17 - 20 April 2002

After the success achieved by the "Films from the Emirates" screening festival, which was the first event of its kind for filmmakers and amateurs, and based upon its results, The Cultural Foundation made a decision of organizing the Emirates Film Competition. H.E. Mohamed Ahmed Al-Suwaidi, secretary general of the Cultural Foundation announced, in a press conference dated 22nd January 2002, the launching of an official Emirati film competition. It was set for the first session to take place from 17 to 20 of April 2002, as a coincidental event with the annual book fair in Abu Dhabi. The competition consisted of the following sections: short fiction, short documentaries, and student works. The awards were 15.000 Dhs for best short fiction film, 15.000 Dhs for best short documentary, 15.000 Dhs for the special jury prize, and 10.000 for best student work. The EFC received 90 Emirati short films, 68 in the official competition (30 films in the general section, and 38 in the students section), and 22 films out of competition. All films varied between fiction, documentary, advertisement, and animation. 10 films from 6 countries were also screened in the panorama program, summing the total number of films screened to 100 films.

1st Edition 2002 In Media 26 Nov 2002 INTERNATIONAL ACCLAIM FOR HCT STUDENT FILMS 15 Jun 2002 ADWC’s 3rd Desert Rose Festival Opens 17 Apr 2002 HCT Participation in the First Emirates Film Competition 07 Apr 2002 Film contest: 67 entries found eligible 05 Apr 2002 I want to make my own feature film 23 Jan 2002 Emirates film competition on local themes in April 22 Jan 2002 Plan to hold first film competition