Egyptian Omar Adam, a 23-year-old filmmaker living in Dubai, scooped the top prize for Best Film, as well as Best Editing for his film "Five" at Image Nation Abu Dhabi 's 4th Arab Film studio short film competition.
"It feels incredible to have won – it hasn't quite sunk in yet. It has been a long but extremely fulfilling journey and I'd like to thank Image Nation and everyone who took part in Arab Film Studio for the fantastic experience," Adam said, according to a press release.
"It was definitely a steep learning curve for me, but my skills have improved tremendously and I've come out of this program with this amazing knowledge which I know will help me achieve my goal of becoming an accomplished filmmaker."
Now Adam will go on to complete an exclusive internship in a national or international production with Image Nation. Previous winners have gone on to screen their films at festivals around the world.
A total of five awards were given to winning participants, with fellow competitor Diane Farah winning Best Cinematography and Best Script for her film "Among Others" and Lubna Bagsair winning the Grand Jury Prize for her film "Astray".
This year’s competition was judged by a panel of industry experts, including Emirati filmmakers, Mohammed Saeed Harib, Ali Mostafa, Majid Al Ansari and Nawaf Al Janahi. From Hollywood, actor David Hasselhoffand producers Laurie Macdonald and Ashok Amrtiraj also joined the panel.
Arab Film Studio is a short film competition that takes finalists on a six-month filmmaking journey that mirrors the real process of developing and producing a film. The competition was created by Image Nation in 2011 in partnership with twofour54 to develop UAE nationals’ and residents’ filmmaking skills.