May 25, 2008	Sunday	Jamadi-ul-Awwal 19, 1429

ABU DHABI, May 24: A Pakistani documentary has won the highest award at a competition in Abu Dhabi.

“Dinner with the President”, a film produced by Sabiha Sumar, was conferred the Grand Award (Gold), carrying an amount of 500,000 dirhams, at the first-ever international documentary competition in the United Arab Emirates on Friday.

Speaking in Urdu and English after receiving the award, Sabiha Sumar said: “I hope that people will understand our country better after watching the documentary.

“It is a big honour for me to receive the award. The documentary competition is a first step for the promotion of documentaries, but a major and wonderful step,” Sabiha said.

“Dinner with the President” was among 14 films shortlisted by the jury from a field of 136 entries -- 115 of them from the UAE alone.

In his speech, United Arab Emirates’ Higher Education Minister Shaikh Nahyan bin Mubarak al Nahyan said the day was not far when the emirates and the entire region would have a major film industry.

“Guavera A’ash, an Egyptian production, was adjudged the second best documentary.