Are you a journalism student in the UAE? Could you interview Emily Blunt, get the scoop on her next film and file it within the hour, all while tweeting snippets of the interview?
If you think you’ve got what it takes to cover the Dubai International Film Festival (Diff), we’ve got news for you.
tabloid! — the leading entertainment and celebrity news publication in the UAE, published by Gulf News — has partnered with Dubai International Film Festival for its annual Young Journalist Award (YJA), and we are looking for eight student journalists to help us cover the festival, taking place from December 10-17.
The students’ work during the festival will be overseen by Gulf News journalists and Diff representatives, and the best report each day will be published in tabloid!.
It gets even better: The student journalist who produces the best work during the festival will win an internship with tabloid! — an incredible opportunity for anyone serious about a career in journalism.
“Getting practical experience in the field is essential for any aspiring journalist and Diff’s Young Journalist Award 2014 will be a unique opportunity to do so,” said Abdul Hamid Ahmad, director of publication and editor-in-chief of Gulf News.
“Covering Diff is demanding but rewarding, and the shortlisted candidates will be working alongside the best journalists in the UAE, interviewing some of the most fascinating personalities in the film world and delivering sparkling copy — on a tight deadline, of course,” he added.
The YJA programme is now in its seventh year. “The Young Journalist Award originated as part of our desire to reach out to the amazing community that has supported us for eleven years and to develop a talented pool of film journalists to keep up with the rapid development of the film industry in the Arab world,” said Diff chairman Abdul Hamid Juma.
“It is a rare, real-life training opportunity that offers more hands-on experience and real-time learnings in one week than many media students will receive in a year. We encourage all ambitious young writers to apply, and look forward to reading their bylines in December.”
Here’s how to apply
Think you’ve got what it takes? Then get writing. Send us 200 words on the importance of film festivals in shaping the cultural landscape of a city, along with your CV. The shortlisted eight will be selected by a panel made up of members of the Gulf News editorial team and Diff representatives. The same panel will assess the work of the journalists at the festival to select the winner.
Interested applicants must be UAE nationals or residents of the UAE; enrolled in a media, communications or journalism programme in a higher education institution in the UAE; and available to participate in the programme from December 10-17, 2014.
Applicants can register by emailing their CV, a copy of a current passport/visa page and their 200-word report to Press@filmfest.ae. The closing date is November 15.
More information can be found on the Diff website dubaifilmfest.com.
