The MINI Film Festival 2006

A panel of five industry experts have been involved in the professional judging of 53 film submissions received from aspiring filmmakers throughout the Middle East, with the ten finalists to be announced shortly.
Antonia Carver, Nima Abu-Wardeh, Marcus Webb, Massoud Ali and Lotfi Bencheikh have all been impressed by the high quality of entries to the MINI Film Festival 2006, a short film competition aimed at encouraging and developing the blossoming regional film community.

"It was refreshing to realise there was so much quality filmmaking talent out there," said Antonia Carver, a regular contributor to Screen International and programme consultant to the Edinburgh International Film Festival.
"Initiatives like the MINI Film Festival 2006 are critical to bringing local perspectives and issues to the foreground through the medium of film, and it's important for developing filmmakers to get their work onto screen and to start making a name for themselves."

Entries of up to 15 minutes in length, incorporating the 'Always Open' theme of the MINI Film Festival 2006, were received from across the Middle East region, with judges looking for the most compelling live action, animation, computer graphics or hybrid forays into short-form with visual story-telling.
The selected ten finalists will now have the opportunity for their films to be shown at an exclusive invitation-only Gala Screening event at the XVA Gallery in Bastakiya on Thursday 23rd November. Three winners will be announced at the event, along with a 'People's Choice' award voted by the audience on the night.

First prize will be a trip for two to the Cannes Film Festival 2007, with the winning film screened to a regional audience in Dubai. Second place winner will be the proud recipient of an Apple Mac Pro, with 30" Cinema Display screen and Final Cut Studio 5.1 software. Third place will score a 3 month full-time internship with a leading local film production institute, Filmworks. The winner of the 'People's Choice Awards' will receive a cash reward from the MINI Film Festival 2006.

"MINI is about being daring and creative, and we were encouraged to receive so many thought-provoking entries to the MINI Film Festival in its first year," said Guenther Seemann, Managing Director of BMW Group Middle East.

"The films entered into the festival dealt with a wide variety of topics that have valid impact on today's society - from the influx of expatriates and the effect this is having on people living in Dubai, to dangerous driving and its negative results and creative expressions of one's dreams and emotions.

"The MINI Film Festival 2006 is a fantastic opportunity for these promising filmmakers to have their voices heard and receive instant feedback from an audience. It is also a chance for them to mix and meet with industry experts, who are constantly on the look-out for fresh talent and fresh ideas. MINI is proud to continually support and contribute to the burgeoning cultural scene in this region."