Abu Dhabi Invests in Local Film Talent
by Amanda Georges
AFF Staff
The Abu Dhabi Film Commission’s ninth Emirates Film Competition will offer a film grant to a local artist. The grant with be awarded during this year’s competition, which takes place October 8th to 17th in Abu Dhabi as part of the Middle East International Film Festival.
The competition’s call for entries is open until August 1st and will be accepting short, feature, documentary and animated films from nationals and residents of the United Arab Emirates and the Gulf Cooperation Council, though only UAE nationals can compete for the film grant.
The grant winner will receive 250,000 AED (about $68,062) to complete a film project by October 2010. Second and third prize winners will be awarded 150,000 AED and 100,000 AED respectively.
The commission will also continue the Shasha screenwriting grant, a $100,000 prize to be awarded to six screenwriters during the festival.
“Our main concern is to encourage and grow the local film making talent within the UAE and provide the opportunity to share experience and learn from other film makers from different countries. This year we opened the entries to all nationalities residing in the GCC to strengthen the competitive spirit between filmmakers and encourage more entries,” said Shepheard to Middle East Online.
Additional reporting from Ali Jafaar at Variety.com
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