Latest news with #WeCreateDrama
Khaleej Times
20-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Khaleej Times
Hollywood Meets Dubai: ‘We Create Drama' film festival returns at Paramount Hotels
Following the success of the past three We Create Drama Film Festival seasons, the curtain rises once again on 'We Create Drama, the highly anticipated film festival hosted by Paramount Hotels. This global platform has become a premier stage for emerging filmmakers and daring storytellers to showcase their craft and shape the future of cinema. This year, 'We Create Drama' returns bolder and more dramatic than ever before. Paramount Hotel Midtown will be a part of the competition this year, marking its first participation since the Film Festival's inception in 2022. Paramount Hotel Dubai and Paramount Hotel Midtown will evolve from just luxurious destinations into dynamic canvases and vibrant hubs for creativity. These iconic lifestyle destinations will transform into sanctuaries for dreamers, innovators and storytellers—places where visions are realized and dreams take flight. In this cinematic haven, emerging filmmakers will compete to craft the next award-winning short film, stepping boldly into the legacy of Paramount Pictures and the legendary films that have defined the industry. At the heart of Paramount Hotels lies a brand vision 'For the Creative, By the Creative' a narrative that celebrates the limitless potential of storytelling. This vision fuels every project, collaboration and experience within the hotels, making them more than just places to stay. As Season 4 unfolds, the stakes are higher than ever. The festival promises to be a thrilling showcase of undiscovered talent, with emerging filmmakers pushing the boundaries of creativity. In an exciting move to broaden the festival's reach, submissions will now be accepted via Instagram, LinkedIn, and TikTok, opening the door to a new generation of storytellers from around the world. 'We Create Drama' is a collaborative partnership between Paramount Hotels and renowned industry leaders who share the same passion for storytelling. Paramount Hotels, in collaboration with Nicolas Naim, founder of Scripted Events, the visionary behind the We Create Drama Film Festival, joins forces with Westford University, Nikon Middle East FZE, Grand Stores, and Aputure to provide aspiring filmmakers with everything they need to bring their stories to life. Together, they are ensuring that this year's festival is a true celebration of innovation, craftsmanship, and cinematic excellence. Submission and production guidelines: Filmmakers are invited to submit scripts that ignite drama, break creative boundaries and embody the power of storytelling. Each submission must be 3 to 10 minutes long, accompanied by a log line, synopsis and adhere to professional industry standards. What sets this season apart is the unique challenge: every film must be shot entirely within the stunning confines of Paramount Hotel Dubai or Paramount Hotel Midtown, within a single 24-hour filming window. The pressure is on but so is the opportunity to create something truly unforgettable. Selection and production: A distinguished panel of judges, featuring industry experts and acclaimed filmmakers will meticulously review the entries and selected to 12 scripts. Shortlisted filmmakers will embark on an exhilarating production journey in May, armed with professional filmmaking equipment provided by our festival partners – Nikon Middle East FZE, Aputure Middle East and Grand Stores. The shooting window runs from May 12 to May 29, with each team getting a 24-hour slot at selected hotel locations. The grand finale: This year, We Create Drama Film Festival will take a more elevated twist, offering a week-long opportunity to screen short films at Paramount Hotel Dubai and Paramount Hotel Midtown, giving filmmakers a unique chance to share their work with a wider audience. In addition to the screenings, the festival will host a series of film-making workshops led by industry experts. These workshops will cover everything from scriptwriting and filming techniques to innovative storytelling approaches, all taking place throughout the first week of June, leading up to the Grand Finale. This dynamic program will provide aspiring filmmakers with valuable skills and insights to help them hone their craft and push creative boundaries. Prestigious awards up for grabs include: • Film of the Year • Director of the Year • Actor & Actress of the Year • Writer of the Year • DOP of the Year Winners will walk away with exciting prizes, including high-end filmmaking gear and luxury hotel experiences, ensuring they continue their cinematic journey with the finest tools at their disposal. New this year: the short film corner: In addition to the main competition, this year introduces the Short Film Corner a showcase of selected short films that will screen leading up to the grand finale. • Selected films will be screened at Paramount Hotels throughout the festival. • The Short Film Corner will feature talks from directors, industry panels and networking opportunities. • Filmmakers can submit their short films via email to Marketing@ with the subject line: Short Film Submission – We Create Drama 2025. Filmmakers keen to make their mark in the industry can submit their scripts via Instagram, LinkedIn, or TikTok using the official festival hashtags, or email their submissions to Marketing@ Each team can have a maximum of five members officially recognised. 'Paramount Hotels is a place where creativity thrives, making it the perfect stage for storytelling. Season 4 of 'We Create Drama' promises to be our most exciting yet, showcasing the vision and talent of emerging filmmakers. We look forward to witnessing the compelling stories that will come to life this year,' said Nicholas Chalmers, General Manager at Paramount Hotel Dubai. 'This year, we are elevating the festival experience, expanding creative possibilities and accessibility for filmmakers. We Create Drama is not just a competition—it's a guide for emerging talent and we're proud to be the stage where their stories come to life,' said Pascal Eggerstedt, General Manager of Paramount Hotel Midtown.
Trade Arabia
18-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Trade Arabia
We Create Drama Film Festival returns for season 4
The We Create Drama Film Festival, hosted by Paramount Hotels, returns with a bolder and more dramatic twist this year. Paramount Hotel Midtown will be part of the competition, marking its first participation since the festival's inception in 2022. The lifestyle destinations of Dubai and Midtown will transform into hubs for creativity, where emerging filmmakers compete to craft the next award-winning short film. The festival is a collaborative partnership between Paramount Hotels, Scripted Events founder Nicolas Naim, Westford University, Nikon Middle East FZE, Grand Stores, and Aputure to provide aspiring filmmakers with everything they need to bring their stories to life. The Grand Finale will feature a week-long screening of short films at the hotels, along with workshops led by industry experts.
Hindustan Times
04-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Hindustan Times
Artificial judgements
Hariprasath Rajan, 28, is a Dubai-based filmmaker who participated at the yearly 'We Create Drama' challenge that Paramount Hotels organises for filmmakers in the city. Paramount selects short film scripts through a submission process and the selected scripts become films that are shot at a Paramount hotel within 24 hours. Rajan's debut short film, Vision, went on to be among the top three films last year. It has been screened at the Paramount Film Festival, which screens the best films that emerge from the challenge. Vision unfolds over a gripping arc — and within its short running time (10 minutes and 40 seconds), the filmmaker-writer's grasp over filmmaking craft is obvious — in the way he builds up momentum for a climactic twist within the four walls of a swank hotel. The film has terrific production value and the cinematography by Umesh Chandra Javagi is an additional propeller to the overall bite of the narrative. A Chennai-born filmmaker who was more attuned to Hollywood time travel films after watching Robert Zemeckis' classic Back to the Future (1985) than Tamil cinema. His cinephile father introduced him to VHS tapes of all the Hollywood films the father-son duo could get their hands on from a video lending library in Chennai. 'I knew from then that I was only interested in learning filmmaking. Thankfully, unlike many Tamil parents when we were growing up, my parents never forced me to be an engineer. They were ok with me pursuing filmmaking,' Rajan says. Having worked in Chennai as a junior artiste and producing and directing education videos for YouTube, he left for Dubai for a job in graphic design in 2021. 'I discovered a small but vibrant community of actors, screenwriters and directors in Dubai. I would work at my office, and while on my one-hour commute to and fro between office and home, I would write my scripts.' The cast in vision is entirely from the community of expat actors living and working in Dubai. The titular 'vision' is a time travel experience that a butler at a luxury Hotel (Tea Zwarych) acts upon, unleashing a chain of events that requires intervention by an expert. A family checks in to a hotel room that the butler is taking care of — squeaking every corner clean, ensuring there is no threat or discomfort for the guests and observing the guests to know what they want or need. Out of a moral imperative, the butler takes a decision that puts the reputation of the hotel and the lives of the guests in jeopardy. A scientist (Keith Allison) intervenes to save the unforeseen trouble, but whether he succeeds or not depends on factors that are also out of his control. Rajan's film couldn't have come at a more apt time. What makes a super-efficient butler go rogue? Can artificially created workers develop moral prisms or emotions or intuition? And what happens if they go beyond what their creator imagined and programmed for them? Vision throws up questions about AI-human collaboration that are not only relevant to the age, but also to our trepidations about the limits of AI. 'It has become quite obvious by now that AI is crucial to the way creativity, judgement, ethics and morality will look like. If AI can't be controlled by human intelligence, how far can it go? It's a question I have thought about a lot,' Rajan said. The filmmaker had to dumb down the theme of the film to suit the Paramount challenge. 'The original script had a lot of bloodshed. I am now developing the story as a feature film script, where an AI sniper replaces the hotel butler, and how the main dilemma that the sniper is faced with, amid a lot of violence and gore, will change the lives of human beings and nations around him,' he added. ------------------------------- Short Stream is a monthly curated section, in which we present an Indian short film that hasn't been seen before or not widely seen before but are making the right buzz in the film industry and film festival circles. We stream the film for a month on HT Premium, the subscription-only section in Sanjukta Sharma is a Mumbai-based writer and film critic. Write to her at
Broadcast Pro
24-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Broadcast Pro
Paramount Hotel Dubai champions next-gen of filmmakers at Black Sheep Film Festival
With 410 attendees, panel discussions and industry leaders in the room, the event was a celebration of creativity, networking and dreams, aligning with the hotel's We Create Drama vision. As anticipation builds for We Create Drama, Paramount Hotel Dubai's upcoming film festival set to launch this March, the hotel has reaffirmed its dedication to fostering emerging filmmaking talent. In partnership with SAE University College, it supported the Black Sheep Film Festival, an annual event spotlighting the exceptional work of SAE's student filmmakers. With 410 attendees and a host of industry leaders, The Black Sheep Film Festival served as a dynamic platform for young filmmakers to showcase their work, engage with professionals and gain valuable insights into the cinematic world. A key highlight of the festival was an engaging panel discussion featuring three prominent Emirati filmmakers—Nayla Al Khaja, Maitha Alawadi and Nawaf Al Janhi—moderated by Razan Takash, Head of Film at SAE and Festival Director. Their discussion offered invaluable perspectives that resonated with both aspiring and established creatives. The festival also welcomed industry heavyweights such as The Last Mercenary producer Jean-Charles Levy, Blink Studios Co-Owner Nathalie Habib and Goat Life star Rik Aby. Additionally, esteemed media representatives, including Valérie Fouques from the French Embassy and Tara from the US State Department (Abu Dhabi), were in attendance. To further support rising talent, Advanced Media sponsored prizes for outstanding filmmakers, helping them refine their craft and pursue their cinematic ambitions. Beyond the glamour, The Black Sheep Film Festival plays a crucial role in nurturing the next generation of storytellers. This aligns with Paramount Hotel Dubai's broader vision for We Create Drama, which aims to celebrate emerging talent while providing a launchpad for new and startup filmmakers to showcase their scripts, short films, and creative projects.
