Films made by emerging crews
Shorts, teasers and now a feature, shot with emerging crews in every department, from director and DP to sound, art and edit. Award-winning, and theirs.
Recent sets
Szerelem teaser, on set
Youth-founded film collective, United Arab Emirates
Cameras in emerging hands.
Kaleido Pictures is the largest youth-founded film organisation in the MENA region. We make films with more than a thousand emerging filmmakers as crew and cast, across the UAE. Now we are taking it into the classroom.
300M+views across digital platforms
180K+followers
1000+emerging filmmakers as crew and cast
5films made, a feature in development
What we do
Three ways in.
Most emerging filmmakers have no starting point. No gear, no contacts, no crew. We build the starting point.
Casting days, workshops, community
Open casting events, workshops, screenings and gatherings. The place where a first-timer meets a working crew.
Casting dayFilmmaking in the classroom
An extracurricular film programme for schools, starting with three days over a school weekend for students aged 14 to 18. Then a path to keep going.
How Bridge worksOpen casting event
Hundreds turned up. Everyone got a take.
A studio, a white cyc, two lights and a line out the door. This is what a Kaleido experience looks like from the floor.
Open casting event, Dubai, October 2026. Attendees performed impromptu monologues and dialogues; the top three were shortlisted to audition for the lead in Szerelem. Phone footage from the crew, uncut.
The Bridge Programme
Filmmaking, over the school weekend.
An extracurricular film programme for schools, the way Model UN or the Duke of Edinburgh's Award work for debate and expedition. It opens with three days of hands-on filmmaking for students aged 14 to 18. Small groups. Real roles. Nobody sits through a lecture.
Day01
Discover
Meet the production process and the roles on a film. Try visual storytelling, directing and cinematography through group exercises.
Day02
Create
Work in production roles in small groups. Build simple scenes. Work with professional equipment where it is available.
Day03
Experience and connect
Finish and present the work, get feedback, and learn how to keep going through Kaleido.
Bring Bridge to your school
Starting in UAE schools, with room to grow across the region. Programme operations led by Ethan Wheeler, Co-Founder and Director of Operations.
Student crew, blocking a scene
What happens after day three
- Practical workshops and technical sessions
- Film events and community gatherings
- Conversations with filmmakers and industry professionals
- Collaborative exercises and future creative projects
Bridge never depends on a student owning gear or knowing someone in the industry. It should not end when the three days do.
Recent sets
A few frames from the work.
Every department on these sets was run by someone under 25. That is the point.
In development
Szerelem (2027 to 2028)
Our first feature. The pitch teaser was shot over two days in September 2026 with a full emerging crew across direction, camera, lighting, sound, art, styling and production. The stills above are from that shoot.
Follow the film at @szerelemfilm.
- Directed byAdham Gira
- Consulting producerErnesto Stile
- StatusTeaser complete, feature in development
Selected films and events
The record so far.
- 2025The Last 30 Days of HighschoolShort film, premiered September 2025
- 2025When Eyes MeetShort film, premiered alongside The Last 30 Days of Highschool
- 2025Fujifilm x Kaleido 72-Hour Film CompetitionCompetition and workshop, Expo City Dubai
- 2026Vulpine HearingShort film
- 2026Szerelem pitch teaserTwo-day shoot, September 2026
- 2026Fujifriends Passion X-ChangeFilm community partner, screenings at Jameel Arts Centre
- 2026Open casting eventHotCold Studios, Al Quoz, Dubai. Lead-role shortlist for Szerelem
Collaborators and venues so far include Fujifilm Middle East, Expo City Dubai, Jameel Arts Centre, SAE UAE and Black Sheep Film Festival.