Heart-warming Film on Cancer Bags First Prize
14th November 2016 | Abu Dhabi, UAE- The Smovies concluded its fifth season yesterday at an awards ceremony yesterday with the announcement of the winners of the latest competition entitled “Born to Challenge.’ The first place winner was Vasilis Blioumis, a filmmaker based in the UAE, who touched the judges’ hearts with his story, “Walking with You” about a cancer patient and her husband’s unwavering support.
The awards, which were given at VOX Cinemas at Mall of the Emirates in Dubai, recognized the second place winner as John Haddad for his film “As Always” and third place winner as Muhammad Sarfaraz Ali for “The Expected”. A fourth prize, presented by Infiniti of Arabian Automobiles Company in Dubai was awarded to Jeffrey Justiniano, for his best use of product placement.
Blioumis’s film will be showcased across the UAE in VOX Cinemas and he has also received a cash prize of Dh 5000 from Infiniti of Arabian Automobiles Company in Dubai. All three winners will also be featured in Tempo magazine’s December edition.
The Smovies is a community filmmaking platform established in April 2015 by BrandMoxie that invites filmmakers across the UAE to submit short, one-minute movies following each announced theme. The Smovies is run in strategic collaboration with VOX Cinemas and the US Embassy. This season was also supported by Arabian Automobiles and Tempo Magazine. In this season competitors had an opportunity to use the Infiniti Q30 car in their film. Out of the numerous submissions, 16 were shortlisted and screened at the awards ceremony.
The jury members comprise Emirati directors Majid Al Ansari, Khaled Al Mahmoud and Nujoom Al Ghanem, as well as award-winning Emirati actor Mansoor Al Feeli and filmmaking veterans David Moore, Dahlia Mahmoud, Imad Deiratany, Greg Unrau, Mohannad Al Bakri and Michelle Nickelson. Nathalie Garino from Infiniti of Arabian Automobiles Company in Dubai guest judged this competition.
“The theme was broad enough for the filmmakers to experiment with style, voice and format. We loved the level of enthusiasm and look forward to expanding the competition throughout the region,” said Sana Bagersh, founder of The Smovies and CEO of BrandMoxie. “We are particularly appreciative of our strategic partnership with VOX Cinemas and the incredible support we receive from our jury members and all our partners. It is important to recognize that community platforms such as this can only exist and grow through collaboration and shared vision.”
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About The Smovies
The Smovies is a short film creation platform that has been launched by BrandMoxie, a leading media group in the UAE involved in marketing, publishing and events. The Smovies is intended to provide an opportunity for emerging filmmakers, by offering recognition and exposure through the platform. The Smovies also embraces new technologies, and promotes the film making capabilities of phones, tablets and other everyday communication terminals. The competitions roll out across three seasons: April to June, July to September and October to December. Other film competitions will focus on narrative and national themes. BrandMoxie’s CSR initiatives include Tamakkan, an entrepreneurship and innovation platform, The Dream Players, a programme that supports the performing arts, and The Planetarians, an initiative that promotes conservation and sustainability. BrandMoxie is based in twofour54 and Sila Tower on Sowwah Island. www.thesmovies.com
About Majid Al Futtaim Cinemas
VOX Cinemas is the Middle East’s most innovative and customer-focused cinema experience. VOX Cinemas is owned and operated by Majid Al Futtaim Cinemas, which is the cinema arm of Majid Al Futtaim, the leading shopping mall, retail and leisure pioneer across the Middle East and North Africa. With 129 screens currently across the region, including 97 screens in the UAE, 15 screens in Lebanon and 17 screens in Oman, VOX Cinemas is now the Middle East’s largest and most rapidly growing cinema exhibitor. In 2013, the company announced a 750 million-dirham investment in cinemas that will see the company expand to operate over 400 screens in 8 countries by 2018.www.voxcinemas.com
About Infiniti of Arabian Automobiles
Arabian Automobiles Company (AAC) is the flagship company of AW Rostamani Group. With over 45 years in business, AAC is one of the leading automotive dealers in the GCC and exclusive distributor for Nissan, Infiniti and Renault vehicles in Dubai and Northern Emirates.
AAC is currently holder of Nissan Motor Company’s Global Aftersales Grand Prize award and is the only Nissan distributor worldwide to have won the award six years running. In 2012, Arabian Automobiles was awarded the ‘Champion Distributor’ status by Nissan Motor Company for the third consecutive year and ‘Champion Importer’ for Renault in 2012. Arabian Automobiles was also awarded ‘Dealer of the year’ for Renault two consecutive years in 2011 and 2012. In 2013, Arabian Automobiles became the first private United Arab Emirates Company to enter the prestigious Palladium Balanced ScoreCard Hall of Fame for strategy excellence.
www.thesmovies.com
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