A million-dirham fund has been set up to help young Emirati directors.
Filmi, part of Watani, has partnered with The Gulf Film Festival (GFF) and Dubai International Film Festival (DIFF) to bring to fruition projects selected through Enjaaz, a post-production support programme that aims to boost the emerging Emirati identity within the global film industry.
It is hoped that the scheme will uncover more talents such as Emirati filmmaker Nayla Al Khaja, an award-winner at the third edition of GFF in 2010.
“Through this partnership between Filmi and Enjaaz, UAE talent will have the opportunity to apply to Enjaaz for feature films that require financial production support,” said DIFF and GFF chairman Abdulhamid Juma. “Valuable associations with organisations like this only help us further contribute to the cultural landscape in the UAE and we are honoured to be working with them.”
Filmi, which will be launched on May 1, has a dedicated fund of Dhs1 million to support Emiratis working within the media industry and filmmakers to promote, reinforce and enhance the cultural identity of the UAE, practices of good citizenship and promote Emirati social values through films.
