Arab film star Hend Sabry has been selected as Jury Member of the 4th IWC Filmmaker Award as part of the 12th Dubai International Film Festival (9- 16 December). Sponsored by the luxury Swiss watch manufacturer IWC Schaffhausen, the festival's partner and official sponsor, the award aims to support filmmakers from the Gulf region in taking their projects from script to the big screen.

Pleased with her selection as Jury Member, Hend Sabry stated, "I am honored to be part of the IWC filmmakers Award. I strongly believe in the importance of developing Gulf cinema, and this generous award will give birth to a new filmmaker from the Gulf region, enriching Arab cinema altogether. My jury co-members and I are very committed to reading all the competing scripts and giving them a fair chance."

The Golden Globe winner and Oscar nominee Palestinian director Hany Abu-Assad will head the jury, and will be joined by Georges Kern, CEO of IWC Schaffhausen; Abdulhamid Juma, Chairman of DIFF; and Masoud Amralla Al Ali, Artistic Director of DIFF as jury members; alongside 23 award winning actress Hend Sabry.

Three directors are currently competing for the award: Khalifa Al Muraikhi (Qatar) for his screenplay "Sahaab", Shahad Ameen (Saudi Arabia) for her screenplay "Scales", and Layla Kaylif for "The Letter Writer". The award offers a US$ 100,000 cash prize to one winning filmmaker who will be announced at an IWC gala event held during the festival on December 10th 2015.

Last month, the 1st International Arab Film Festival in Gabes selected Tunisian actress Hend Sabry as its Honorary President. Launching its first edition, the Festival aims to introduce Tunisian and Arab cinema and to promote cinema culture among youths. Previously, Hend was also appointed as co-director in the 2nd TROPFEST Arabia, and joined as Jury President of the Doha Tribeca Film Festival's Feature Narrative competition.