2016 Winners & Shortlists

The Campaign

A fisherman is out at sea fishing on a bright sunny day. He starts to tell an incredibly riveting story in Arabic, about a woman who would wake up every day screaming at the sight of a stranger lying next to her. The fisherman’s story is captured from different angles, often showing details of his surroundings and his expressions – but never really showing whom he is telling his story to. As the fisherman’s story reaches a climax and he reveals the true identity of the stranger, this is when we reveal that the fisherman was actually telling his epic story to someone or rather something totally unexpected – his catch of the day; a fish lying on the other end of his boat with its mouth wide opened, as if shocked by the story that it had just heard from the fisherman.

Creative Execution

The Samsung Short Film Contest was created in collaboration with The Dubai International Film Festival to reach out to aspiring independent filmmakers in the UAE and help them launch their career. To encourage more locals to participate, we launched a film in Arabic to communicate a simple truth – although having a great story matters, having the right audience and opportunity is just as important. To show this, we wanted to tell a riveting story that would draw our viewers in. As we were speaking to aspiring filmmakers, this film was shot using techniques that would appeal to them – from the way subtle details were shown, the raw sound design and ambient lighting, down to the different camera angles and point of views – things that aspiring filmmakers could relate to and appreciate. The casting of an Arabic fisherman was also really important as his narration and delivery of the story was key in the lead up to the reveal at the end of the film. Ultimately driving home our message: that if you have a great story, get the right audience with the Samsung Short Film Contest.