Short film gets a big win

ABU DHABI // An interior designer from Egypt has won this year's Arab Film Studio award for his short film, Shadows.

Magdy’s film told the story of a painter who delivers messages from the dead to their loved ones, while also seeking to deliver her own message to her dead parents.

Shadows was deemed to have the best film, cinematography, editing, music and sound design in the competition from film studio Image Nation, which allows new filmmakers to learn about the craft and create a feature film.

The programme, in its third year, is open to people who have never made a film before. The top prize is worth Dh50,000.

Ali Al Marzouqi, 37, from Abu Dhabi, was one of three Emiratis who participated, and produced a film about a lonely businessman who searches for a talking parrot.

He said he was happy to see The Parrot make the shortlist and hopes to continue to pursue filmmaking.

“I am very happy to have my film in the shortlist. For me, it is a big surprise,” said Mr Al Marzouqi.

Another Emirati, Fakhrah Abdullah, focused on the story of a child who becomes disabled following an accident.

A mother of eight children, Ms Abdullah said she was inspired by her youngest daughter, who loves flowers.

Few Arab films focus on stories about children, said Ms Abdullah, 34, from Fujairah.

“If there is any film, it comes from outside,” she said, adding that these films do not reflect UAE culture.

Ms Abdullah said she hopes to help connect stories about children in the UAE and outside.

The Arab Film Studio is one of Image Nation’s “favourite initiatives”, said Gehad Darwish, the organisation’s marketing manager.

The fact that the quality of the films produced have improved each year shows that the programme is gaining success, he said.

The films may be up to 10 minutes long and are judged by an international panel of film experts.