Emirati filmmaker Abdullah Hassan Ahmed was this year’s IWC Prize recipient at the Dubai International Film Festival. He was presented with the award at a ceremony hosted by former Bond girl Olga Kurylenko, alongside TV personalities Raya Abirached and Bassel Alzaro.
Ahmed's film Sunrise tells the story of a worried father who receives tragic news about his son, who is fighting in a distant war. With a pregnant wife to take care of, he is unsure how to deliver the news without causing too much anguish. Ahmed's film beat off competition from Salem by Nujoom Alghanem and The Search for the Star Pearl, by Qatari director Hafiz Ali Ali.
The filmmaker takes home a $100,000 grant to move on the development of the movie, as well as a Portugieser Automatic watch, courtesy of the event sponsors.
The IWC Award is presented annually to Gulf directors with projects in development to help move their ideas from page to screen. Previous winners have included Waleed Al Shehhi's Dolphins, which premiered at the 2014 festival and received a full cinema release in the UAE the following year.
cnewbould@thenational.ae
