Cinema students to compete for Hollywood slots
Dubai: Budding filmmakers are being urged to enter a contest that offers them the chance to fly to Los Angeles and show off their work in Hollywood.
UAE-based film company Mirage Holdings Freezone is launching its second film competition after its inaugural contest last year saw a string of young filmmakers visit the world’s film capital.
The film competition is being organised by its subsidiary Mirage Studios together with Zayed University in Abu Dhabi.
Films entered into the CineMation contest will be selected by an SMS vote after being shown on an internet television channel.
Organisers say they want to give student filmmakers from this region a chance to visit Hollywood because it will show them how the “business end” of the movie industry works.
In last year’s visit, the students went to an industry screening of the controversial film Paradise Now at the Director’s Guild of America. They also went on a tour of the Warner Brothers Studios and watched a taping of the Tonight Show with Jay Leno at NBC Studios.
Michelle Nickelson, president and chief operating officer of Mirage Holdings Freezone, said: “We believe it is very important for student filmmakers to get a real life experience about seeing what the film and television industry is about. Going to Los Angeles, which is the heart of the business, gives them that opportunity.”
She said there was “growing interest” in film making in the Gulf region, but added that there were not many opportunities for students here to learn about movie-making from the inside.
“If you live in Los Angeles and you want to get into the business, there are lots of intern jobs in the studios for students.
“Here there are very limited opportunities and it is very easy to get caught up in the big fish in a small pond line of thinking.
“When you see what is involved with the industry and how it is a global industry, it gives you the proper perspective and challenges a filmmaker to raise their standards,” she said.
Forms and film will be on internet
Dubai Participation in the CineMation competition is free.
Entry forms can be downloaded from Mirage Holdings’ website www.mirageholdingsfz.com.
Films entered in the competition will be shown on internet television site Brightcove beginning September 1.
The top 50 films are selected by viewers through SMS voting.
The 10 filmmakers who will go to Los Angeles will be chosen by a Hollywood-based juror.
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