2020/2021 Winners & Shortlists

Write a short summary of what happens in the film

In this original documentary series, we brought 8 completely different artists, from opposing backgrounds, together to collaborate and create unique masterpieces. Each artist was given the tough task of creating art within 72 hours and with a counterpart they had never seen or worked with before. The end result: impressive, one-of-a-kind works of art and proof that a combination of cultures and styles can lead to beauty.

Cultural / Context information for the jury

First Abu Dhabi Bank (the largest financial corporation in the UAE) has embraced the "Growing Stronger Together" concept/positioning since its early days. And when it wanted to expand and invest in other markets like India, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, China and so forth, we decided to create content that did much more than a simple TVC. The Create to Grow Stronger series conveys the essence and spirit of the bank's concept in an unconventional way. It joins artists from 3 large Emirates and other countries (the markets the bank is actually investing in) to show that collaboration between the Arabic region and the world can amount in beautiful results.

Tell the jury anything relevant about the direction. Do not name the director.

Documentary directing is no easy task. And in this series, in particular, everything was done unscripted and unprompted. The director had the tough task to guide the action and ensure that the series was exciting and engaging - only he could not use a script or typical directing since this would mean that the series would lose the element of truth in it. In each episode, you can see how the director manages to portray the relationship between both artists beautifully highlighting moments in which they clashed and also when they finally go to collaborating. And all of this was done with no script or typical directing techniques.