Writer-producer Mahmoud Al Massad reveives a grant totalling $100,000 in addition to development support from the film commission.

Al Massad was chosen from a pool of six finallists and judged by film executives and producers from around the world.

Blessed Benefit explores the story of a construction worker who gets caught up in a business deal that lands him in prison, where he realises that while life inside might not be free, it may be better than the one awaiting him upon his release.

Al Massad previously directed the documentaries Recycle and This Is My Picture When I Was Dead, both of which received support from the Sundance Institute.

“By cultivating the next generation of Middle Eastern filmmakers and fast-tracking the development process for them, the Shasha Grant remains a vital part of our mission to promote Abu Dhabi as a center of excellence in film development and production,” Abu Dhabi Film Commission director David Shepheard said.