Seven aspiring filmmakers get their chance to shine in Abu Dhabi

Abu Dhabi - The first competition of the year 2017 will cover the narrative discipline where students will learn about what it takes to make a fictional film before going to create a short film themselves.

The boot camp for filmmaking has begun in Abu Dhabi.
Seven aspiring filmmakers from the UAE, UK, Canada, Egypt, Jordan, India and Pakistan have come onboard the prestigious Arab Film Studio (AFS) Narrative programme organised by Image Nation Abu Dhabi, the media and entertainment company pioneering film production in the region.
The six-month programme and competition packed with mentoring sessions, workshops and assignments began last week, and aims to help participants smooth-land into a professional career in movie-making.
"This experience is my first step into the film making industry. It will allow me to learn all the nuances of filmmaking from script-writing to production," said Emirati Hamda Salah, 26, a graduate in Media studies from Abu Dhabi.
AFS Narrative, in its sixth year now, is one of the four courses under the Arab Film Studio umbrella, which also includes documentary and scriptwriting.
The first competition of the year 2017 will cover the narrative discipline where students will learn about what it takes to make a fictional film before going to create a short film themselves.
Alicia Gonzalez, head of training and development at Image Nation, said: "Many of the students this year are postgraduates with some experience within media and looking to apply their education to a practical environment. There is no substitute to actually making a film, which is what makes Arab Film Studio so unique."
Trying to get this hands-on experience is Egyptian Nada El Azhary who graduated from NYU Abu Dhabi with a major in Psychology and a minor in Film and New Media. She has previously interned on a number of regional productions.
"Having experienced being on real film sets last year, I was completely hooked and knew I wanted to learn more about what it takes to make my own films. I believe Arab Film Studio is the place to find my style and approach to storytelling," said Nada.
What makes AFS unique is it is also open for students without professional background in filmmaking, like Sachin Augustine from India.
"I made it as a finalist because of my sheer passion," said Augustine, 24, a graduate in Business Administration.
He was helping his father in the family business when he saw the opportunity to hone his skills with AFS. "A career in filmmaking is my dream though I don't have the educational qualification or professional track record except some amateur work done in the university."
Awards, internship and more
At the end of the Arab Film Studio Narrative programme, one finalist will go home with the Best Film award, and receive an internship opportunity on a national or international production with Image Nation. The opportunity for the students doesn't end with AFS, as many of their final films are entered into international film festivals.
In fact, this month AFS films have reached over 100 selections worldwide including Oscar-qualifying festivals such as LA Film Festival, Hot Docs and Melbourne International Film Festival.
Submissions for the other Arab Film Studio disciplines will be open throughout the year.
How to apply
> Shoot a 1 to 3 minute film with any kind of camera or even your mobile phone.
> Write a 3-page story or treatment about a project you would like to shoot.
> Upload your film and story
> Fill in all the requirements in the form at www.arabfilmstudio.ae
Submissions for the next Arab Film Studio programme - AFS Documentary - will open on February 22
anjana@khaleejtime.com

• Abu Dhabi