Image Nation Abu Dhabi announced the winners of the fifth Arab Film Studio, the annual short film competition, on Monday night. Three winners scooped the coveted best film title across two courses, AFS Documentary 2015 and AFS Narrative 2016, at an awards ceremony in the capital.
For the first time, Image Nation awarded two joint winners of its AFS Narrative competition as the title was just too close to call. Eman Talal Al Sayed, 21, from the UAE won for her short film The Choice alongside Jafaar Al Madhoon, 25, from Bahrain for his entry, Rattled, a story about one man’s search to find a bride after consistent rejection. Rattled also took home the award for best script from the judges.
The Choice follows the life of Lauren who is obliged to travel to the UAE for the first time to meet her long-lost family and settle her father’s inheritance. As well as winning the overall award, the short film has been shortlisted for the Muhr Emirati Short at this year’s Dubai International Film Festival, following in the footsteps of AFS Documentary 2014 winner Amna Al Nowais, whose production Omnia won the award last year.
“I am so happy that I have won this award — I worked really hard on this film and put my heart into it. Plus my family is so proud of me and that means everything. I am also honoured that the film has been nominated for the Muhr Emirati Short at Diff but I am extremely nervous as I am competing with the best in the industry — let’s see what happens,” Al Sayed said of the success.
Taking home the top prize in AFS Documentary was Alawi Shareef, 24, originally from African island Comoros, who won for his documentary short Jumaa & Hakim. The film addresses the life of two homeless boys struggling to survive until their lives are forever altered by a stranger from another land.
The final films were judged by a panel of filmmakers including Emirati directors Nahla Al Fahad (The Tainted Veil), Ali Mostafa (The Worthy) and Majid Al Ansari (Zinzana).
A total of five awards were given at the AFS Awards Ceremony, with fellow AFS Documentary 2015 student Arkus, 30, India, taking best producer for his documentary short Hartom.
Image Nation is still accepting submissions for their AFS Narrative programme 2017, closing on December 12. To find out more about Arab Film Studio and its programmes, go to www.arabfilmstudio.ae.
