Prominent filmmaker Ayman Al-Shatri is participating in the Stars of Tomorrow programme (Arab Stars of Tomorrow), among five promising Arab filmmakers in the programme organized by Screen International at the 14th Dubai International Film Festival (DIFF) (6-13 December).

Choosing Al-Shatri to be among a number of the most promising filmmakers comes after the high acclaim he received for his latest award-winning short film Five O'clock that that landed its world premiere at the DIFF within the Muhr Gulf Short Competition. Five O'clock received a number of awards at prestigious film festivals, including a Special Mention at the Malmö Film Festival in Sweden and the Best Second Movie-Film Competition from Iraq at the Qumrah International Film Festival in Iraq. MAD Solutions is handling the film's distribution in the Arab world.

To be held on Thursday, December 7, Al-Shatri will take part in the celebration of the Stars of Tomorrow
programme, and a panel discussion on Saturday, December 9th. The programme is dedicated to provide a global platform to announce promising Arab actors and directors who are expected to have a great impact in the festival and the international arena in the coming years.

For the second year in a row, the Stars of Tomorrow programme is taking part of the Dubai International Film Festival (DIFF). Thirteen years ago, the Stars of Tomorrow was launched in the UK and it has a record of discovering British and Irish talents such as Benedict Cumberbatch, Emily Blunt, and James McAvoy in the programme's first edition in 2004.

Born in Nasiriyah city, Ayman Al-Shatri is an award-winning Iraqi director, producer and screenwriter who graduated from the Film & TV department at the Baghdad University's College of Fine Arts. He started his professional career as an editor in many Iraqi films. Besides his experience in sound designing and sound effects, Al-Shatri's short film Warm Night won several awards at Arab and international film festivals.