The award ceremony was held at the IWC “For the Love of Cinema” gala event in the One&Only Royal Mirage’s Arabian Court during the 14th Dubai International Film Festival (DIFF). The winner, Haifaa al Mansour received a grant of USD 100,000 for her project and an IWC Da Vinci Automatic 36 with a blue dial.
The IWC “For the Love of Cinema” gala was presented by IWC brand ambassador and TV personality Raya Abirached and TV presenter Wissam Breidy. Among the celebrities attending were IWC brand ambassadors Sonam Kapoor, Sir Patrick Stewart OBE, Tuba Büyüküstün and Jessica Kahawaty. Other international and local personalities included French actor Clovis Cornillac, Rym Saidi and Egyptian actress Yousra.
“We at IWC consider filmmaking an integral part of cultural creation and an art form which contemplates a wide range of themes central to humanity" said Christoph Grainger-Herr, CEO of IWC Schaffhausen. And added "Being storytellers ourselves, we deeply appreciate the creativity, courage and passion that talented filmmakers invest into their work and we are proud to support them with the IWC Filmmaker Award.”
The main theme of the gala event was the involvement and achievements of women in cinema and filmmaking. The winning project, “Miss Camel” by Haifaa Al Mansour, Saudi Arabia’s first female filmmaker, tells the story of Hayla, a blossoming Saudi teen who will do anything to escape her arranged marriage and fulfil her goal of attending art school outside of Saudi Arabia. While scheming to make her way to the in-person interviews for the art college in a neighbouring Gulf state, Hayla makes a startling discovery at her cousin’s wedding – she can talk to animals.
