Abu Dhabi: A total of 27 filmmakers from the region and beyond were honoured at the Black Pearl Awards ceremony for the Emirates Competition, the Emirates Script Competition and the Short Film Competition on Thursday.
The event took place at the Abu Dhabi Film Festival’s (ADFF) festival tent in the Emirates Palace Hotel.
“I’m very happy that I won prizes for both films that I submitted for the Emirates Competition because there were many great films competing this year. I’m also very proud that so many Emiratis and UAE-based expatriates received awards for their work,” said Ahmad Zain, an Emirati filmmaker, who won first prize for ‘Best Short Narrative’ and the ‘Best Scriptwriter’ in the Emirates Competition and the Emirates Script Competition respectively.
Rola Shamas, who received a ‘Special Jury Prize’ for her three-minute documentary Fish and Men, noted that while it was an honour to receive the award, she still had a long road ahead of her.
“I’m very proud that I won a Special Jury Prize. It actually means more to me than if I had won the first or second place because it shows that no matter what, the jurors couldn’t let my film go,” Rola said with a smile.
Emirates Competition and Emirates Script Competition winners
Best Short Narrative (First Prize, AED 35,000) - GHEAMT SHROOG, directed by Ahmed Zain (UAE)
Best Emirati Short (AED 35,000) – SHHH, directed by Hafsa Al Mutawa and Shamma Abu Nawas (UAE)
Best Scriptwriter (AED 20,000) – GHEAMT SHROOG, directed by Ahmed Zain (UAE)
Best Cinematographer (AED 10,000) – DAKEN, directed by Bader Al-Homoud (Saudi Arabia)
Short Documentaries First Prize (AED 30,000) – THE QUEEN (Al-Malika), directed by Hadi Shuaib (UAE)
Best Student Short Narrative (First Prize, AED 25,000) – SHHH, directed by Hafsa Al Mutawa, Shamma Abu Nawas (UAE)
Best Student Short Narrative (First Prize, AED 25,000) – SHHH, directed by Hafsa Al Mutawa, Shamma Abu Nawas (UAE)
Best Script (First Prize, AED 30,000) - EBNAT AL QADR, by Mohammed Al Hammadi
Short Film Competition
Best Narrative Short ($25,000) – ALBUM, directed by Shiraz Fradi (Tunisia)
Best Documentary Short ($25,000) – THE CITY WITH A DIRTY FACE, directed by Peter King (United Kingdom) andCinema Azadi(Azadi Cinema), directed by Mehdi Torfee (Iran)
Best Short from the Arab World ($25,000) – THE LAST PASSENGER (Le Dernier Passager), directed by Mounes Khammar (Algeria)
Best Animated Short ($15,000) – TORD & TORD (Tord och Tord), directed by Niki Lindroth Von Bahr (Sweden)
