Latest news with #AbdulbasetQayed
The National
08-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The National
Meet the Emiratis making movies that take place entirely on computer screens
From horror to drama, comedy to action, Emirati filmmakers have tackled many genres to expand the scope of UAE storytelling on screen. The latest genre to captivate the nation's creatives is at the cutting edge of visual storytelling: screenlife. What is screenlife? It is a format that take place entirely on computer or smartphone screens. The viewer follows the story, seeing what the character sees, such a WhatsApp chat, a Zoom call, or a Google search. Films such as Unfriended, Searching and Missing have popularised the genre. They were all produced by Russian filmmaker Timur Bekmambetov, a pioneer of screenlife. Teaming up with Image Nation Abu Dhabi, Bekmambetov created the Screenlife Accelerator Programme, a competition in which budding UAE directors and screenwriters sent their scripts and treatments for a chance to be selected. Once picked, these scripts will be polished by Bekmambetov and his team to be produced into major motion pictures. The first winners of the programme were announced at the Abu Dhabi International Book Fair. Among those selected were Abdulbaset Qayed and Afra Al Marar, two Emirati filmmakers. The pair told The National of their plans for their films, and discussed Emirati cinema. Al Marar, a screenwriter from Abu Dhabi, says she was encouraged by friends to apply to the programme. Having completed multiple courses with Image Nation, she recalled a script she had written for a found-footage film and decided it could be transformed into a screenlife script. Al Marar's film, Hidden Melodies, follows Abdullah, a music composer who receives a song project file from a famous singer. Just 15 minutes later, the singer dies. The file holds clues that lead Abdullah to uncover a human trafficking ring. Qayed, a filmmaker from Dubai, says he had been writing scripts from a young age. After studying a different field in the US, he drifted away from writing. During the Covid-19 pandemic, his mother encouraged him to write again. He says: 'I started writing fiction again, especially horror. I'm a big fan of the found-footage subgenre. Within two weeks, I had a 70-page script. I began entering competitions, and some people really responded well to my work. That motivated me to keep going.' Qayed's screenlife script is titled The Disappearance. Inspired by a trip he took to Oman with a friend, the film follows Omar, a popular Emirati influencer who investigates crimes on his YouTube channel. 'One day, Omar gets a call from Nada – a woman whose husband went missing on a trip to Oman. The police gave up the search. Omar starts investigating using videos from the trip and sees something abnormal – something supernatural,' Qayed says. He and Al Marar say making screenlife films presents an opportunity to tell stories differently. Aside from requiring smaller budgets than more traditional film formats, Al Marar says screenlife films offer a very personal and immersive experience. She adds: 'We spend so much time on our devices [that] we're used to seeing screens and interpreting subtle cues from them. During the pandemic, we got even more comfortable peeking into people's lives via Zoom, so the format feels very natural now, especially to younger audiences.' Being part of the accelerator programme, she says, opened her eyes to using screenlife in projects she was already working on. 'As someone who directs commercials and corporate films for government projects, this experience shifted my mindset,' she says. 'Now, I even think about how to apply screenlife techniques to those projects. For example, instead of traditional filming, I might show a corporate announcement through a screen recording. It's opened up a new creative lens for me.' The pair believe there are many talented people in the UAE who need to find avenues to securing funding and screening for their films. Al Marar says she and Qayed are part of a generation that had the film festivals in Abu Dhabi and Dubai to look forward to, but newer generations do not have that space to screen their films any more. She adds: 'I post a black-and-white photo every October 1 from the old Abu Dhabi Film Festival. We miss it. That's where we watched new films, attended workshops and met international filmmakers like James Cameron, and Bollywood stars.' 'That's a key part of the ecosystem. We need champions to bring back strong festivals. Dubai International Film Festival was a powerful platform,' Qayed says. He also says filmmakers should not wait for festivals to happen again to put their films out. Films need to be written for new and different audiences around the world, he adds. 'We should aim to create content that resonates globally. When I write, I don't write only for Emiratis. I write with universal themes, so people from anywhere, even Brazil, can relate,' Qayed says. Al Marar says filmmakers should learn from the screenlife genre and be more nimble. Instead of waiting for grants to produce and market their films, they should find innovative ways to raise money so they can be active in an ever-shifting film landscape. 'We come from a culture where we've relied a lot on government grants, but we need to start shifting that mindset – towards private investors and self-sustaining projects,' says Al Marar.
Broadcast Pro
29-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Broadcast Pro
Image Nation AD and Timur Bekmambetov reveal winners of Screenlife Accelerator Programme
The winning projects reflect a diverse range of voices and genres, unified by a format that is redefining modern storytelling. Image Nation Abu Dhabi, in partnership with Hollywood filmmaker Timur Bekmambetov and his production company Bazelevs, has announced the winners of the UAE's first-ever Screenlife Accelerator Programme. The initiative, launched in June 2024, focused on training local and resident filmmakers in the screenlife storytelling format, where entire narratives unfold through digital interfaces like smartphones and computer screens. Over a rigorous 12-week period, participants were mentored in the craft of screenlife filmmaking, culminating in the selection of 13 finalists chosen to develop pilots of their concepts. From these, eight projects were awarded further support to advance their scripts and prepare for the next phase of production. Among the winners is Disappearance by Emirati director Abdulbaset Qayed, a supernatural thriller centred on two vloggers investigating a mysterious vanishing in the Omani mountains. Turkish filmmakers Gorkem Sifael and Ozgur Akyuz were recognised for Stalker, a psychological drama about a woman whose AI search tool, created to locate her missing mother, is hijacked by a sinister stalker. Other standout projects include Hidden Melody by Emirati filmmaker Afra Al Marar, a suspenseful tale about a composer haunted by a song and a singer's untimely death; and Maybe You Should Talk to Someone by French expat Julie Sanchez, which delves into the psychological complexities of an online therapist and her clients. Dana Ittani, an American-Lebanese filmmaker, presented Just My Type, a gripping cybercrime drama inspired by real-life romance scams. Dubai-based Ekta Saran and British writer Danielle Arden's Mother Scammer offers a darkly satirical look at high society and digital deception. Emirati Aisha Al Aqel was honoured for Closure, a sci-fi horror exploring grief and AI resurrection, while Yemeni director Tammam Assi's The Link examines the dangers of online manipulation and viral identity fraud. Ben Ross, CEO of Image Nation Abu Dhabi, said: 'As Abu Dhabi and the UAE continue to establish its position as a leader in the creative industries, our partnership on screenlife reflects our commitment to innovation in filmmaking, empowering emerging storytellers with the latest tools, and showcasing the UAE's unique identity through globally resonant stories. We were overwhelmed with the level of talent we saw during the programme – and look forward to bringing these projects to life.' Timur Bekmambetov, pioneer of the screenlife format, added: 'Screenlife isn't just a new storytelling language, it's a real tool for social impact. It democratises access to cinema through technology and changes the idea that cinema belongs only to those with big connections and big budgets. Instead, screenlife makes cinema a platform for new voices and untold stories coming from emerging regions and underserved communities. All our best screenlife films were made by first-time filmmakers. And we hope this accelerator's finalist will soon be next.' Bekmambetov is the pioneer of screenlife films in which the action is set from the point of view of smartphones and computer screens as characters utilise their devices that drive the narrative forward. His debut screenlife production – a teen horror pic Unfriended (2015) – was picked up by Universal and went on to gross more than $65m against a budget of $1m. His next screenlife production, Searching (2018) starring John Cho, became a sensation at the Sundance Film Festival, grossing over $7m.
