Abu Dhabi Film Commission Announces Shasha Grant Finalists September 26, 2010Article Abu Dhabi Film Commission Announces Shasha Grant Finalists The Abu Dhabi Film Commission (ADFC) has unveiled the finalists for the 2010 Shasha Grant, its $100,000 international screenwriting competition designed to develop and launch the careers of outstanding writers. "The Shasha Grant is a key component of our ongoing commitment to the development of the film and television industry in Abu Dhabi, the nurturing of new talent and the promotion of Arab culture through film," said Eissa Saif Al Mazrouei, Director of Special Projects at Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture and Heritage, who also oversees the Abu Dhabi Film Festival. All finalists will be invited to travel to Abu Dhabi to pitch their projects to a jury of film experts at the Circle Conference, which will take place in Abu Dhabi from October 13 to 15, 2010. Held annually during the Abu Dhabi Film Festival, the Circle Conference brings together leading professionals from around the world to discuss the future of film, television and digital media. The Shasha Grant, which was open to Arabic-language entries for the first time this year, received nearly 150 feature-length submissions from across the Middle East and other parts of the world. Forty percent of the entries were in Arabic and nearly a quarter were from UAE-based writers. "This year's Shasha competition is a clear indication that we can invite more regionally specific feature film stories and writers, and still maintain a strong number of entries," said ADFC Director David Shepheard. "The amazing range and diversity of this year's submissions is enormously exciting for all of us at ADFC, and we look forward to welcoming their production teams to the Circle Conference to pitch their projects to a panel of producers and financiers." The winner of the $100,000 development grant, which also entails ADFC's support in securing further financing, will be announced during the closing ceremony of the Circle Conference. The 2010 Shasha Grant finalists are: Rana Kazkaz for Dama Scenes (Syria/US) Kasem Kharsa for Shelter (Egypt/US) Mohamed Abdulmajid for Beit Soureen (Palestine/UK) Gihan Faisa for Burkan (Egypt) Dina Hamdan for The Kidnap (Jordan/UK) Rifqi Assaf for The Curve (Jordan) Last year's Shasha Grant winner was Haifaa Al Mansour, whose film Wajda is currently being developed as a US-German co-production. More NewsSherief ElKatsha on 'Cairo Drive'Who Is Dayani Cristal?A Few Days in the Life of a Misunderstood Artist Are Seen in Camille Claudel 1915 festival guidedownload