NEWS

YDA CHATS Episode 11: Samir Mallal

In our last episode of the YDA Chats series, Karim sits down with Samir Mallal, Gold Screen Winner at YDA 2010 and director at Interrogate Films.

Across a range of genres, Samir’s filmmaking has been widely recognized for its visual immersion, humanity and emotional truth. He first came to prominence as a commercial director working with Smuggler where he directed commercials for global brands like Google, GE, Starbucks and Coca-Cola among many others.

In addition to commercials, Samir is highly regarded in the world of virtual reality and documentary film. He recently teamed with Within for “New Wave,” a cutting edge narrative VR film that pushes the limits of the medium with interactive voiceover. As a creative leader in the space, he has spoken on storytelling in VR at both CES and MIT.

Samir’s work has won a Cannes Gold Lion, a Gold Clio, a Webby, a D&AD and been nominated for the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance. His documentary films have exhibited at major festivals and institutions around the world. Samir was selected for the Saatchi and Saatchi New Director’s Showcase, and won a YDA Gold Screen award in 2010.

Other News

Simon & Paul Back on Board as Prime Sponsor for YDA 2026

What makes a successful YDA edition are the outstanding films, the exceptional jury, the community  More…

YDA 2026 Welcomes Back LA\PAC as Prime Sponsor

YDA was originally created by producers, for producers –  and nearly three decades later, it  More…

Stink Returns as YDA 2026 Prime Sponsor

As YDA moves toward the culmination of its brand-new 2026 edition this June, it is  More…

Jury Spotlight – Focus Africa

This year’s YDA brings together five African industry leaders across film, music, advertising and creative  More…

Jury Spotlight – Part 2

We are excited to unveil another slice of our 2026 jury – an exceptional lineup  More…

YDA 2026 Turns Its Focus to Africa 

Africa is the birthplace of storytelling. As the art form has evolved from cave paintings  More…