Dubai Film Wins at Multiple International Film Festivals
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Over fourteen film festival wins include New York, Rome, Istanbul • Eleven-year-old Dubai resident Eva Petersson wins Best Actress Awards
During lockdown, the young and critically acclaimed Syrian director, Salma Azzam, had been working on a new script idea. At around the same time, Dubai-based actress Eva Petersson reached out to Salma to appear on her OSN talk show ‘The BUZZ with Eva’ as part of a feature on women and film in the Middle East. The two hit it off, and Salma subsequently asked Eva to audition for the leading role in her upcoming short film ‘Where is Lucy?’
Despite challenging Covid restrictions, the movie was shot and produced between March and May of 2021. Dubai locations included Riverland at Dubai Parks and Resorts and Bellaroma Hospital. ‘Where is Lucy?’ is a Christmas story of a young girl who has lost her memory. Lucy cannot remember and is guided in her journey by a tiny angel, who helps her find the truth.
Eleven-year-old Eva Petersson said: “I loved working with Salma and despite all the hurdles with the production, it was great to shoot the whole film here in my home city of Dubai. There is such a talented film community here in the UAE who are regularly working on major Hollywood productions, like 6Underground or Fast and Furious.”
Eva is no stranger to success. She was recently nominated as a Finalist in the World Monologue Games. This global event sees thousands of performers from scores of countries participate in an acting competition and virtual showcase, hosted on YouTube. Eva was featured last year as Penelope Grayson in a Hollywood movie called ‘Go! Iguanas SHEcrets’, and is always auditioning for new US roles, including a recent exciting opportunity in a supporting role with Oscar-winner Ben Affleck.
Eva has already won multiple Best Actress, Best Young Actress and Best Child Actress Awards for her dramatic portrayal of Lucy, in ‘Where is Lucy?’ including wins at New York International Film Awards, Rome International Movie Awards, Istanbul Film Festival, and Only The Best Film Awards.
Salma Azzam said: “I am immensely proud of the many awards this movie is winning and so grateful to all the talented cast and crew who made it all possible. First the movie was sent out on the festivals circuit to over 90 film festivals around the world. It has already won multiple nominations and Awards in Istanbul, Rome, Amsterdam, Cannes, Toronto, Montreal, New York, and Los Angeles, amongst others! So, we are excited and honoured about all the attention it is getting. We are planning a red-carpet premiere in Dubai before Christmas; the movie was produced and funded locally in Dubai, and the studio is very supportive.”
For the time being, cinemagoers will have to be patient if they want to see the film. Discussions are ongoing about a wider release next year, but for now the film is only being seen by professional film festival juries all over the world. One thing they all seem to agree on is that ‘Where is Lucy?’ is award-worthy material, made in Dubai. More details are available on the film’s website: https://whereislucy.movie/
In addition to many selections and shortlists, ‘Where is Lucy?’ has already won at the following international Film Festivals:
New York International Film Awards - NYIFA
• Best Director, Winner – Short (Salma Azzam)
• Grand Jury Awards - Cinematography (Saad Aldin Alkharouf)
• Best Child Actress Winner - July 2021 (Eva Petersson)
Rome International Movie Awards
• Best Thriller
• Best Young Actress (Eva Petersson)
• Best Cinematography (Saad Aldin Alkharouf)
• Best Editing (Youssef Hannoun)
• Best Original Score (Adam Benobeid)
• Best Production Design (Gabriela Noser)
• Best Director (Salma Azzam)
• Best Producer (Salma Azzam, Miranda Davidson)
• Best Mystery (Salma Azzam)
• Best Actress (Eva Petersson)
• Best Acting Ensemble (Eva Petersson, Casey Shannon, Keith Dallison, Charles Malice, Anika Boyle - UAE)
• Best Sound Design (Sooraj Kayaplackal, Shine Thankapan)
• Best Child Actress Platinum Award (Eva Petersson)
Rome Movie Awards
• Winner for Best Short Film
Istanbul Film Awards
• Best Foreign- Short Film Winner
• Best Woman Director - Short Film Winner (Salma Azzam)
• Best Young Actress - Short Film Winner (Eva Petersson)
• Best Cinematography - Short Film Winner (Saad Aldin Alkharouf)
• Best Art Director - Short Film Winner (Gabriela Noser)
Only The Best Film Awards
• June| July 2021 Edition Finalists for Only The Best Short Films
• June | July 2021 Winner of the Special Award: Best Actress (Eva Petersson)
Vesuvius International Film Festival
• Ex Aequo Best Female Director (Salma Azzam)
Best Istanbul Film Festival
• Won Best Female Performance (Eva Petersson)
Independent Shorts Awards
• Bronze Award Best Child/Young Actress (Eva Petersson)
• Best Cinematography (Saad Aldin Alkharouf)
Rome Short Film Festival
• Best Actress (Eva Petersson)
Best Actor and Director Awards – New York
• Best Child Actress (Eva Petersson)