The Circle Conference, a program of the Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture and Heritage, concluded its second annual international film conference today. A strategic initiative aimed at creating new filmmaking opportunities in the Middle East, the Circle brought together nearly 300 aspiring regional filmmakers and enthusiasts, as well as dozens of leaders from the international entertainment community including top producers, financiers, executives and filmmakers on October 6-8, 2008 at the Shangri-La Hotel in Abu Dhabi.
The conference concluded with a final Masters Class presented by actor/producer/director Antonio Banderas. The winner of The Circle’s international screening writing competition, the Shasha Grant, a $100,000 award aimed at launching the career of an outstanding regional filmmaker, was also recognized during a special evening ceremony.
This year’s Shasha Grant was awarded to Moroccan filmmaker Hicham Ayouch for “Sambo Do Maazouz.” The story is about a Moroccan who speaks and prays in Portuguese and is infatuated with Brazilian culture and obsessed with the Brazilian TV soap heroine, Isaura.
Ayouch, 32, worked as a journalist for several French outlets before pursuing his filmmaking career as a screenwriter and director. He has written and directed two documentaries, “The King’s Queens,” about the status of the women in Morocco, and “Angel’s Dust” about autistic teenagers. He also directed two feature films, “Heart Edges,” a story of a dead fisherman village and “Cracks,” a love triangle between three misfits. “Sambo Do Maazouz” will be his third feature.
The other five finalists of this year’s program include; “Sand” by Alvin Easter (USA); “The Breadwinner” by Robert Heydon (Canada); “Pleonastic” by Samuel Kiehoon Lee (Korea); “Tafahum” by Omar Saleh (Jordan); and “Jose” by Michael Rousselet and Erik Sandoval (USA). The six filmmakers had the opportunity to present their pitch to a juried panel of industry professionals during this week’s conference. The jury panel included conference keynote speaker Jim Gianopolus, Chairman and CEO, Twentieth Century Fox Filmed Entertainment; Kathleen Kennedy, Producer, The Kennedy/Marshall Company; and Ashok Amritraj, Chairman & CEO, Hyde Park Films.
“The Second Annual Circle Conference surpassed my highest expectations. The excitement, passion and creativity of our hundreds of participants has been truly educational and inspiring. I was especially appreciative of the active involvement of Antonio Banderas, Spike Lee and McG and our other talented panelists, as their keen insights and one-on-one discussions illuminated the hearts of aspiring filmmakers from around the world. The Circle truly provided a bridge between East and West and will provide further year-round support to the connections cultivated here,” said The Circle Director Adrienne Briggs.
The Circle also announced that its local interactive exhibit, the Interactive Media Circle (IMC), will open at the Marina Mall in Abu Dhabi on Thursday, October 9. For the first time ever in the UAE, the IMC will showcase creative interactive installations from an impressive cadre of international visual artists. Some of the exhibits featured will include works from Brazilian designer and artist Dimitre Lima, New Zealand-born artist Julian Oliver, and works by the artistic team of Ivan Ivanoff and Jose Jimenez.
The Circle Conference, as well as a variety of other related programs that take place throughout the year, offer collaborative creative forums for global participants, with the goal of fostering support for filmmakers and the emerging film production opportunities in the Middle East. The Circle also provides industry insiders with innovative investment options and gives filmmakers a unique opportunity to finance their projects, aiding Abu Dhabi’s transformation into a filmmaking and New Media hub.
