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ADFF Introduces New Award for Environmental Films in Partnership with Masdar
Abu Dhabi-UAE: 4th August 2011 - The Abu Dhabi
Film Festival (ADFF) announced today that the renewable energy
company Masdar will be the Official Partner of the Festival's
program for films on significant environmental issues.ADFF, which
runs from October 13-22, 2011 has also announced that the
program, presented for the past two years under the name "What in
the World are We Doing to Our World", it's been given a new name,
Our World, and will now be competitive, with an award of
$15,000. The Our World award will go to the film with the
highest potential to broaden public awareness of significant
environmental issues. A jury consisting of students from the
Masdar Institute of Science and Technology (MIST), which celebrated
its first graduating class this year, as well as leading
local environmental figures, will select the winner from among
the films in the section. The winner will be announced at the ADFF
awards ceremony on October 21 along with the winners of the
festival's other competitions.
Dr Nawal Al-Hosany, Associate Director, Corporate Sustainability
commented:
"Masdar is pleased to again partner with the Abu Dhabi Film
Festival for the Our World environmental film category, which we
hope will continue to help raise awareness of the importance
of sustainability, both in the UAE and beyond., It is vital that
we, as individuals, feel a sense of empowerment by taking
actions that reduce our impact on the environment. This only
comes with a clear understanding of how we are affecting our planet
and we hope the films showcased within this category will assist in
strengthening this understanding."
Masdar and ADFF are actively working together on a range of
other sustainability initiatives. In the run-up to the 2011
festival, Masdar is helping ADFF in "going green" by carrying
out an environmental analysis of its operations and assisting the
festival in offsetting carbon emissions. This coming October,
Masdar will also invite a group of environmental filmmakers
and journalists to a special lunch at Masdar City during their time
at the festival.
"Thankfully, environmental protection is part of our heritage
and the leadership of Abu Dhabi has been working hard to fulfill
the vision of His Highness Sheikh Zayed. Masdar can be seen as
a direct result of his efforts to protect nature for future
generations. Masdar's support for Our World is invaluable, as their
expert guidance will allow us to develop this competition into
a platform for some of the world's most inspired environmental
films, helping them to gain the international exposure they
deserve," said Eissa Saif Rashed Al Mazrouei, Director of
Special Projects at ADACH.
About Masdar
Masdar, which consists of five integrated units, is Abu Dhabi's
initiative aimed at turning the Emirate into a global centre of
excellence in the renewable energy and clean technology
category by making renewable energy a real, viable business.The
company serves as a link between today's fossil fuel
economy and the energy economy of the future - developing the
"greenprint" for how we will live and work tomorrow. Backed by the
stability and reputation of the Mubadala Development Company,
an investment vehicle of the government of Abu Dhabi, Masdar is
dedicated to the emirate's long-term vision for the future
of energy.
For more information about the Masdar Initiative,
please visit:
www.masdar.ae
For more
information contact:
Name: Meray Atef
Email:press@masdar.ae
Phone: +971 2 653 6014
About the Festival
The Abu Dhabi Film Festival (formerly the Middle East
International Film Festival) was established in 2007, with the aim
of helping to create a vibrant film culture throughout the
region. Presented each October by the Abu Dhabi Authority for
Culture and Heritage (ADACH) under the patronage of H.E. Sheikh
Sultan Bin Tahnoon Al Nahyan, Chairman of Abu Dhabi Authority
for Culture and Heritage,the event is committed to curating
exceptional programs to engage and educate the local
community, inspire filmmakers and nurture the growth of the
regional film industry.
With its commitment to presenting works by Arab filmmakers in
competition alongside those by major talents of world cinema, the
Festival offers Abu Dhabi's diverse and enthusiastic audiences
a means of engaging with their own and others' cultures through the
art of cinema. At the same time, a strong focus on the bold
new voices of Arab cinema connects with Abu Dhabi's role as a
burgeoning cultural capital in the region and marks the Festival as
a place for the world to discover and gauge the pulse of
recent Arab filmmaking.
To contact the Press Office, email press@adff.ae or call +971 2
556 4590.
Contact thePress Team