Under the patronage of Her Excellency SheikhaLubnaBintKhaled Al Qasimi, Minister of State for Tolerance and President of Zayed University, the 7th edition of the Zayed University Middle East Film Festival (ZUMEFF) will take place on 1 – 2May at Zayed University Abu Dhabi. The Awards Ceremony will takeplace on May 2 at 6.30 pm. It will beattended by this years winners, filmmakers, regional celebrities and by Her Excellency Noura Al Kaabi, Minster of State for Federal National Council Affairs of UAE and Chairwoman of the Media Zone Authority-Abu Dhabi and twofour54. The two screening days on May 1 and 2 will be free of charge and open to the public.
The festival will showcase over 50 student films from 12different countries.16 films are competing for this year’s awards: Best of the Best, Best Narrative, Best Animation and Best Documentary Film, in addition to the twofour54 Emerging Filmmaker Award.The finalists are from seven countries including Lebanon, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Palestine, Iran, Jordan and the UAE.ZUMEFF will have a special screening of “The Tainted Veil” on Sunday, 1 May at 10.00 am.“We are very happy with more than 160 submissions that we received this year and we feel privileged to showcase the work of the young and talented Arab directors. It is great to see the festival continues to grow year after year,” Sascha Ritter, Director of ZUMEFF, said. A full description of the finalists and the screening schedule is available online at: www.zumeff.com ZUMEFF’s sponsors and partners this year are: Etihad Airways, Park Rotana Abu Dhabi, Fast Rent A Car, twofour54, Adobe Middle East &Grapheast, Bin Hamoodah Auto, FakrahAlwan, Dubai International Film Festival, The Scene Club, Arab Cinema Center, #SupportArabCinema, Abela, Mile Studios, UAE National Film Library and Archive and Zayed University.
About ZUMEFF
The Zayed University Middle East Film Festival (ZUMEFF) is a Middle East wide film festival for students by students. Now in its 6th year, it showcases that best films from universities across the region.The festival screenings will be on 1-2 May 2016.Top prizes are determined by student and industry judges in five categories: Best of the Best, Best Narrative, Best Documentary, Best Animation and the twofour54/ZUMEFF Award for Best Aspiring UAE Filmmaker.Winners are flown to Abu Dhabi to take part in a closing event attended by regional filmmakers and celebrities.ZUMEFF is organized as a class, in which students do the marketing, film evaluations, event organization, artwork and printing, outreach, advertising and public relations.ZUMEFF was established in 2010 as a graduation project by AlYazyah Al Falasi, ReemaMajed and Faculty Director Alia Yunis, with the aim to showcase students’ films and encourage young filmmakers in the region. The current ZUMEFF director is Sascha Ritter.Website: http://www.zumeff.com/
About Zayed University
Zayed University is today the premier national university in the United Arab Emirates and a regional leader in educational innovation and change. It has created and implemented a skills-rich, outcome-based general education program that systemically develops student skills, knowledge, and values associated with liberal learning and provided a solid foundation for pursuit of disciplinary majors and future careers. Zayed University welcomes national and international students, and provides them with a high quality education, offered by seasoned teaching scholars to prepare them to shape the future of the United Arab Emirates.
Zayed University offers Undergraduate and Graduate degrees in the following Colleges: College of Arts & Creative Enterprises (recognized as substantially equivalent by NASAD), College of Business (Accredited by AACSB), College of Communication & Media Sciences (Accredited by ACEJMC), College of Education (Accredited by NCATE), College of Sustainability Sciences & Humanities, and College of Technological Innovation (Accredited by ABET). For more information, visit www.zu.ac.ae