In 2010 the British Council in Yemen ran a national film making competition called Zoom. The aim was to find Yemeni amateur film-makers with talent, determination, original vision and a passion for film-making as a way of life.

Ziryab Al-Ghabri’s film The Gift Maker was declared the ultimate winner of the competition, and he travelled to the Edinburgh International Film Festival to show the film in the UK.

When the announcement of the grand winner of Zoom, the British Council’s short-film competition, was made on 27 March 2011 I and my crew started to receive many calls congratulating us. At first we weren’t sure what it was about, as we did not know that we had won. The announcement was made late at night and we were told to check the British Council’s Facebook page to see the official announcement.

We were filled with joy and pride, for the film we made took a lot of effort and time and resources, and the determination of every single member of the crew.

As the grand winner of the competition, I was informed that I would be attending the Edinburgh International Film Festival, and so for the first time in my life I set foot in the UK.

The Gift Maker

The festival, which ran from 15 – 26 June 2011, was a feast for a young film-maker. From film screenings, to industry events and the Videotheque, I had a chance to see other UK and international short-films and attend a couple of seminars in film-making,

By attending the festival, I became part of a larger community of film-makers, which I hadn’t expected. When listening to other film-makers’ visions and experiences, it directly made a difference to me and made me think beyond reading or watching these experiences.

From the many lectures and events I attended, I learned that film-making is a vast world and can be presented in ways which I hadn’t thought about. I learned so many new things, but what really affected me is the way that those film-makers were thinking, and what pushes and motivates them to create their films. Also, I learned about the the mixing of ideas, sounds, surroundings and visions – all to make and create a piece of art that can reach the world.

I believe at some point in their craft, film-makers should present their personalities and visions through their films and share it with audiences.

My overall experience was great. Just being part of this atmosphere raised hidden abilities, thoughts and opened new windows for me.

I would like to be part of such festivals in the future to learn from the experiences of others and develop my visions and communicate them with the world.

The Strand – Ziryab Al Ghabri interview by British Council. Uploaded with Scup