Sharjah Film Platform's Dh200,000 scriptwriting prize now open to all UAE residents

The winner will be revealed during the annual film festival in October

A session of Sharjah Film Platform's Pitching Forum in 2021. Photo: Sharjah Art Foundation

Applications for Sharjah Film Platform's scriptwriting grant are now being accepted and it is open to all Arabic scriptwriters and directors who live in the UAE. The Pitching Forum Prize will award Dh200,000 to the winning entry to help them turn their script into a feature film.

But before that, 10 shortlisted finalists will be invited to the Pitching Forum, the professional script development training, during the Sharjah Film Platform in October. The finalists will then pitch their script to a panel of industry judges at a live event, where one winning scriptwriter will be selected to receive the prize.

The prize is open to all nationalities, but to qualify, participants will have to be UAE residents with an original Arabic-language feature-film script that they have written themselves.

If the scriptwriter is also a director, they must have at least one past directorial credit, whether for a short or feature film. Alternatively, if the applicant is a scriptwriter who does not direct, they must have a director attached to the project who's committed to helm the film.

The full or completed draft of the script must be at least 75 pages long. Scripts cannot be translated by a third party.

Sharjah Film Platform is Sharjah Art Foundation's annual film festival. Last year, the event was held across nine days, featuring a line-up of more than 50 films, including world and regional premieres.

Emirati actor and director Yaser Alneyadi won the Pitching Forum Prize in 2021 for his feature film script From 8 to 6, which is currently in pre-production. The 2020 recipient was Abdulla Al Kaabi, for his feature film script Camel Tears.

Entries for Sharjah Film Platform's Pitching Forum Prize can be sent to [e-mail] until Monday, September 5, 2022.

More information is available at sharjahart.org