Archive
2010
Dubai Culture highlights importance of sustainable living
with third edition of ‘Documentary Voices’
- Region’s leading documentary platform will premiere ‘Chernobyl: A Natural History’ on November 21
- Documentary Voices, to be held until November 25, will chart the power of documentary making in ushering in ‘green living’
- Sessions on various aspects of documentary making to be led by professionals
Dubai, UAE; November 15th, 2010: The Dubai Culture & Arts Authority, the Emirate’s dedicated authority to promote culture, heritage and the arts, will highlight the importance of sustainable lifestyles and ‘green living’ through the medium of films with the third edition of ‘Documentary Voices.’
The region’s leading documentary platform, Documentary Voices discusses socially relevant themes by screening evocative documentaries from around the world. The event also features brainstorming sessions led by leading documentary makers and film professionals, thus opening doors for dialogue and new learning for youth talent in the region.
The third edition, this year, will commence with the Middle East premiere of the award-winning documentary, Chernobyl: A Natural History (Tchernobyl: Une histoire naturelle), directed by Luc Riolon, who has directed over 50 documentaries and is noted for popularising science through artistic creativity and compelling photography. The screening will be held on November 21, from8:00pm at Knowledge Village main auditorium.
To be held through November 25 at 3:00pm, Documentary Voices will continue to explore the power of documentaries in making meaningful social change and instilling the concept of ‘green living’.
Several dedicated workshops, discussions panels and documentary screenings will be held to encourage and support aspiring filmmakers to create strong documentaries that can beneficially impact the society. The workshops on each day will cover specific aspects of documentary making – from screenwriting to editing, sound design, cinematography, direction and production.
Saeed Al Nabouda, Acting-Director General of the Dubai Culture & Arts Authority, said: “Over the past two years, Documentary Voices has achieved its objective of promoting documentary filmmaking as a means of promoting vibrant debate on social causes. The initiative has also promoted a culture of documentary filmmaking in Dubai, thus contributing to the evolution of a strong film-making industry in the UAE.”
He added: “This year, the event’s emphasis on the environment and sustainable living, complement the focus of the Government in promoting ‘green living’ to conserve our nature for future generations. Documentary Voices will play a key role in enhancing awareness of sustainable development, and also encourage young filmmakers to tackle subjects of strong social relevance.”
Mrs. Mahshid Zamani, managing director of Documentary Voices, said: “Documentary Voices believes in using the powerful medium of documentaries to deliver a message to society about pressing issues. This is exactly the kind of work that has been displayed in the past two years and this year is no exception.”
To take part in Documentary Voices workshops, please contact 043141777 or email: mahshid.zamani@caspianevent.com. This year, one enrolled participant will get the chance to win a scholarship at the SAE Institute for filmmaking program in Dubai, the largest worldwide private college for audio production, film production, interactive animation and applied multimedia in the region.
With the support of United States Department of State, Documentary Voices will also fly in graduate students from the University of California (UCLA), Los Angeles, to interact with UAE film students and take part in hands-on workshops by editing a rough cut of one of the Documentary Voices’ film production.
The inaugural film, Chernobyl explores the apparent resurgence of wildlife in Chernobyl, the site of one of the world’s worst nuclear disasters. Although the zone is forbidden for humans, zoologists and radio-ecologists are making surprising discoveries, which will be unravelled by the documentary.
For more information please visit: www.documentaryvocies.com
Note to Editors:
About Dubai Culture & Arts Authority:
Dubai Culture was launched on March 8, 2008 by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, UAE Vice President & Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai. Dubai Culture plays a critical part in achieving the vision of the Dubai Strategic Plan 2015 of establishing the city as vibrant, global Arabian metropolis that shapes culture and arts in the region and the world. The organisation has announced several initiatives that strengthen the historic and modern cultural fabric of Dubai. These include:
Muhammad the Messenger Museum: The first project of its kind in the world to focus on and highlight the life and message of Prophet Muhammad (Peace and Blessings Be Upon Him).
The Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Patrons of the Arts Awards: The first of its kind initiative in the Arab world honouring individuals and organisations who have made financial or in kind contributions through sustained support to visual arts, performing arts, literature and film in the region.
Gulf Film Festival: Dubai Culture recognises that a healthy film industry is necessary to take stories about Dubai's culture, traditions, history and contemporary lifestyle to the world.
Bastakiya Art Fair: An annual art and culture event takes place in the houses of Al Bastakiya, one of the historic areas of Dubai.
Dubai Festival for Youth Theatre: An annual festival that celebrates and fosters the art of theatre in the UAE.
Dubai Next: To encourage and sponsor initiatives that contribute actively to the development of the cultural events and activities in Dubai. Recently, Dubai Culture showcased Dubai's aspirations in culture to an international audience at one of the world's most prestigious platforms, the Art Basel 39 art fair.
Khor Dubai: A living museum that celebrates the multicultural diversity of Dubai.
The Holy Lands: A collaboration with the unique and creatively rich Reiss Engelhorn Museen of Mannheim to bring an exclusive collection of never before exhibited rare photographs to the region and more specifically Dubai.
About Documentary Voices:
Documentary Voices, is a social awareness initiative targeting film makers and the community. This initiative is a cutting-edge program of documentary film producing, screenings, discussion panels and workshops designed to develop and empower filmmakers while informing the public.
The initiative highlights perspectives on culture, society and community development. Each year a topic is selected for the film festival and announced to the public by middle of October. This year the social awareness message is "Environmental Footprint" which was inspired by the campaign and announcement of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, for "Greener Future".
For more information, please contact:
Kelly Home/Nivine William
ASDA'A Burson-Marsteller, Dubai
Tel: +9714 334 4550
Email: k.home@asdaa.com/n.william@asdaa.com