ADFC Is Official Sponsor of Festival

International | 24/01/2010

FOUR EMERGING UAE FILMMAKERS TO JOIN ABU DHABI FILM COMMISSION AT SUNDANCE FILM FESTIVAL
Abu Dhabi, January 24, 2010: Abu Dhabi Film Commission (ADFC), an initiative by Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture and Heritage (ADACH), today announced that it has selected="true" four emerging filmmakers from UAE to join the ADFC delegation to the 2010 Sundance Film Festival running 21 – 31 January in Park City, Utah.

ADFC is an official sponsor of the Sundance Institute for the first time this year and through its agreement with the festival will offer the filmmakers unique access to festival events, screenings, filmmaker forums and panels, as well as meetings with industry professionals. The filmmakers will also blog about their experience for the ADFC Web site, www.film.gov.ae.

“We’ve selected="true" four especially talented filmmakers from the UAE, all with rich and diverse perspectives and voices. By giving them access to Sundance, we hope to gain greater exposure for their work while helping them connect with a global audience.” said Eissa Al Mazrouei – Special Projects Director, ADACH.

The following four filmmakers have been selected="true" by ADFC to take part in this program:

-Hanan Al Muhairi, a winner of the Emirates Film Competition and director of “Our Right to Ride,” a documentary about the UAE’s first female horse-riding team.

-Majid Alansari, who has worked in the UAE as a cinematographer, composer and director and directed the short films “Colours”

-Nawaaf Al Janahi, who has acted in, directed and produced several prize-winning independent short films including “Mirrors of Silence.” His first feature-length film “The Circle” premiered at the Gulf Film Festival in 2009

-Ali Mostafa, a writer and director, his film “Under the Sun” won best Emirates Film 2006 and nominated for best Foreign Film in San Fernando Valley Film Festival. Ali won best Emirati Filmmaker and premiered his latest feature film “City Of Life” in Dubai International Film Festival 2009.

“As the premiere showcase for independent film in the US, the Sundance Film Festival is an ideal platform for emerging directors from the Middle East to develop their business skills and further their ambitions as filmmakers on the world stage,” said ADFC Director David Shepheard.

The Sundance program is one of a number of initiatives ADFC has announced for 2010 to promote emerging voices from the region. ADFC recently announced the 20 finalists for its Aflam Quaseera Production Fund, a competition designed to promote up and coming writers, directors and UAE-based production companies in creating short films for international screenings and eventual broadcast. ADFC’s New Voices Documentary series is an annual development program that will select 12 aspiring filmmakers to take part in a three-month working internship in Abu Dhabi and will result in six half-hour documentaries slated for regional television broadcast.
For more information on these and other programs visit: www.film.gov.ae

Contact:
Marcelle Aleid, Head of Marketing & Communications – Abu Dhabi Film Commission
marcelle@film.gov.ae or marcelle.aleid@adach.ae
Tel +9712- 4177444 Fax +9712- 4436076
Freud Communications on behalf of Abu Dhabi Film Commission
Jonathan Bing
jonathan.bing@freud.com
+1 323 866 6060

Abu Dhabi Film Commission
Abu Dhabi Film Commission is an initiative launched by Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture and Heritage in January 2009 with an objective of assisting the development of the Film and TV industry in Abu Dhabi, nurturing of new talent and contributing to the promotion of Arab culture through film.
www.film.gov.ae

More info: http://www.adach.ae