The jury carefully selected entries which were received from across the Middle East region. The finalists hail from the UAE, Lebanon, Iran - and for the first time, Saudi Arabia.
"This is the second year of the MINI Film Festival, and once again we are delighted by the quality of work and obvious dedication of these regional filmmakers," said Raymond Gedeon, MINI Brand Manager, BMW Group Middle East.
Winner of last year's MINI Film Festival, Omid Khoshnazar from Iran has again made it to the top ten in 2007 - while Mohammed Mamdouh from the UAE is a seemingly prolific upcoming talent, with two of his films achieving top ten status in this year's festival.
"The MINI Film Festival 2007 has made it possible to gauge the immense amateur talent that the Middle East possesses in filmmaking and we are proud to be supporting the development of regional talent in this medium. It is our hope these ten finalists go on to bigger and brighter things, and we encourage them to use the festival as a platform for their blossoming film careers."
The ten finalists who made it are: Kamil Roxas (UAE) with his movie 'My Incredibly Ambitious Project'; Khalil Dreifus Zaarour (Lebanon) with 'The Window'; Farid Al-Khajah (UAE) and 'A Cup of Hot Bliss'; Aline Kabboul (Lebanon) with 'Incredibly Celebrated'; Omid Khoshnazar (Iran) with 'Labyrinth'; Amirah Tajdin (UAE) with 'Pearly Silver'; Ali Hassam Mohammed Alameer (KSA) and 'Child of Heaven'; Niraj Mehta (UAE) with 'The Incredible Mattress' and Mohammed Mamdouh (UAE) with two entries - 'An Emirati Dilemma' and 'Hit and Run'.
Finalists were selected based on the originality and creativity displayed through their films, rather than an emphasis on technical prowess. Three winners will now be chosen from the ten finalists at a Gala Screening Event on the 29th of November, with a 'People's Choice' award to be decided by the audience on the night.
The three winners and the 'People's Choice' award will be available for viewing online after the event.
The official MINI Film Festival 2007 judging panel are:- Nawaf Al Janhi (Head of Arabic Programming, Dubai International Film Festival); Jamil Abu Wardeh (Head of Original Production, Showtime Network); Arsalan Mohammed (Film Critic, Time Out Dubai); Alaa Karkouti (Film Critic, Emirates Today) plus Wissam Haroun & Dar S Danesh (Founders, eQuinoxe Arabiya).
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MINI Film Festival 2007 announces top ten finalists
- United Arab Emirates: Sunday, November 25 - 2007 at 10:46
- PRESS RELEASE
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BMW Group Middle East has announced the ten successful finalists for the MINI Film Festival 2007, to be screened at an exclusive invitation-only industry event in Dubai on 29th November 2007.
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Posted by Medilyn Manibo, Assistant News EditorSunday, November 25 - 2007 at 10:46 UAE local time (GMT+4)
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Rana Jones, BMW Group Middle East
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