• Moderator: Alma Al Mubrak, Head of Public Diplomacy at Image Nation Abu Dhabi
  

Alma Al Mubrak is the Head of Public Diplomacy at Image Nation Abu Dhabi. She  is an experienced Marketing Manager with a demonstrated history of working in the broadcast media industry. She is skilled in Advertising, Marketing Strategy, Event Management and Project Management. Strong marketing professional with a A LEVEL focused in Business studies, Travel and Tourism studies, Media studies from The British School Al Khubairat.

• Special Guest: Hana Kazim, use to be Head of Narrative Department at Image Nation Abu Dhabi, now she opened her own production company “wiswas”, she is a great example of a successful Emirati filmmaker
  

Hana Kazim received her MFA in Film Producing at the AFI Conservatory in Los Angeles. She has been working as a film executive in the UAE since 2015 and has been involved in the production of several Arab films including Rashid & Rajab (2019) and the box office hit Al Kameen (2021). In 2018, Hana wrote and directed a short horror film titled Makr, which screened at several prestigious genre festivals including Fantastic Fest and FrightFest. It quickly gained over a half-million views online through the Alter platform and was featured on 'Short of the Week'.

In 2022, Hana started wiswas productions, a middle eastern horror focused production company based in Abu Dhabi, UAE.

• AFS Guests: Raihana Al Hashimi, Sara Al Hashemi, Mariam Al Awadhi. Three of them will have their films screened in the event.

Raihana Al Hashimi is an Emirati filmmaker and marketer passionate about woman issues, community and technology; started filmmaking in 2015.  

She has initiated ""Women in Film Emirates"" to encourage the making of films by women.

Recently, she’s been shortlisted in the 2018 “ADTYE” film competition.

Sarah Alhashimi is a filmmaker from the UAE. Her first documentary short, about the challenges of an autistic adult and his family, received international recognition at festivals worldwide. Her vision is to continue to make films from the region that reaches international audiences and help open up more conversations about challenges faced within the community that she lives in through the cinematic lens of the creative community based in the UAE.

Mariam Al Awadhi is a young emerging filmmaker who aspires to shed light on gripping stories of humankind in the Arab region and present it to the world with her very own flair.

Omnia

Director: Amna Al Nowais

2015, Documentary, 8:43

Arabic (English subtitles) 

Why Is My Grandfather's Bed in Our Living Room?

Director: Sarah Al Hashimi

2019, Documentary, 7:18

Arabic (English subtitles) 

Osha's Gift

Director: Hind Abdullah

2016, Documentary, 8:20

Arabic (English subtitles) 

Mum

Director: Mariam Al Awadhi

2017, Documentary, 9:29

Arabic (English subtitles) 

Thoub

Director: Raihana Al Hashmi

2018, Narrative/ Drama, 9:42

Arabic (English subtitles) 

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Arab Film Studio is celebrating its 10-year anniversary of developing and supporting creative filmmakers in the UAE. 

An initiative by Image Nation Abu Dhabi, Arab Film Studio is home to our region’s aspiring filmmakers, giving them the guidance, skills, and support to bring their dreams to the big screen. 

AFS is raising the profile of the UAE’s rapidly evolving film industry, positioning Abu Dhabi as a creative hub for the region, and helping the region’s next generation of filmmakers to get behind the camera and tell their stories.