DUBAI: Funoon, the art & culture division of Dubai Ladies Club, which is a member of Dubai Women Establishment, yesterday hosted a special ?Art Conversation? featuring Mohammed Saeed Harib, Emirati animation director and Chairman of Lammtara Art Production, in Dubai Ladies Club.

The event was held under the royal patronage of Sheikha Manal Bint Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, President of Dubai Women Establishment and wife of H.H Sheikh Mansour Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Presidential Affairs.

The open discussion was attended by distinguished members of the local and international art community including Sheikha Wafa Hasher Al Maktoum, founder of Fn Design Studio, Sheikha Maitha Hasher Al Maktoum, Muna Bin Kalli, Executive Director of Dubai Ladies Club and Lamia Abdulaziz, Advisor of Corporate Communication, Marketing & Events at Dubai Women Establishment. There were also many young emerging artists, students, members of the media attending including previous winners of The Sheikha Manal Young Artist Award and previous participants from The Sheikha Manal Art Exchange Program.

On the occasion, Muna Bin Kalli, Executive Director of Dubai Ladies Club said, "We are delighted to welcome Mohammed Saeed Harib as a guest speaker of this interactive platform, which was held under the royal patronage of Sheikha Manal Bint Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum. It was especially encouraging to see the audience use this event as an opportunity to extract valuable knowledge from the speaker. It speaks directly to our mission of preparing students and amateur artists for professional careers. Mohammed Saeed Hareb is an inspiration to every young emerging Emirati talent and I can personally testify his continued passion for success, first and foremost to elevate the status of the UAE as a global pioneer in the arts industry."She added: "This event is in line with the vision of Sheikha Manal Bint Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum to raise awareness of the arts and create an interactive atmosphere of participation, to highlight the creative artists and talents, as well as contribute to further promote their image in the local, regional and global level."Over the course of the evening, Harib recounted his long professional career, full of anecdotes and valuable advice, while also sharing exclusive details about some of the many projects he is currently working on - including his animated feature "The Prophet" with Roger Allers, director of "The Lion King" and actress Salma Hayek who is acting as a producer on the project alongside The Doha Film Institute.

The conversation began with an invigorating showreel that showcased that the full range of creative works that Harib has achieved during this illustrious career. Following this, Harib immediately dived into an very honest review of his career, where he took special effort to share all of the struggles and challenges he faced of the road to success. His very truthful story resulted in many audience members coming forward to request advice and encouragement. The interactive session offered art and business students and a unique opportunity to exchange of ideas and expertise with one of the most creative minds of the UAE.

The event ended with an exclusive preview on one of "FREEJ" new HD episodes titled "SHAMMA" which will only be aired in July 2013, during the holy month of Ramadan.

Mohammed Saeed Harib is a well acknowledged Emirati animation director and Chairman of Lammtara Art Production. He created the highly popular animated TV series "FREEJ", which first aired in 2006 and received rave reviews from viewers and critics alike, with Mohammed and "FREEJ" becoming cultural icons recognized across the region.

Harib studied General Arts and Animation at Northeastern University in Boston, before pursuing his dream to create the Middle East?s pioneering 3D animated series. He won the Emerging UAE Talent Award at the Dubai International Film Festival in 2007. The first season of "FREEJ" also received the Special Country Award at the Hamburg Animation Awards in 2007 and Mohammed won the title of Young CEO of the Year in 2008 from CEO Middle East magazine. Mohammed has also been recognized as one of the World?s Most Influential Arabs from 2008 to 2012 by Arabian Business magazine.

Moreover, he was recently a creative consultant for "Cruel Summer" a project that featured Kanye West and Hayat Alfahad and which was launched in the Cannes Film Festival.

First launched in 2011, ?Art Conversations? is a series of open discussions on art and culture facilitated by leading luminary art experts from the local and international art scene. The series are organised by Funoon, the art & culture division of Dubai Ladies Club, to provide a platform for the exchange of ideas and expertise related to the art, culture and education.

Copyright Emirates News Agency (WAM) 2013.