Magdy, Kalelis by Shahad Al Shehhi and Taboo by Aisha Al Hammadi (not a finalist) have also qualified for ADFF’s Emirates Film Competition.
The Arab Film Studio award’s evening will be held on October 30.
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