Dubai: A female-led film crew based in Dubai clinched two awards at a global competition titled 48 Hour Film Project and the short film Attached was chosen to represent the city at a special screening on Thursday.
The competition judged filmmakers from across the world on their ability to produce a film just seven minutes long within 48 hours while coordinating the scriptwriting, shooting and editing processes.
Winners from each city will compete on a global platform, showcasing their talents on a bigger stage and creating chances for their films to be marketed at international film festivals like Cannes.
Oedipuss, the Dubai-based film crew whose romantic film Melody is centred around a wedding, made it to the final selection along with 15 other teams. The 35-member crew with 22 women was the first among the competing teams to finish the job in just 45 hours and 40 minutes.
Oedipuss took top honours for Best Ensemble Cast and clinched second place for Best Poster Design.
“The film industry is known as a man’s business in front of and behind the camera, but I had a strong team of women who were enthusiastic about being involved in the film, and also a strong cast of women,” said Jamal Iqbal, 34, who produced Melody.
An active member of the UAE’s art and film industry, Iqbal said the female crew that worked on the film came from a diverse background including Palestine, Russia, the UK and India. A number of students from the New York Film Academy in Abu Dhabi and SAE Institute in Dubai also worked along with the crew to make the film happen, Iqbal said.
This is not the first time that Oedipuss have been involved in a notable film venture. It may be recalled that the team was behind the short film The Journey, which was part of the Berlinale, the Cannes Film market and also won the Black Pearl Special Jury Award for short narrative at this year’s Abu Dhabi Film Festival.
