Academy Award nominee returns to the UAE

Dubai-born Academy Award nominee Elia Petridis has returned to the UAE this January to partner with local production houses and share his gained knowledge with the Emirati youth.

The Greek Lebanese writer and director has returned to where he called “home” after an 18 year absence.

“I have decided to come back to my roots, after several projects in Hollywood, to give back to the country that instilled the love of film in me,” said Petridis of the UAE. “I want to share my knowledge and skills gained with the younger generation intent on making their mark in the cinema industry.”

Petridis has written, directed, and produced films like The Man Who Shook the Hand of Vicente Fernandez (2012), How Henri Came to Stay (2006), and Forgotten (2014) which screened in Dubai on January 6 and was nominated for Best Foreign Film Academy Award.

A graduate of the highest ranked film school in the world, USC School of Cinematic Arts, Petridis said the UAE is where his film making journey began and where he hopes it will continue now that he has come back.

Original article by Lubna Hamdan

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Academy Award nominee returns to the UAE