Bee’ah – the UAE’s leading integrated environmental and waste management company – launched Sharjah’s first environmental film competition, encouraging aspiring young film artists from Sharjah’s universities to step behind the camera and raise public awareness on environmental issues in the Emirates.
It is also hoped that the competition will contribute to promoting the various initiatives that were created in Sharjah to help protect the environment.
In step with Bee’ah’s environmental philosophy ‘Live better... Use less,’ the theme of the competition is about recycling and reducing waste. According to Bee’ah, this can be interpreted in a number of ways and can be either literal or metaphorical. The participants are expected to use their unique creativity to highlight the many aspects of recycling.
Khaled Al Huraimel, Chief Executive Officer at Bee’ah, said: “Being at the forefront of positive environmental change, we aim to help and encourage our society to lead sustainable lifestyles for a greener and cleaner UAE by drawing people’s attention to environmental issues and communicating to the public what they can do to help.”
He added: “Films that raise awareness can be quite inspirational. Not only do they tell us a story, but they have the capacity to move people and drive them to take real action towards this important cause. These young filmmakers have the opportunity to lead our society towards this positive change. As part of our endeavour, we invite all ambitious and talented film students to participate by utilising their creativity and educational resources to explore our environment through a lens.”
University film students and graduates will be required to submit a two-minute infomercial about various approaches to recycling or to create a ten-minute short documentary on any environmental topic facing the Emirate of Sharjah. Winners will receive recognition for their contribution, as well as accreditation when their work is broadcast.
To date, the renowned Sharjah Women’s College, Middlesex University and Murdoch University, who have previously produced films for the Dubai International Film Festival and Abu Dhabi Formula One, have confirmed their participation, while the School of Audio Engineering (SAE) in Dubai and the New York Film Academy have expressed interest in appealing to their students to take part in the competition. The University of Sharjah are also exploring the possibility of integrating the competition into their curriculum for the upcoming calendar year.
For more information about the Bee’ah Film Competition, as well as how to submit a production, please contact Ms. Dalila Khaled by email at: dkhaled@beeah-uae.com or via phone on: +971 6 597 8510.
All participating filmmakers and students must submit their projects to Bee’ah by 19 May 2011 which will then be adjudicated by a panel of judges. The winners will be announced at the end of May.
