People's Choice Award winner named in the Hayah Film Competition

Over 1,200 votes were counted, and with 31% of the votes, the winner is Luluwa Al Mehairbi for her film "Tourist". The short animated film tells the story of a young Arab man who is looking forward to his trip abroad. Unfortunately, things do not go quite as planned. The film presents a funny, yet sadly realistic commentary on the state of world affairs.

"We've been amazed at the response from the public for the People's Choice Award," said Magnus Nystedt, founder of the competition and president of EmiratesMac, the only registered Apple User Group in the UAE. "To have the public voice its opinion through the competition's web site is a nice complement to the judges' voting. For coming years, we'll look at other ways we can incorporate the web site into the competition so that both the public and filmmakers can engage each other in a meaningful interaction."

For her efforts, Luluwa will receive a one-year scholarship to attend the New York Film Academy - Abu Dhabi (NYFA-AD). The campus is scheduled to open in Abu Dhabi on February 3, 2008.

"It is through film that individuals, communities, and nations express their most profound visions of humanity to themselves and to each other," noted John Sammon, Director of NYFA-AD. "I was impressed by the potential of the aspiring filmmakers who made it to the Hayah Film Competition finals and I hope they continue to study and develop their talent."

NYFA-AD presented five scholarships for its one-year Filmmaking Program to the winners of the Hayah Film Competition. "This marks the start of a new platform for all aspects of filmmaking in the region," added Mr. Sammon. "The school will foster each student's ability in the universal language of visual storytelling, allowing them to express their own artistic dreams and creative visions."

In conjunction with the Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture and Heritage, NYFA-AD will help to build upon the emerging film industry in the region by establishing a world class film school within Abu Dhabi, and by training and educating local youth so they may serve the film arts as the industry leaders of tomorrow.

Over 100 submissions were received for the Hayah Film Competition, which was open to anyone in the Middle East. Submissions were accepted in the categories of Student, Professional, and Amateur. Filmmakers were required to create a short film illustrating the theme "life at the size of an iPod screen," to be viewed and judged on an iPod. The winners for the competition are Fatima Al Shamsi for "Ramadan" (Student Category); Kamil Roxas for "Celebrate Life" (Amateur Category); and Ziad Oakes for "For No One" (Professional Category). The winners received an awards package including a cash prize, an iPod sponsored by iStyle, and a one-year scholarship to attend NYFA-AD.

To further encourage budding filmmakers, NYFA-AD also presented a special award to Fatima Al Muhairi for her film "Seastar." Fatima will also receive a one-year filmmaking scholarship to NYFA-AD.