Tag: Emirates Airlines

7 new Gulf short films to get noticed

Leave a comment

Gulf Film Festival Shereen Shabnam

After watching heaps of romantic comedies, I have now expanded my genres into short films and documentaries thanks to the inspiration from local film makers and DIFF. The great news is that Enjaaz, the post-production support programme, and Image Nation Abu Dhabi have announced a collaboration that will see them joining forces to further support the region’s filmmakers in developing their own voices and taking their place in the international film community.

The move to strengthen the support for the production of Gulf short films was launched in 2011 between the Gulf Film Festival and the Dubai Film Market’s Enjaaz programme supporting 4 projects last year, and together with Image Nation Abu Dhabi will support 7 films from the 2012 Enjaaz cycle with the mission of bringing these projects to the big screen. This is the first time Image Nation Abu Dhabi and the Gulf Film Festival have pooled resources and funds with the common goal of supporting filmmakers from the Gulf towards the completion of their short films and further develop a sustainable film industry in the region.

The seven selected projects will see the filmmakers awarded up to $50,000 per project in production funds and access to a wealth of experience and guidance from Image Nation Abu Dhabi.  The Enjaaz projects include: Fragrance of the Dead from Bahraini writer Farid Ramadan and Iraqi director Emad Ali Abbas, Cholo written and directed by Munza Musafer from Oman, Don’t Leave me Behind from Emirati writer Yousef Ebrahim and director Khalid Al Mahmoud, The Crucified from Qatari writer and director Khalid Al Mahmoud, Cotton by Iraqi writer and director Loay Fadhl, Ambulance Driver written and directed by Hadi Mahoud and Our Screens written and directed by Mohammed Tawfik both from Iraq.

The projects Cotton, The crucified and Cholo were all selected through the Gulf Script Market for Short Films, an initiative that was launched in 2012 to raise the profile of the Gulf’s scriptwriters, assist them in fine-tuning their scripts and form partnerships with directors and producers. ..a lot to look forward to film buffs in the region 🙂

It is time for Dubai Summer Surprises

Leave a comment

NJD after a DSS face painting when she was young….she always chose a tiger design

Summer in Dubai these days are a lot different than 10 years ago thanks to the Dubai Events and Promotions Establishment, an agency under the Department of Economic Development of Dubai who have planned more than a 100 exciting shows and activities over 31 days set to cement Dubai’s reputation as the finest summer destination in the region through Dubai Summer Surprises 2012 (DSS).

DSS will run from June 14th to July 14th with the slogan “Dubai. Summer Fun and More”. I remember working with the DSF/DSS team in 2000 and had lots of fun at the DSF offices then with H.E. Laila Suhail who is now the CEO of DEPE and Ibrahim Saleh, Festivals Coordinator General and Deputy CEO of DEPE. Both of them are just as dynamic as I knew them 12 years ago and its great to see that they keep each year’s events fresh with new activities….I’m particularly excited with all the spa offers I’m about to experience – my body certainly needs it.

To know what you want to indulge in this year, check out the “Dubai Calendar” which gives visitors and residents a month-by-month line-up of the unique and entertaining events taking place in the city all year round and it is a great source of reference for anyone wanting to make the most of their time in Dubai….it is an awesome tool for people who have visitors all the time in Dubai.

This year’s partners and sponsors which includes Emirates Airlines, AW Rostamani, Al Futtaim Group, Emaar Malls Group, Emaar Properties, Majid Al Futtaim Properties, Al Ghurair City, Mercato, Paris Gallery, EPPCO and ENOC, Dubai World Trade Center, Dubai Duty Free in addition to Master card and Dubai Shopping Malls Group (DSMG), all of which, over the years, have played an important role in the success and continuing growth of DSS.

Malls across the city will play host to DSS signature events, such as World of Stories, Kids Fashion Week, Min Bladi Al Emarat, and the Sheila and Abaya Fashion Show, and kids can look forward to 8 highly popular international stage cartoon shows such as The Smurfs, Barbie, Hello Kitty, Sponge Bob, Charlie and Lola, Ice Age, and Teletubbies….man these bring memories of us going all over town with little diva. I must say I am glad she’s all grown up now and enjoys DSS the way I like – retail therapy!

My favourite bit this DSS will be naturally be the spa offers program “Dubai Spas” with cool discounts at the cream of Dubai’s luxurious spas. I’m not big into raffles partly because I never win anything but DSS usually has some mega prizes.

I’m pretty sure there is a lot more news coming up for DSS but the taster activity schedule that landed in my inbox makes me want to just here all summer.