Dubai Culture invites UAE talents for Al Marmoom short-film competition

Dubai Culture and Arts Authority (Dubai Culture) has launched its Al Marmoom short-film competition, inviting talented filmmakers and amateurs to submit their works and present them to a global audience as part of the second edition of the ‘Al Marmoom: Film in the Desert’ festival, scheduled to be held in December.

With a collective prize money of Dh90,000 to be handed out between its top three winners, this competition aims to attract talented filmmakers and provide an innovative platform for them to develop their skills.

Shaikh Maktoum Bin Marwan Al Maktoum, the Project Manager of Al Marmoom Festival said in a statement: “Based on our vision of consolidating the emirate’s position as a global centre for culture, an incubator for creativity and a thriving hub for talent, we are working at Dubai Culture according to a clear methodology that seeks to enhance the emirate’s cultural scene and advance its cultural and creative industries by supporting talents and innovators and providing an incubating environment for them, which contributes to making Dubai a global capital of the creative economy.”

Shamma Yahya Alzaffin, the Project Manager of Al Marmoom Festival, added: “We are pleased to launch this competition to discover talented filmmakers and nurture and support them on their journey to become professional pioneers in the field locally, regionally and globally. We look forward to nurturing the creative talents into the filmmaking sector and offering an enabler platform in Dubai and the UAE for them to grow.”

Participation in the competition is open to anyone from the Arab world 15 years and over. Entries are to be submitted through the link specified for the competition before September 23. Participating works will be evaluated and the winning films selected by a committee judging the competition, which will include eminent experts in this field.

The winner will be rewarded and their films screened during Al Marmoom: Film in the Desert festival that will take place in December.

To take part, participants must submit original short films (under 30 minutes) that were never screened before. They must own the full rights to their films, whose genres could be one of three categories: live action, animation, or a documentary. The type of media or camera used, including smart devices, is acceptable.

The first-place winner will receive a cash prize of Dh50,000, the second-place winner will receive a cash prize of Dh25,000, while the third-place winner will receive a prize of Dh15,000. Each of them will also receive to a commemorative shield.

Participation in the competition can be done by filling out the submission form, attaching a copy of the passport with the residence page, and a copy of the Emirates ID through the link dubaiculture.gov.ae/en/events/Al-Marmoom-Film-In-The-Desert