Nikon & MG Motor UAE Return to Celebrate Content Creators and People of Inspiration

After a successful collaboration last year, Inter Emirates Motors (IEM) - a subsidiary of Ali & Sons Holding LLC and the official distributor of MG Motor vehicles in the United Arab Emirates, has returned with Nikon Middle East to support the local community of storytellers. #HumansExMachina – a Nikon Short Film Contest Powered by MG Motor gives seasoned and amateur filmmakers in the UAE the opportunity to highlight a person of inspiration for a chance to upgrade both their video creation gear as well as their ride.

The #HumansExMachina (which translates to ‘Humans in the Machine’) competition is open to all storytellers in the UAE. The purpose of this competition is to film the best human-interest story on a Nikon mirrorless camera, featuring an MG Motor vehicle.

Both brands are in constant pursuit of excellence and are regarded as being mavericks of change. This competition aims to shine a spotlight on a few trailblazers from the UAE and provide them with the recognition they so rightly deserve as it relates to their drive, ambition and ability to create meaning for communities both locally, regionally and perhaps even internationally.

Ten individuals will be selected based on their technical and artistic merits and will proceed to the final round. Participants would need to showcase their work in a video that is no longer than 5 minutes in length.

Furthermore, each finalist must identify and collaborate with one human subject for their final entries. The genre of the final entry will be “Human Interest,” hence the screenplay must be based on the human subject’s story.

The ten finalists will each be loaned an MG vehicle and a Nikon Z 6II with a NIKKOR Z 24-70mm f/4 S for precisely 48 hours, with which they will create footage for their final entry. The winning entry and runner up will receive a brand new 2023 MG GT and the Nikon Z 6II mirrorless camera with a NIKKOR Z 24-70mm f/4S, respectively.

Hisham Elsahn, General Manager, IEM, said: “We were thrilled with the level of interest we received last year from our collaboration with Nikon. Both of our products are unique in terms of performance and excellence; however, it is the people of today that pushes the world forward. Over the past two years, we have seen ordinary people do extraordinary things. We want to honor them by embarking on a journey together as we highlight their story so that they can be beacons of inspiration and hope to the next generation as they continue to enrich the lives of themselves and others. We invite everyone to not only participate in this competition and claim their spot in the top 10 but learn more about these exemplary individuals who are driving change for their respective communities in their own unique way.”

There are quite a few remarkable people that live in the UAE and are constantly working to create a positive impact for themselves, their families, friends and extended communities. MG Motor UAE and Nikon Middle East aim to showcase the incredible talent of content creators and the inspirational journeys of ordinary people doing extraordinary things.

“Celebrating life through powerful imagery has always been at the core of Nikon as a global brand, and this partnership with MG Motor UAE is yet another wondrous articulation of that fundamental ethos,” says Narendra Menon, Managing Director of Nikon Middle East FZE. “At the back of the successful videography competition that we launched with MG Motor last year, we looked at a theme and a genre of filmmaking that best represents the shared values of Nikon and MG, whilst putting the focus on the artists and their subjects in the most emotive and artistically empowering way possible. #HumansExMachina fulfills that brief perfectly.”

The qualifying round will run from 6 to 30 September 2022 and the top 10 will be announced on 7 October 2022. The finalists will then participate in the 48-hour challenge that will run from 14 to 16 October 2022, and the winner will be announced on 26 October 2022.