Baywatch actor David Hasselhoff will judge the annual amateur short film competition Arab Film Studio.
He’s part of a 24-member jury panel that includes writer Wesley Strick (A Nightmare on Elm Street), Oscar-winning director Davis Guggenheim (An Inconvenient Truth) and Image Nation partner Ashok Amritraj of Hyde Park Entertainment.
“Arab Film Studio is great way for any budding filmmaker to get started in the industry. I’m so honoured to be a part of this year’s judging panel and I can’t wait to see what each contestant has come up with,” said Hasselhoff in a statement.
Arab Film Studio, which was established in 2011 in partnership with Abu Dhabi-based companies Image Nation and twofour54, is a short film competition which aims to unearth new talent and to give aspiring filmmakers the tools to carve out a career for themselves. Previous winner Sara Saber and runner-up Omar Butti are also on this year’s panel.
The judges will have the final decision on seven awards, including Best Film, which includes a Dh50,000 prize to fund the scriptwriting of the winner’s feature length film.
“We are thrilled to have such an acclaimed panel of judges for this year’s competition. It’s great to give these budding filmmakers the chance to have their films seen by industry players. Over the past four years, the standard of our contestants’ films have gotten better and I’m excited to see what comes from this year’s competition,” said Michael Garin, CEO of Image Nation.
The finalists of this year’s Arab Film Studio competition include short film entries from countries including the UAE, Egypt, UK and the Netherlands.
