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TROPFEST Arabia is hosting an exciting series of free workshops on short filmmaking to inspire budding filmmakers to submit a film to TROPFEST Arabia 2013.  The next sessions will take place at Ductac, Kilachand Studio Theatre, Mall of the Emirates, Dubai, on Tuesday 30th April, from 7:00 to 9:00pm; and at twofour54, Abu Dhabi, on Wednesday 1st May, from 7:00 to 9:00pm.

The workshops will show how to make a great short film and how to successfully submit an entry for TROPFEST Arabia 2013, an expansion of TROPFEST, the world largest short film festival.  Now in its third year, TROPFEST Arabia is powered by twofour54 with the aim to contribute to the development of the Arab film industry by giving young filmmakers an opportunity to showcase their work to the region’s film industry and the community. The series of TROPFEST Arabia workshops is being rolled out across 14 different cities across the Middle East and North Africa.

The practical two hour sessions will be run by filmmaker and cinematographer, Fadi S. Wahbeh. Fadi is a former professor at the University of North Texas and is currently a field operations producer at New York University, Abu Dhabi.

In Dubai, Fadi will be accompanied by a local filmmaker and TROPFEST Arabia 2012 finalist Rama Muhanna, whose film Black & White won ‘Best Female Actor’. In Abu Dhabi, Fadi will be joined by a local filmmaker and TROPFEST Arabia 2012 finalist Ali Salloum, who made the film ‘Who Am I’. The filmmakers and finalists will share top tips on film development, their real life experiences, and answer questions on film and TROPFEST Arabia.

The sessions will also cover the short filmmaking process, give practical guidance to participants and provide inspiration for this year’s entries by presenting submissions from TROPFEST Arabia 2011 and 2012.  Short film is the traditional career entry point for young filmmakers, so the workshop sessions will cover the filmmaking basics enabling participants to make their own short film.

An important part of the workshops will be the introduction of the TROPFEST Arabia signature item (TSI) which this year is ‘time’, which must be incorporated into each submission. It is designed to test the creativity of filmmakers and to ensure that entries are made specifically for TROPFEST Arabia 2013.

To participate in the TROPFEST Arabia workshops and submit a film entry, participants must be a citizen of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). Nationals from Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, UAE and Yemen are eligible.

This year’s winner will be announced at a glamorous red carpet event, on Friday 25 October 2013, on Abu Dhabi’s Corniche.

For further information about the TROPEST Arabia workshops or to get further details on how to submit a film, visit: http://tropfest.com/arabia-en/.

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