Tropfest Arabia announces finalists for grand finale event on the 4th

With TROPFEST Arabia fast approaching, the organisers are busy preparing the red carpet to welcome the excited crowds anxiously waiting for the arrival of leading figures in Arab TV and cinema, as well as the twelve aspiring filmmakers behind the shortlisted films hoping to be crowned winner of TROPFEST Arabia 2011.

Organisers have today announced that Raya Abirached and Qusai Kheder, the hosts of MBC4’s hit show, Arab’s Got Talent, are to MC at the inaugural TROPFEST Arabia short film festival. Qusai, one of the first Arabic Hip Hop artists, and Raya one of the region’s leading TV presenters and producers will join the directors and jury consisting of; Egyptian superstar Ahmad Helmy; leading UAE film director Nayla Al Khaja; Saudi film maker and actress, Ahd , and the director Mamdouh Salem; Lebanese film maker and actress, Nadine Labaki; co-founder and director of Lebanese web series Shankaboot, Amin Dora; Egyptian producer and scriptwriter, Mohammed Hefzy and TROPFEST founder John Polson on the red carpet alongside other VIPs and guests.

Joining these established household names on the red carpet will be the twelve TROPFEST Arabia short film finalists. Even in its first year, the film line up is of exceptionally high calibre with submissions from all over the Arab world showcasing the up-and-coming talent in the region. The twelve finalists were selected from more than a hundred entrants by John Polson and Ahmed Helmy based on their creativity and originality, with several filmmakers having never created a film before.  

Lubna Saeed Al Amoodi, UAE

Mohamed Al Harthy, Oman

Abbas Al Badri, Iraq

Fouzia Hassine, Morocco

Jassem Al Jabbouri, Iraq

­Ahmed Ghazal, Egypt

Jad Chehayeb, Lebanon

Karim Mohamed Mahmoud, Egypt

Mina Ghttas, Egypt

Mony Mahmoud, Egypt

Mohammed Sabri, Egypt

Sherif Mokbel, Egypt

The twelve films that have been shortlisted will  be judged  and the winner picked live on the night of the festival. The shortlisted films reflect the abundance of young talent all over the Arab world, with one film selected from the UAE, two from Iraq, seven from Egypt, one from Oman and  Lebanon. The final winner will receive an exciting prize of US$12,500, a trip to LA to meet top film executives, and a trip to Australia to be a judge at TROPFEST Australia. There are also prizes for the two runners-up as well as Best male and female actors.

Tropfest Organisers have also announced several prominent brands as official event sponsors, including MBC2, which has secured exclusive broadcast rights to the TROPFEST Arabia films and the development of a co-branded TROPFEST Arabia dedicated channel on MBC’s extremely popular online VOD service, Shahid, ensuring that audiences across the region will have the opportunity to enjoy the films.

Other sponsors include Variety Arabia, Park Rotana Hotel, se7en production and events.

Powered by twofour54, TROPFEST Arabia is free of charge and open to the public. The event will take place on Al Sahil Beach on 4^th November 2011 from 8.30pm.