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Image Nation Abu Dhabi, one of the leading media and entertainment companies in the Middle East, announced the winner of the fourth edition of its short film competition, Arab Film Studio, at an awards ceremony in the capital last night.
Omar Adam, a 23-year old film fan living in Dubai, scooped the top prize for Best Film, as well as Best Editing for his film Five, which follows a young man as he agonizingly waits for important medical test results.
Omar responded It feels incredible to have won - it hasn't quite sunk in yet. It has been a long but extremely fulfilling journey and I'd like to thank Image Nation and everyone who took part in Arab Film Studio for the fantastic experience.
'It was definitely a steep learning curve for me, but my skills have improved tremendously and I've come out of this program with this amazing knowledge which I know will help me achieve my goal of becoming an accomplished filmmaker.'
A total of five awards were given to winning participants, with fellow competitor Diane Farah winning Best Cinematography and Best Script for her film Among Others, and Lubna Bagsair winning the Grand Jury Prize for her film Astray.
This year's competition was judged by a panel of industry experts, including Emirati filmmakers, Mohammed Saeed Harib, Ali Mostafa, Majid Al Ansari and Nawaf Janahi. From Hollywood, actor David Hasselhoff and producers Laurie Macdonald and Ashok Amrtiraj also helped decide who should be awarded the grand prize.
 Emirati director, Majid Al Ansari (Zinzana) was impressed with the creativity of this year's participants. He said:I was blown away by the films from this year's students. Omar is a worthy winner and the film world has some great additions coming its way!
Arab Film Studio is a short film competition that takes finalists on a six-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.
The Arab Film Studio was created by Image Nation in 2011 in partnership with twofour54 to develop UAE nationals’ and residents’ filmmaking skills. The programme was expanded to include documentary filmmakers, with the launch of Arab Film Studio Docs earlier this year.
Michael Garin, CEO of Image Nation, said Arab Film Studio is one of our essential programmes in the development of the region's filmmakers, and as we can see from this years event, the next generation are a promising group. We look forward to working with the participants in the future. They are a talented and inspirational group.
For winning Best Film, Adam received an exclusive internship opportunity in a national or international production with Image Nation. Past winners of the competition have gone on to screen their films at prominent festivals around the world. A number of participants have gone on to work with Image Nation on some of their biggest films, including the critically acclaimed He Named Me Malala, which is now screening in selected theatres across the UAE.
Alicia Gonzalez, head of training and development at Image Nation, said: It's incredible to have past participants join the Image Nation team and put their hard earned skills to work. It really makes the whole programme worthwhile. Every year the applicants get stronger and stronger – I'm already looking forward to next year's competition!
Earlier this month, Image Nation announced the launch of Arab Film Studio 2016 and are now looking for budding filmmakers from the across the UAE to apply.
Those interested in next year's competition can apply online at www.imagenationabudhabi.ae
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