Fujifilm ME announces inaugural short film festival for emerging filmmakers
Fujifilm Middle East has announced the launch of the inaugural Fujifilm Short Film Festival (FFSFF), a new platform dedicated to spotlighting emerging filmmakers from the Middle East, Africa and Central Asia. Nominations are now open, with the festival set to culminate in December with public screenings and an awards ceremony celebrating standout stories from across the region.
Created in collaboration with Cinema Akil, the GCC's independent arthouse cinema, and Gulf Photo Plus, the region's visual storytelling hub, FFSFF aims to address a long-standing cultural gap by providing an international stage for rising creative talent. Designed as more than just a competition, the festival seeks to foster a community rooted in storytelling, uniting Fujifilm's network of visual creators, Cinema Akil's dedicated cinephile audience, and Gulf Photo Plus' community of passionate image-makers.
Open to filmmakers from 22 countries in which Fujifilm Middle East operates, submissions are invited across five categories: Narrative, Documentary, Experimental, Commercial and Student. Accepted entries will lead into a rich cultural programme in the latter half of the year, including public screenings at Cinema Akil, curated workshops and mentorship sessions at Gulf Photo Plus, and a grand awards event in December. Winning filmmakers will receive cash prizes and Fujifilm equipment to support their future projects.
The launch of FFSFF also reflects Fujifilm's renewed commitment to filmmaking, more than a decade after discontinuing its 'Eterna' motion picture film stocks in 2013. The festival sets the stage for the global debut of its first-ever digital moviemaking system—also named 'Eterna'—in 2025.
Shortlisted entries will be announced in November 2025, ahead of the December screenings and awards ceremony. Submissions are open from July until September 15, 2025, offering filmmakers across the region the chance to share their stories on one of the boldest new platforms for short film in the MENA region and beyond.
Speaking about the festival, Richard Lackey, Marketing Manager at Fujifilm Middle East, said: 'This festival marks an exciting return for Fujifilm into the world of filmmaking, an art form that's long been part of our creative DNA. Earlier this year, our collaboration with Cinema Akil on Arab Cinema Week Volume 4 helped us reconnect with filmmakers and audiences across the region, laying the groundwork for deeper engagement. The Fujifilm Short Film Festival builds on that foundation, supporting visual storytellers across the Middle East, Africa, and Central Asia as we prepare for the next chapter in our filmmaking journey. Our hope is to see this festival grow into an annual celebration. a fixture on the regional cultural calendar and a meaningful space for emerging filmmakers to thrive.'
Butheina Kazim, founder of Cinema Akil, added: 'In a natural progression for Cinema Akil's collaboration with Fujifilm, our partners on the fourth Arab Cinema Week and our long term partners Gulf Photo Plus, that we debut the Fujifilm Short Film Festival as a commitment to our shared goals to exhibit and enable storytelling from our region. We see this Festival as an alliance of partners, all three who have long placed their bets on regional storytellers both in photography and the moving image. Our proud collaboration on the Fujifilm Short Film Festival is not only a reaffirmation of that belief, but a way to tangibly support the continuity of that storytelling.'
Raz Hansrod, General Manager at Gulf Photo Plus, stated: 'For over 15 years at Gulf Photo Plus, we've been developing visual stories from the region, made by storytellers that represent the region. We're super excited to be working with Cinema Akil and Fujifilm, who share our mission to support and nurture the next generation of image-makers across all genres, styles, and areas of focus. In screenings region-wide, attendees will become familiar with, and celebrate, emerging and established endemic talent; participate in workshops and educational programs with industry-leaders; and something that we're particularly excited to see: Fujifilm will be lending much-needed material support to creatives in the form of equipment and prizes. We're very excited to see what you submit!'
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