BUDDING filmmakers in Bahrain are being encouraged to shoot short films about staying at home during the Covid-19 outbreak, writes the GDN's Sandeep Singh Grewal.

Bahrain-based Naqsh Films is spearheading a unique film festival that encourages people to capture their daily lives while working or studying remotely.

The Masafa (Distance) Short Film Festival aims to tell stories from different households across the country and showcase how each family has been tackling social distancing and quarantine.

Submissions will be accepted until June 30, following which a panel of jurists comprising personalities from the local and regional film industry will review the entries.

Naqsh Films general manager Mohammed Al Maskati told the GDN that the idea behind the festival was to engage with people in Bahrain, citizens and expatriates, to talk about their experiences.

“There are so many stories that can be captured and told to a wider audience during this period of Covid-19 when the majority are working from home and others are in quarantine,” he said.

“Covid-19 has changed the way we work and function with many Bahraini families spending more time with their loved ones or elderly parents.

“We can be inspired by this situation and capture some key moments on our smartphones or cameras.”

He explained that applicants can submit their productions under three categories: Feature short film, documentary, and motion.

The duration of each film should range between one minute and 20 minutes, with all entries having English subtitles.

Mr Al Maskati also said that filmmakers can cover a number of topics such as changes to their daily lives, awareness messages about hygiene and highlighting the role of healthcare workers fighting on the frontlines.

He said the plan is to screen the selected films in cinemas across the country once life returned to normal following the Covid-19 pandemic.

“This is a unique short film festival we are organising that will document our lives and something we can watch in the coming years,” he added.

“We will have a panel of judges that will scrutinise the submissions from Bahrain and a winner will be selected in each category.

“Our plan is to screen some of these films in cinemas once normalcy returns hopefully in the coming months.

“These are testing times for all of us in Bahrain and we want to document these short stories of how we are dealing with Covid-19.”

The names of the winners will be announced by September and for more information visit naqshfilms.com.