Hend Sabry to co-host Troupe VST Arabia Festival

Troupe VST Arabia Festival, an international festival for short films, announced the participation of Tunisian actress Hend Sabry as an associate director in the second season of the festival which will take place on Abu Dhabi’s beaches on October 26. Hend, together with the international actor and director John Paulson, will announce the shorlisted movies to take part in the finals. A list of names of the jury will be announced later, which will be drawn from the ranks of well-known actors, producers and directors in Arab film-making, who will watch the 12 shortlisted films in the final round of the festival, and will select the winning film in front of the audience. Hend Sabry began her acting career when she was 14-year old, when she played a role in the film  “Mousem Al Regal” (The Season of Men) followed by the movie  “Samt Al Qosour” (The Silence of the Castles). She went on to shine in “Mozakerat Moraheka” (Diaries of a Teenager) and following that she has starred in more than 20 films and one TV drama series.  She is considered to be amongst the best actresses in the Arab World, and has won more than 20 international and Arab prizes. Commenting on her participation in 2012 Troupe VST Arabia Festival Hend said “I am very happy to participate in the Festival this year, especially after last year's success.  I am looking forward to watching the movies of young Arab directors with John Paulson and to select the short-listed movies for the finals. Director John Paulson in a comment on Hend’s participation in the Festival said:  “Troupe VST Arabia Festival proved to be very successful in its first year with many movies from the Arab World submitted. I am looking forward to choosing the final nominated movies with Hend Sabry who has many ideas and will add a lot to the Festival." Troupe VST Arabia Festival aims to provide a platform for young Arab directors to highlight their short films, and to encourage talented people and film-makers who haven't yet showcased their work to participate in festivals of this kind. The event aims to be one of the leading short-movie festivals, and to provide the necessary support to the regional talents in film-making. The best films which have earned their place in the finals will be shown at  the festival in Abu Dhabi and thereafter on the Internet to be enjoyed in the region and the wider world. The films must be produced specifically for the festival, and have not been seen previously and they should be no longer than 7 minutes in duration. The subject matter should be centered around the idea of the festival and directors must come from the Middle East and North Africa. Interested participants should present their films before September 6, after which the jury will shortlist 12 movies to participate in the finals. These selected films will be announced on September 30.