David Hasselhoff joins Abu Dhabi film contest jury panel

Abu Dhabi - David Hasselhoff joins top Emirati directors on jury panel for film competition.

SOME OF THE biggest names in Emirati cinema are coming together to judge the next generation of regional film talent as part of Image Nation Abu Dhabi's amateur film competition, Arab Film Studio (AFS).
Freej creator Mohammed Saeed Harib and directors Nawaf Al Jannahi (Sea Shadow), Ali Mostafa (City of Life, From A to B) and Majid Al Ansari (Zinzana) have joined a panel of industry experts that will crown the winner of the fifth annual AFS competition.
Other judges include American actor David Hasselhoff (pictured), Hollywood producer Laurie Macdonald, Academy Award nominee Scandar Copti, Hyde Park Entertainment Chairman Ashok Amritraj, and past AFS winners Sara Saber, Mohamed Magdy and Fatma Al Daheri.
The Arab Film Studio was created in 2011, in partnership with Image Nation and twofour54, as a short film competition to discover untapped talent and to give aspiring young filmmakers the tools and knowledge to build a career for themselves. The organisation teaches all aspects of filmmaking from development to production and culminates with the students producing a seven to 10 minute short film. The judges will have the final decision on awards, including Best Film, which includes an internship with Image Nation.
This year saw the Arab Film Studio programme expand with a new subdivision to give filmmakers in the region further opportunities to hone their skills. Arab Film Studio Docs launched earlier this year and crowned Emirati filmmaker, Amena Al Nowais, the winner. Since then, Al Nowais has been working on some of Image Nation's biggest projects, including Davis Guggenheim's He Named Me Malala - set for theatrical release in the UAE on November 5.
The winners will be announced at an award ceremony next month.
For more details on how to apply to next year's competition, visit www.arabfilmstudio.com

• Abu Dhabi