Zayed University Prepares for the 6th edition of ZUMEFF
April 14, 2015
Under the patronage of Her Excellency Sheikha Lubna Bint Khaled Al Qasimi, Minister of International Cooperation and Development, President of Zayed University, the 6th edition of Zayed University Middle East Film Festival (ZUMEFF) will take place on May 17 – 18 at Zayed University Abu Dhabi.
The Awards Ceremony will take place on May 18 at 6.30 pm and will be followed by a Special Screening of Ali F. Mostafa’s film “From A to B.” The film shows the journey of three childhood friends who reunite for a road trip to honor their deceased friend.
“I remember attending the first festival in the old campus”, says Ali F. Mostafa, “and to see its continuing growth is so inspiring. I’m proud to have my film shown at ZUMEFF and I hope it succeeds to inspire a new generation of filmmakers.”
The 15 ZUMEFF finalists are now in the hands of the participating industry judges: Masoud Amralla Al Ali, Artistic Director, Dubai International Film Festival, Scandar Copti, an Oscar nominated filmmaker, and Chris Newbould, film correspondent at The National.
Their main aim is to choose the Best of the Best: Best Narrative, Best Animation, and Best Documentary Film, in addition to the New York Film Academy/ZUMEFF Aspiring Filmmaker Award. The finalists are from seven countries including Jordan, Palestine, Lebanon, Qatar, Egypt, Cyprus and the UAE. Overall, the festival has selected about sixty films from 16 countries to show in the festival.
"I think the finalists share one important element: Creativity. Capturing an honest moment in a film is a very hard task, and I believe the finalists did that in their films. I hope they continue in the same path as they have a bright future in filmmaking”, says Masoud Amralla Al Ali, the Artistic Director of the Dubai International Film Festival.
ZUMEFF will also offer workshops by Nikon and Scandar Copti, an exhibition by the Dubai Moving Image Museum, and a photo exhibit by Zayed University student Sara Al Balooshi.
“We are very happy with the submissions that we received this year which exceeded 100 submissions, and we feel privileged to showcase the work of young and talented Arab directors. Witnessing the incremental growth of the festival year after year is so rewarding, and we are extremely proud to add even more workshops and exhibitions to ZUMEFF this year presented by our partners," said Sascha Ritter, the Faculty Director of ZUMEFF.
ZUMEFF’s sponsors and partners this year include Etihad Airways, Park Rotana, New York Film Academy, Imagenation, Nikon, Ferrari World, Yas Waterworld, Fast Rent A Car, Noble Printing, Vital, du, Abela, Aflamnah, UAE National Film Library and Archive, Dubai Moving Image Museum and Zayed University.
More information about ZUMEFF, participating filmmakers, judges, and sponsors can be found on: www.zumeff.com
