Dubai’s most awaited film festival: Dubai Meta Film Festival has just ended. The event brought together numerous young filmmakers in the region along with a series of awards. Well, the event has been classified as one of the biggest happenings within the city when it comes to films.
The Meta Film festival commemorates some of the biggest stars from around the globe and Arabic films. The event has become a staple for the city making each resident and visitor count down the days until its inception.
The Inception
This year Meta Film Festival has successfully concluded the screening of around 70 films making a benchmark for the people in the entertainment industry within the Middle East region.
These films were shown over the course of three days at the VOX Cinemas in Nakheel Mall on the Palm Jumeirah for the first-ever META Film Fest, which concluded today.
There were premieres and screenings of features, documentaries, and short films from 25 countries, as well as red-carpet appearances by celebrities and influencers from across the globe. The Nakheel Mall and VOX Cinemas at The Palm were rebuilt specifically for the event, which attracted celebrities, social media influencers, and international journalists from all over the globe.
The place became the focal point of the film industry, drawing in thousands of moviegoers to see the premieres and screenings of feature, animation, documentary, and short films from the United Arab Emirates, Iran, India, France, the United Kingdom, Jordan, Sweden, Korea, Egypt, Hong Kong, and the African continent.
Throughout The Event
Leila Masinaei, Festival Director and Managing Partner of Great Minds Event Management, the company responsible for organizing the META Film Fest, claims that the event will inspire the local film industry. Since more people will attend the movies if there are more of them, "the inaugural META Film Fest will also help drive investment into the film and entertainment sectors," which will lead to more films being made. To further aid in the production of new motion pictures, a film fund has been set up, with returns anticipated within the next several years at the very latest."
For the event, she wore a black velvet gown accentuated with minimal makeup and sleek hair.
"META Film Fest has definitely re-positioned the UAE on the international film industry map," said Nayla Al Khaja, a renowned UAE filmmaker. We anticipate more locally produced films to be shown at the META Film Fest as it develops into a major international film festival where film producers and filmmakers from across the globe come to make their debuts and premieres."
Zenofar Fathima, a filmmaker, entrepreneur, producer, and actress living in Dubai who is best known for her social awareness short films The Peril, The Peril 2, and Hope, is among the local artists who have been inspired by the festival. At the event, she wore a velvet outfit with sheer sleeves paired with heels and a golden handbag. Social media stars like Niki Shah, a marketing graduate who started her own fashion firm at age 18 and is now a well-known influencer at age 30, were inspired to enter the film industry by META Film Fest and work as directors, producers, or actors.
Highlights
Highlights of this year's META Film Fest include a series of exciting workshops on the nuts and bolts of short filmmaking techniques led by Academy Award-nominated producer Leo Wong and award-winning short film producer Ivor Gracias, both of whom will be speaking to aspiring local and regional film industry professionals and students.
Many famous faces descended upon the United Arab Emirates (UAE) for the first time to walk the Red Carpets and witness the dawn of a new era in the region's entertainment industry.
Most of the films shown at the META Film Fest have been highly nominated at other international film festivals, making them more accessible to audiences in the UAE. Among the films that have impressed viewers and left an impact are Beloved, Borga, Chosen, District Terminal, El Arena, Emily, Golden Blood, Hard Shell Soft Shell, and African Redemption: The Life and Legacy of Marcus Garvey.
The Iranian film District Terminal, which was nominated in three categories at the Berlin International Film Festival, one category at the Festival du Nouveau Cinema, and one category at the Sao Paulo International Film Festival, was a crowd-pleaser. Hard Shell, Soft Shell (Fragile), a French feature film, was nominated for four awards. It took home the top prize at the Buzz International Film Festival and won the award for Best International Feature Fiction at the Beirut International Women's Film Festival.
At a gala event held in the Soho Gardens at Nakheel Mall, the first META Film Fest Awards were handed to the filmmakers and cast of many films. Also in attendance were jury members, celebrities, journalists, sponsors, partners, and distributors.
FAQ
How long was the Dubai Meta Film Festival 2022?
This year the Fest was organized for 3 days starting from 27th October to 29th October 2022.
Who won the award for Best Feature Film at Meta Film Festival 2022?
Mukagali was awarded the Best Feature Film during the Fest.
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