By Layan Damanhouri
DUBAI – The 3-minute film of a child refugee fleeing a war-torn Arab country has gained much popularity and was voted to win first prize of the competition show Qomrah. The announcement of the winner was made in a festive ceremony here on Friday.
The show aired on MBC channel that is viewed by millions around the world is hosted by Saudi media personality Ahmed Al-Shugairi. The program was aired during Ramadan prime time where contestants submitted short videos of inspiring ideas.
The video “Sweet Dream” made by Sweden-based Iraqi filmmaker Ali Talib shows a moving scene of a child huddled under a blanket in the cold, dreaming of a better future to escape to refuge to a foreign country. He hears his mother reassuring him of a safe and pleasant life abroad.
[caption id="attachment_88217" align="alignright" width="300"]
The final ceremony announcing the winners of the competition of MBC show Qomrah.[/caption]The film represents some 25,000 children who went to Europe to seek asylum to flee the violence and destruction in their countries in the Middle East, according to Talib.
The film was both voted by the public and chosen by a panel of judges comprising renowned media personalities and celebrities Turki Al-Dakhil, Muna Abusulayman, Hanan Turk, and Hatim Ali.
Singing artist Maher Zain also joined the panel and performed a song from his newest album One released this year.
The first-prize winner for the second category, for organizations, was an animated video called “Ba’ad Youm” or “Part of a Day”, by a team headed by NEON Cartoons Production.
The judges unanimously agreed that the video was touching and had an impactful message about the shortness of life.
“The goal is to make Qomrah, an award ceremony similar to the Oscars to promote positive media,” Al-Shugairi said while addressing a jam-packed audience at the Sheikh Rashid Hall.
“In the past, journalists had to have access to traditional outlets such as TV. Today, each individual has a mobile phone and access to social media, making everyone journalists and media personalities.”
He added, “This means we all have a responsibility to post positive ideas in the media and truly invest our time.”
The second-prize winner of the individuals’ category was “Yemken”, a video about autism made by Saudi filmmaker and Youtuber Meshaal Al-Jasser. In third place, ‘Last Drop of Beauty’.
In the organizations category, ‘Dinner Table’ won the second place prize while ‘Story of a Family’ won third.
Al-Shugairi ended the ceremony by revealing the trailer for the second season of Qomrah, which he says will be different. “In the first season, some people had great ideas but didn’t have the capability to film. This time, however, they will have a chance to submit their ideas and collaborate with a production team,” he said, which was responded with cheers.
