Zinzana Director Majid Al Ansari Joins The Smovies Jury Panel; The Smovies Season 4: #Ihaveadream Underway

Top Quote The Smovies, a filmmaking platform that supports emerging filmmakers in the UAE, announces the addition of award winning Emirati film director, Majid Al Ansari to its jury panel. End Quote
  • (1888PressRelease) March 17, 2016 - The Smovies was established by BrandMoxie in April 2015 and with its 4th season currently underway. The competition invites submissions of 1 minute films shot on camera or phone, and awards the winner with a scholarship to NYFA in New York, and the opportunity to screen their films in VOX Cinemas.

    "We are excited to have Majid on board. He is a rising star and is a great inspiration to film makers in the Arab world," said Sana Bagersh, Founder of The Smovies and CEO of BrandMoxie. "Majid's film Zinzana is a first rate psychological thriller that shows how Arab cinema can innovate." Bagersh added.

    Majid Al Ansari, whose film Zinzana garnered accolades in film festivals across the world, joins the jury pool that includes Emirati Actor Mansoor Al Feeli; award winning filmmaker Khalid Al Mahmood; veteran film producers Greg Unrau, Mohannad Al Bakri from NYU and Michelle Nickelson from MENA CineFinance; as well as Zayed University professor Dahlia Mahmoud; Emirati director Nujoom Alghanem and David Moore, professor of film at the Higher Colleges of Technology.

    "I am very excited to be alongside my filmmaking peers in this year's edition of The Smovies, this is a great initiative that sheds the spotlight on emerging talent from the UAE and the region." Majid Al Ansari said.

    Majid Al Ansari's career started out back in 2011 when he joined Image Nation, and later worked on several international and regional productions such as "Contagion", "From A to B", "Djinn", and the company's first ever Emirati film "Sea Shadow" . In 2012, he directed a short feature film called "The Intruder" which received numerous awards.

    In 2015 Majid released his first feature film "Zinzana," a psychological thriller starring award winning actors Ali Suliman and Saleh Bakri. The film premiered at the Fantastic Fest in Texas, USA and played to rave reviews at festivals and cinemas across the world. Earlier this year, Majid was awarded with Variety's Middle East Filmmaker of the Year at the 66th Berlin International Film Festival.

    The Smovies current season, #IHaveADream was launched in February this year and closes on 15th April. Winners will be announced in the end of April.

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