Emirati feature film ‘Fan of Amoory’ representing the United Arab Emirates in official competition in six international film festivals.
H.E. Maryam Eid AlMheiri, CEO of Media Zone Authority — Abu Dhabi and twofour54, today said that she hopes the success of Cinema Vision Films’ ‘Fan of Amoory’ will inspire other Emiratis to pick up a camera and bring their stories to the big screen too.
The production company, which is based at twofour54 Abu Dhabi, recently revealed that the feature film will be the sole representative of the United Arab Emirates in official competition at six international film festivals spanning Europe, North Africa and South Asia.
The film made its international festival debut at the inaugural Arab Film Festival in Paris this month. Over the next 12 months, it will also compete in the Jagran Film Festival in India, the Malmo Arab Film Festival in Sweden, the Oran International Arabic Film Festival in Algeria, the Rolan International Film Festival for Children and Youth in Armenia, and Alexandria Film Festival in Egypt.
‘Fan of Amoory’ was written and directed by Amer Salmeen Al Murry, and features an all-Emirati cast. Production company Cinema Vision Films is a twofour54 partner and the media zone’s Film & TV Services division provided both production and post-production services, including colour grading and editing for the film. ‘Fan of Amoory’ also benefited from Abu Dhabi Film Commission’s 30 per cent cash-back rebate on production spend.
H.E. Maryam Eid AlMheiri said: “We are thrilled that ‘Fan of Amoory’ will be seen by such a prestigious international audience. We have always championed the creation of quality Arabic content as it is an important part of our mission to build a thriving and sustainable media industry in Abu Dhabi.
“twofour54 is proud to have contributed to realising the vision of a talented Emirati filmmaker such as Amer Salmeen Al Murry and we wish him and Cinema Vision Films every success in the upcoming festivals.
“I hope their success inspires many more talented UAE nationals to bring stories from our region to the world.”
Amer Salmeen Al Murry, who also produced the movie, said: “I am delighted that ‘Fan of Amoory has been selected to compete in these international film festivals. It’s testament to the quality of the film, its storyline and the hard work of the wonderful cast, crew, and the support of twofour54.
“Film is an immensely powerful medium because it offers viewers a window into new worlds and different perspectives. We hope that ‘Fan of Amoory’ transports our culture to others around the world and they see our beautiful cities and landscape.”
‘Fan of Amoory’ was released across UAE theatres in February. Its cast includes Mansoor Al Fili, Alaa Shaker, Abdullah Bin Haydar, Abd Al Rahman Al Mullah, Jomaa Al Zaabi, Matar Al Zaabi, Mayed Al Bulooshi, Sultan Khalid and Saif Ahmed.
The film tells the story of a young boy who is a big fan of UAE football favourite Omar Abdulrahman, widely known as Amoory. The production follows the child as he overcomes numerous challenges to realise his dream of becoming a professional football player.
Amer Salmeen Al Murry was also the producer of the 2016 feature film ‘Going to Heaven’, which won nine awards and participated in 35 international film festivals.