Entertainment

The sparkling creativity of budding filmmakers, who took their first steps into the world of cinema, was on spotlight at a red carpet awards gala held to mark the conclusion of the Reel Cinemas Future Filmmakers Work Shop.

Organised by Emaar Retail in association with Murdoch University, Nikon, Dubai film & TV commission and Dubai Studio City the Future Filmmakers Workshop was attended by over 60 young film enthusiasts. Over four weeks of intensive training, film and media experts trained on the intricacies of filmmaking from script-to-screen. The event underlines the commitment of Reel Cinemas to further strengthen appreciation and understanding of cinema among the young generation and to nurture their talents.

A red carpet gala was organised as part of the closing ceremony where the short films conceptualized, scripted, shot and post-produced by the young participants were screened. The young filmmakers also had the opportunity to walk the red carpet in style, recreating the glitz and glamour of mainstream film festivals.

An expert jury evaluated the films screened to choose the winners in two categories seniors and juniors. The young ones shot the films on their smartphone while the seniors used the latest DSLR Nikon cameras. The edit and post-production works was held at Murdoch University.

The winners are:
Best Picture (Seniors) for the movie Perspective (by Shruti Suresh, Nibha Shetty, Meenali Kanchandani and Gayatri Ramachandran) for its creativity, sound, cinematography and elegance
Best Picture (Juniors) for the movie The Glasses (by Josee Nicholas, Zareen Kazmi, Arsh Ali Khan and Hyder Jamal) for its cinematography, story and moral values
Best Director (Seniors) for the movie Borders (directed by Ali Taimur & Alisa Nosava; team members included Arina Seroglazova and Aiana Zhanaladin)
Best Director (Juniors) for the movie The Switch (directed by Zainab Khan; team included Zaara Ali Zain, Dana Founda, Jana Khalifa and Jad Younis Hela Younis)
Best Screenplay (Seniors) for the movie Regret (Rajveer Dhanak; team included Nirav Passi, Sunjaey Srikrishna, Hetal Mansukhani and Ariadne Vessaokar)
Best Screenplay (Juniors) for the movie Into Nowhere (team included Judie Al Baterni, Abdul Hadi Araj and Angie Pais)

The prizes, awarded to the winners, was sponsored by Reel Cinemas and Nikon.

The jury evaluated that the short films demonstrated impressive standards of quality and creativity. The genres ranged from surreal abstract to rap music video and horror films, among others, highlighting the creativity and imagination of the students. The young participants stretched their horizons to create captivating shorts, some inspired by their personal experiences and interests.

The Future Filmmakers Summer Camp was a first-of-its-kind initiative in the UAE that covered the techniques and craft of making films covering an Introduction to Filmmaking; Screening Short Films; Story Creation; Story Pitch; Script Writing; Short List & Storyboard; and shooting in The Dubai Mall.

They were taught how to operate the Nikon DSLR full HD cameras as well as vital principles of cinematography covering exposure, ISO, shutter speed, sound management, focusing correcting and proper use of tripods. In the final stage, they attended specialised workshops on Equipment & Lighting Operation; Setup & Framing; Tips on Directing, managing actors & film devices; Review of the Footage, colour grading, graphics, non-linear editing and exporting in a high quality format. The post-production works were taught at the state-of-the-art post-production studio and media centre at Murdoch University campus in Dubai International Academic City.

Reel Cinemas has set a new standard for the cinema experience in the region with its flagship megaplex at The Dubai Mall, boutique cineplex at Dubai Marina Mall and Reel Cinemas, The Beach. Reel Cinemas has 22 screens at The Dubai Mall, 6 Premier screens at Dubai Marina Mall, and 10 screens at Reel Cinemas, The Beach bringing the total number of screens to 38, and marking Reel Cinemas as one of the largest in the UAE. Emaar Retail will also operate the first-of-its-kind street cinema and cineplex in Town Square and a 14-screen cineplex in Al Khail Avenue.

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