The competition was launched to enable members of the community to express their love and appreciation for the UAE by creating short videos that celebrate the spirit and character of the UAE. The winner of the “Me” category was Alina Mustafina, and the winner of the “Me and My School Category” was Shabari Shankar from Abu Dhabi Indian school.
The competition, launched by the New York Film Academy Abu Dhabi, and Tempo, attracted considerable interest especially among young people who have taken up the artistic challenge. A ceremony was held at the Mamoura Auditorium yesterday along with a debate on “How to nurture talent in film making in the UAE,” with panelists from New York Film Academy Abu Dhabi, Imagenation, Abu Dhabi Media Company, Zayed University, British School Al Khubairat and the American Community School.
“We are encouraged by the response and how groups formed together to produce to work together, and the way that some of the groups used software and technology,” said Simon Hunter, the President of the New York Film Academy Abu Dhabi, who will award the first prize, a 12 week evening film making course at NYFA Abu Dhabi, to the winner of the competition. The school competition category, entitled “Me and My School,” grants the winner a video camera from Tempo, and his or her class a full day film making workshop by NYFA.
Sana Bagersh, Managing Editor of Tempo said, “It was important for us to run this competition at this time because it is the UAE’s 40th anniversary and we wanted to give an opportunity to the community to express their voices.”
“The partnership with New York Film Academy Abu Dhabi helps raise the caliber of the competition and provides the winners with a great opportunity to learn the craft from a leading film school,” she added.
The event is sponsored by John Buck International and Aldar.
