Filmmaker Taimur Rahim on his 5 significant milestones in 2015

This year I fulfilled a long-standing aspiration to teach television production to local and international undergraduate students at a prestigious university in the UAE.

1 Making a difference
I had a wonderful opportunity to work on , a television programme that broadcasted on Discovery Channel's TLC Network. The talk show hosted global and regional celebrities including Oprah Winfrey and former US President Bill Clinton. It was great to be a part of a project that was dedicated to acknowledging the dedication of Arab women to bring about positive changes in their society.
2 Being able to impart knowledge
This year I fulfilled a long-standing aspiration to teach television production to local and international undergraduate students at a prestigious university in the UAE. After twelve years of working at the deep end in the TV industry both here and abroad, I felt I had accumulated enough first-hand experience to be able to impart a realistic and imaginative approach to creating visual media. It was an absolute pleasure to introduce a whole new generation of filmmakers to the mastery of Alfred Hitchcock, Martin Scorsese and, of course, Woody Allen.
3 A Q&A with Richard Dreyfuss
The Creative Lab at Twofour54 is always doing its best to engage and inspire filmmakers and they recently arranged a Q & A session with legendary actor Richard Dreyfuss. It was surreal having a man I so deeply admire answering my questions so generously and honestly.
4 Stoking creativity
Last August, I, along with a very dedicated team at Reel Cinema, helped organise a Future Filmmakers Summer Camp which was one of the first kids-oriented training in film production in the UAE. The topics the youngsters chose to make films on were surprisingly mature and I was pleased to be a part of their creative process.
5 Being satisfied with a job well done
Recently, I made a short documentary about a brilliant Pakistani oil painter, the reviews of which have been encouraging. After working with highly professional crews in the UAE I picked up several contemporary filming techniques and I wanted to apply these in my hometown, Karachi. It was a deeply satisfying experience.
Plans for 2016
"I'm currently producing a series of short documentaries on a range of topics I feel strongly about, both here in the UAE and in Pakistan. I look forward to presenting these stories in 2016" - As told to Bernd Debusmann Jr
Taimur Rahim is an award winning filmmaker who has over ten years of experience in television programming and corporate video production. He is currently a freelancer at Twofour54, which is the hub for media related activities in Abu Dhabi.
THE YEAR OF LIVING gloriously: Till December 29, Khaleej Times will run a series on people who define the ethos of the UAE:  creative, adventurous, enterprising - everything that tags this place as being a great melting pot of talent and spirit.

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