Dubai Culture and Arts Authority (Dubai Culture) has launched the open call for the Al Marmoom Short-Film Competition, held as part of the fourth Al Marmoom: Film in the Desert festival.
The competition is open to emerging filmmakers worldwide, with application accepted from August 14 to September 30. The winners will be announced during the festival, held at Al Marmoom Desert Conservation Reserve from January 3 to 12, 2025.
The competition aims to enrich the local film scene, provide an innovative platform to support filmmakers and encourage them to share their experiences and knowledge, inspiring new talent to join this field. The competition includes four categories: documentaries, animated films, live-action, and films made using artificial intelligence. Eligible works will be selected based on a set of criteria related to quality and content. This open call targets all emerging filmmakers and directors, whether working individually or in groups.
Participants are required to present distinctive ideas that express their artistic visions and commitment to innovation, in addition to ensuring that the work is original, recent, and not previously shown in any local, regional, or global festival or event.
The film should be between 3 and 30 minutes long, free from any offence to public morals, religions, or communities, and the participant must own all rights to the short film. The festival’s third edition screened over 70 films featuring the work of Emirati, Gulf, Arab, and international filmmakers.
