From Emirates Business 24/7



The Acting for Camera workshop is open for 80 students. (AFP)

This year's Dubai International Film Festival (Diff) will host an acting workshop, called 'Acting for Camera', for school students for the first time.

The workshop is open for school children aged 11 to 17 years and will be held at the Dubai Community Theatre and Arts Centre (Ductac) on December 11 and 12.

The training programme, offered for free, will be led by international professionals and is open for 80 students living in the UAE.

Shivani Pandya, Diff's Managing Director, said the workshops complement the various initiatives launched by Diff to engage regional talent in various aspects of film production.

"Diff is more than a celebration of cinema; it is a community event that is aimed at grooming a confident new generation of film professionals. The Acting for Camera workshop puts the spotlight on training students for films," she said.

The sessions will be introduced and hosted by Pippa Hall, a children's casting director who has worked on films such as Nanny McPhee and The Chronicles of Narnia. It will be led by Claire Downes and Stuart Lane from Round Midnight.

The workshop is being presented by Dubai Pearl, whose President and CEO, Santhosh Joseph, said: "We are delighted to be part of Acting for Camera."