Regional film industry received a major boost as Image Nation Abu Dhabi, one of the leading media and entertainment companies in the Middle East, announced the winners of its fifth annual short film competition, Arab Film Studio.

Three winners scooped up the coveted ‘Best Film’ title in two categories, AFS Documentary 2015 and AFS Narrative 2016, at an awards ceremony held here in the capital last night.

The films making it to the final were judged by a panel of film-making elites, including Emirati film directors Nahla Al Fahad (The Tainted Veil), Ali Mostafa (The Worthy) and Majid Al Ansari (Zinzana).

For the first time, Image Nation declared two joint winners for its AFS Narrative competition as it turned out to be a close contest. Eman Talal Alsayed, 21, from the UAE took the gong for her short film The Choice along with 25-year-old Jafaar Al Madhoon from Bahrain for his entry Rattled, a story about a man’s search to find a bride after consistent rejection. Rattled also took home the Best Script award from the judges.

The Choice by Alsayed follows the life of Lauren who is obliged to travel to the UAE for the first time to meet her long-lost family and settle her father’s inheritance. Besides winning the overall award, the short film has been shortlisted for the Muhr Emirati Short at this year’s Dubai International Film Festival, DIFF, following in the footsteps of AFS Documentary 2014 winner Amna Al Nowais, whose Omnia won the award last year.

"I am so happy that I have won this award. I worked really hard on this film and put my heart into it. Plus my family is so proud of me and that means everything. I am also honoured that the film has been nominated for the Muhr Emirati Short at DIFF, but I am extremely nervous as I am competing with the best in the industry. Let us see what happens," Alsayed said while commenting on her success.

Alawi Shareef, 24, originally from the African island Comoros, took home the top prize in the AFS Documentary category for his documentary short Jumaa and Hakim. The documentary features two homeless boys struggling to survive until their lives are forever altered by a stranger from another land.

"Winning this award makes me feel that a path has opened for me into the world of film-making. I feel motivated to carry on after being given this great opportunity and it is a fantastic feeling to know that there is such support network for amateur film-makers in the region. What I was taught in the course in documentary film-making was an extremely high professional standard and I feel very confident about my abilities now. I look forward to learning more and making more films," Shareef said.

A total of five awards were given at the AFS Awards Ceremony, with fellow AFS Documentary 2015 student Arkus, 30, from India, taking the Best Producer title for his documentary short Hartom.

After winning the Best Film prizes, Shareef, Alsayed and Al Madhoon will receive an invaluable head start into the regional film industry, provided by Image Nation. Shareef will get a full-time internship within the award-winning documentary department responsible for productions such as He Named Me Malala and The Lights of Rome while Alsayed and Al Madhoon will have exclusive internship opportunities on a national or international production.

Past winners of the competition had gone on to clinch full-time positions within Image Nation and screened their AFS films at prominent festivals around the world, including Los Angeles and Melbourne film festivals, picking up a number of awards along the way.

"This year is, without a doubt, our biggest year to date. The standard of productions was seriously impressive for an amateur film competition, and so much so, in the case of AFS Narrative, that we felt there were two deserving winners for the Best Film title. The students should be immensely proud of themselves and we cannot wait to see what the future holds for them and their films," said Alicia Gonzalez, Head of Training and Development at Image Nation.

Arab Film Studio is a short film programme that takes finalists on a six-month film-making journey, which mirrors the real process of developing and producing a film. The competition provides all the tools and knowledge a budding film-maker needs to kick-start a career in film.

The programme was launched by Image Nation in 2011 in partnership with twofour54 to develop the UAE nationals’ and residents’ film-making skills, and is celebrating five years of success this year. The programme now consists of four dedicated special sections - AFS Narrative, AFS Documentary, AFS Scriptwriting and AFS Young Filmmakers.

"Arab Film Studio is one of our essential programmes in the development of the region’s film-makers. As the industry is growing, we are providing the necessary tools and training to the talent of tomorrow, helping them to secure jobs within the industry through invaluable local and international opportunities. We are particularly impressed with the 2015-2016 graduates and have high hopes for their futures," said Michael Garin, CEO of Image Nation.

Later this month Image Nation, in partnership with DIFF, will be awarding the winner of its inaugural AFS Scriptwriting competition at the Dubai International Film Festival.