Participants in the workshops wrote four scripts for TV series.

• Shams is set to hold the next workshop during the International Government Communication Forum (IGCF) 2022 at Expo Sharjah.

Sharjah Media City (Shams) is organising a series of workshops under the script room ‘Hekaya’ initiative, in an effort to scout writing talents and provide them with an opportunity to hone their scriptwriting and content development skills.

The initiative shapes part of Shams’ leading role in training and empowering young media talents across all media, arts, and creative industries in the UAE and the region, and attracts aspiring scriptwriters from across the country.

The initiative seeks to define the concept of scriptwriting and content creation in a way that strengthens the creative and professional roles that scripts play. It also addresses the topic of writing content scripts with a focus on visual and artistic elements in order to enhance attendees’ abilities to understand the creative and professional dimensions of content writing, its significant role in communication and innovation, and its influence in our contemporary world.

His Excellency Dr. Khalid Omar Al Midfa, Chairman of Sharjah Media City (Shams), said: “Shams is making enormous efforts to train and empower new media and technology professionals to recruit in creative industries in the UAE and across the region. We strive to provide these sectors with new and promising talents that can promote dramatic and artistic works and present them to the community in new and innovative formats.”

“The Hekaya initiative represents a prominent step towards promoting the drama and cinema industries in the UAE and the region,” H.E. added. “The programme has already trained 92 participants, who are preparing to write their own works in the near future. For our part, we are working in partnership with various stakeholders to organise more workshops and engage more participants looking to develop their scriptwriting skills. We are confident that we can transform this initiative into an advanced model for promoting artworks on a national level, and enlisting exceptional talents for the sector.”

The script room workshops of the Hekaya initiative are presented by renowned Emirati author, scriptwriter, and technical advisor Mohammed Hassan Ahmed – one of the founders of the film industry in the UAE.

The session allows participants to write and transform their ideas into complete scripts that can be used in production.

The initiative has so far resulted in scripts for four series, and is currently touring the UAE in search of talented individuals to join the workshops. So far, the initiative has trained 92 participants in a series of workshops organised either by Shams alone, or in collaboration with other entities, such as the Emirates Writers Union in Sharjah and Abu Dhabi (20 participants) and Sajaya Young Ladies of Sharjah (35 participants).

During its participation as a strategic partner in the 11th International Government Communication Forum, Sharjah Media City (Shams) is presenting a workshop titled “Content Writing Lab” to a wider audience of government entities to hone their skills in the creative field, which will be presented by screenwriter Mohammed Hassan Ahmed.

Mohammed Hassan Ahmed’s cinematic works have won him prestigious international awards as a screenwriter, earning a total of 32 awards for best screenwriter and best film. He has written 17 short and feature films, including ‘Sabil’, which was screened at the Berlin International Film Festival, in addition to eight TV dramas with some of the biggest stars in the Gulf region.