Sakeena Habib
“This year Diff served great opportunities for me, a memorable experience that I’ll cherish for a long time. The highlight of the week would be stepping into the world of celebrities, delving into their real-life stories, perceiving the media from a different perspective by being able to put in my own voice.”
Viraj Asher
“The Young Journalist Award has been the most prestigious contest I’ve ever been part of. To be selected among genuine and overqualified student journalists, it gives a lot of pride to me for taking part. The most important moments to me were, to have my first articles published, to interact with high profile celebrities, to interview inspiring people like Aisholpan, and most importantly, to improve on my writing skills in entertainment journalism through my peers and our mentor!”
Kerryn Fearn
“The Young Journalist Award has been an incredible opportunity and I am so glad I was able to take part. I would say that I enjoyed every aspect of it but if I had to state a favourite, it would be meeting Shawn Finnie, Membership Outreach Manager for the Academy of Motion Arts and Sciences, and hearing his inspiring story.”
Saba Naaz
“My experience here is something that cannot be expressed in just a few words, I am only thankful to Allah for the many surprises he keeps giving me. My biggest highlight was being able to meet so many people and to be able to learn so much about writing, in such a short span of time.”
Adam Karmani
“Looking back at the week, my highlight has to be the screening of Mawlana, having practically zero knowledge of Arab cinema and by extension Egyptian cinema, I had no idea what I was going into but man was I surprised. The comedy, the intensity, the message of peaceful coexistence between cultures and religions — everything resonated with me, and director Magdy Ahmed Ali, pulled it off to perfection.”
Hashem Sajjad
“The film Manchester By The Sea, is a marvellous story of the struggles of Lee Chandler [played by Casey Affleck], where he must accept the devastating events that occur in his life and help his nephew cope with losing his father. Although it was a daunting story, the storytelling and character development seriously defined this great film.”
Will Fewtrell
“My Diff highlight was conducting my first ever formal interview. Before it commenced, I was as nervous as a cow at a beef factory. But after the initial phases, the session transitioned into a friendly conversation that ended up becoming highly enjoyable and did wonders for my confidence during interviews.”
Neha Suresh
“For me, listening to Andie MacDowell talk about how she rose to great heights after the setback at the start of her career, and how unabashedly proud she is to be a strong female figure in the film industry at the age of 58, was very inspirational. As an aspiring young actor myself, Diff has been an incredible experience with amazing exposure to the world of films.”
— The Young Journalist Award (YJA) at Diff is a training programme for high school and university students who are aspiring writers and reporters. Eight students are competing at the festival this year. One winner will secure a monthlong internship with Gulf News.
