Arab Film Studio, an initiative of Image Nation Abu Dhabi, in partnership with twofour54 tadreeb, has selected six aspiring filmmakers for its first annual short film competition.

All the six finalists will now participate in a three-month film training program and series of challenges which will culminate with one winner being awarded Dh50,000 ($13,612) to develop a feature screenplay for Image Nation Abu Dhabi.

Image Nation Abu Dhabi had launched Arab Film Studio in the fall as part of its mission to identify, train and foster budding Emirati filmmakers and provide them with the discipline and training needed for successful careers in the film industry.

The call for entries was announced in early November with contestants asked to submit a brief three-minute video. The entries were then reviewed and contestants interviewed, with six finalists selected.

The six finalists, all UAE nationals, will create teams with members representing any nationality. Teams will then participate in a three-month intensive film training program to learn all elements of film making from development through production and marketing.

The selected filmmakers include:

Eisa Al Sabousi - A 21-year old graduate from American University of Sharjah with a Bsc. in Communications
•Fatima Al Dhaheri -  An 18-year old Intaj student at twofour54 with aspirations to be a professional filmmaker
•Khalid Al Abdulla - A 22-year old filmmaker/editor/actor with a degree in media from Dubai Men’s College
•Mariam Khanji - 20-year old student at Zayed University studying visual communication
•Omar Butti - 27-year old Emirati/American TV presenter/producer and aspiring filmmaker 
•Sarah Al Ameri - 17-year old high school senior who aspires to study directing in New York City next year

Mohammed Al Otaiba, head of Image Nation Abu Dhabi, said: 'We were thrilled with the level of talent we witnessed in the entries for our first annual Short Film Competition. The submissions show there is great potential and promise for filmmaking in the UAE.'

'We are proud to provide an outlet to develop this talent and continue our mission of building a world-class film industry in the UAE,' he added.

According to him, the courses will be delivered by film professionals from twofour54 in partnership with the BBC Academy and SAE Institute Dubai.

Throughout the program, teams will participate in activities including script writing, make up and sound design with the final task being a short film produced by each team.

The short films will be reviewed by a distinguished panel of international judges with one film selected as the overall winner.

Wayne Borg, deputy CEO and chief operating officer, twofour54 said: “Twofour54 is committed to the development of the Arab world’s media and entertainment industry and we are always looking to support initiatives such as Arab Film Studio.'

'The number and quality of entries clearly demonstrates the growing interest that young Emiratis have in developing films that tell ‘their story’ and reflect them culturally,' he added.-TradeArabia News Service