adwc pearls - Abu Dhabi Women's College - Higher Colleges of ...

As a faculty member atADWC, I believe Hayah isa wonderful opportunity toexplore the latest technology,and since the college hasbeen designated as theCenter of Excellence inApplied Media for HCT, itmakes sense for the collegeto sponsor this event. Thecompetition gives ADWCstudents -- and all HCTstudents -- a chance toshow their creative talentin public, and it also allowsfaculty and staff members toshow their talent by creatingand submitting films in theProfessional or Amateurcategories.As the only registered AppleUser Group in the UAE, it wasa natural fit for EmiratesMacto be involved in an iPodfilm competition, especiallysince the iPod has been suchan integral part of Apple. Alarge part of what the groupdoes through its Web site(www.emiratesmac.com)and through its monthlynewsletter, “Shuffle,” is tooffer a community of supportto Mac users throughoutthe region. EmiratesMacwas excited to work withADWC and MEIFF becausethe parties each broughtsomething unique to thetable, and together weaccomplished something thatmight have been much moredifficult if we were trying to doit alone.For MEIFF, including theHayah Film Competition in itsslate of activities was a wayto offer something new andexciting that complementsthe other sections of the filmfestival.Editor: Why should HCTstudents, faculty and staffconsider participating inthe competition?Nystedt: Participating inthe Hayah Film Competitionis an experience in real-lifefilmmaking that no one in HCTshould miss. The competitionrequires those involved tothink about the purpose ofthe film, write a script, shoota film to that script, edit thefilm, and finally put it togetherin a format that’s suitable forwatching on an iPod. It’s agreat opportunity to work withsome of the fundamentalsof filmmaking while at thesame time working on thecutting edge of multimediaand information technology,something which HCTstrongly emphasizes. The factthat there is a chance to winsome nice awards, includinga cash prize, is a nice bonusfor everyone, especiallyour students. For facultymembers, the competitionoffers something tangible totie to the curriculum -- whichshould make for more excitedstudents and perhaps betterperformances.The results of the Hayah FilmCompetition were announcedon 18th and 19th October2007, at the Emirates Palace,and three ADWC studentswere among the winners.Fatima Al Shamsi won theStudent category for herfilm “Ramadan.” Fatima wasthrilled to receive the award,noting that the film was herfirst montage. Fatima’s awardpackage included 5,000 U.S.dollars, an iPod sponsoredby iStyle, and a one-yearfilmmaking scholarship to theNew York Film Academy –Abu Dhabi (NYFA-AD) whichopened in February 2008.Luluwa Al Mehairbi won thePeople’s Choice Award forher film “Tourist.” The shortanimated film tells the storyof a young Arab man whois looking forward to his tripabroad. Unfortunately, thingsdo not go quite as planned.The film presents a funny, yetsadly realistic commentaryon the state of world affairs.Luluwa also received a oneyearscholarship to attendNYFA-AD.Fatima Al Muhairi was thewinner of a special awardfor budding filmmakers. Tofurther encourage evolvingtalent, NYFA-AD awardedFatima a one-year filmmakingscholarship to the school.For more information onthe upcoming Hayah FilmCompetition 2008, visit www.hayahfilm.com.29