The closing day of the ON.DXB Festival in Dubai witnessed the participation of Oscar producer and director Spike Lee, who sent a motivational message to regional filmmakers and creators by encouraging them to pursue their passion and continue to work hard to succeed in the challenging filmmaking industry.
“You need to love what you are doing more than anything else, because your love of filmmaking is the only factor that will help you continue as you work on your projects,” Spike told me. "You have to work hard. Those who are lazy and passive will not succeed at all."
“This sector is very difficult, and I often hear students talk about the difficulty of what they are doing, and I immediately ask them: Is there anything you can do easily? We are working in a sector where we are used to receiving rejection and closing many doors in our faces.
"But you have to believe in yourself and your ability to continue. Withdrawal is not an option at all."
Consistent with the vision of ON.DXB to showcase creative talent, encourage me to take advantage of every platform available to improve their follow-up. "It's not necessary to be in New York or Los Angeles, just upload your work to YouTube," said Spike Lee. "It may seem unreasonable, but a lot of talent is discovered online, and that's what happens all the time."