10 – 12 November 2026
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Dubai World Trade Centre Sheikh Saeed Halls 1, 2 & 3
Uzair Merchant
Film Director / Production Designer - Bkreativ Productions
Uzair Merchant is an award-winning filmmaker and designer with Indian roots and a global career spanning 17 years across film, television, and immersive storytelling. He’s worked on franchises like Skyfall, Deadpool 2, Fast & Furious 7, and Superman & Lois. In 2025, his action-comedy feature Masala Boba was announced at Cannes in a Variety exclusive, and he won Best TV Series and Best Pilot at the Los Angeles Film Awards for his original sci-fi show Vault X. As founder of bKREATIV Productions and The Kreativ Lab, Uzair leads The Kreativ Universe, bridging Hollywood, Bollywood, the Middle East, and now Asia through Taiwan.
That same year, he was a featured artist at the 21st Venice International Art Fair, showcasing Chasing Lines, Saving Fairy Creek, and Stardust—three science-driven films exploring Mind, Body, and Soul. He also designed the World Police Summit 2024 for the Dubai Police, an immersive show blending cinema, holograms, and live performance, and served as production designer for Global Village, the world’s largest cultural theme park. Honored with Nottingham Trent’s “Outstanding Alumni” award, Uzair continues to fuse innovation, emotion, and cultural storytelling on a global scale.
Speaker Sessions
Creative Futures: Education for the Next Economy
1978
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Bridging the Gap: Education, Industry & the Creative Economy
Session Summary:
This panel will discuss how education institutions and industry leaders can collaborate to ensure that creative education is aligned with workforce needs. Topics will include partnerships, curriculum innovation, and industry engagement.
Speakers:
Aubin Pereira
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Faculty Head of Performing Arts - Dubai Scholars Private School
Jan Horn
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Managing Director - SAE University College, Dubai
Muhammad Al Madhi
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Advisor - Rubu'Qarn for Creating Leaders and Innovators
Uzair Merchant
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Film Director / Production Designer - Bkreativ Productions
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The Art of Visual Storytelling
Session Summary:
The Art of Visual Storytelling is more than a masterclass—it’s a cinematic awakening. Designed by award-winning filmmaker and production designer Uzair Merchant, this immersive session explores how we read, feel, and shape the visual world through the lens of mind, body, and soul. Merging film, design, and technology, Uzair takes participants deep into the language of cinema—starting with semiotics: the meaning behind symbols, gestures, framing, and how visual cues shape our subconscious response. The session breaks down the psychology of framing, guiding students to understand how we see the world, and how directors and designers manipulate that perception through lens choice, composition, and blocking. Through color analysis, participants will decode the emotional frequencies embedded in palettes, lighting, and transitions—learning how hue and saturation can guide mood, memory, and metaphor. The class also dives into contextual and cultural analysis, helping storytellers portray altered realities with intention—whether sci-fi futures, mythic pasts, or speculative presents. This is not just about making films—it’s about constructing meaningful visual worlds that challenge, heal, and inspire. Because when storytelling is rooted in resilience, imagination, and truth, it becomes a tool not just for expression—but for evolution.
Speakers:
Uzair Merchant
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Film Director / Production Designer - Bkreativ Productions
Categories:
Higher Education
Leadership and Professional Development
// GESS EDUCATION INSIGHTS
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