Beginning at midnight on April 22, seven teams embarked on one of the most beloved traditions at NYU Abu Dhabi: The 24-Hour Film Race. The teams had until midnight on April 23 to write, film and edit a short film of no more than three minutes and 36 seconds. The films needed to incorporate this year’s three secret elements: triangles, #budgetcuts, and the 1919-1922 Greco-Turkish War.

Freshman Reine Defranco, who participated in the event, wrote to The Gazelle about the elements. "It was really hard to get creative with them,’ she said.

“It was cool seeing teams running back and forth throughout the day, especially towards the last crunch hour in the film editing room,”added Defranco. “It wasn't really the outcome of the films that mattered, it was the fun and misery of pulling together a watchable story over the course of a single day.”

Prizes included a box of nails, a box of surgical masks and an electric candle.

Best Foreign Film - KAKA Annie Bauer, Braunsteiner Áron, Kate Melville-Rea, Kelly Murphy

Best Documentary - Faiza Hind AlTantawi, Ashraf Abdel Rahman, Sheba Vohra, Ahmad Yacout

Best Horror - The Lab Jules Bello, Rodrigo Ceballos Lentini, Mariko Kuroda

Best Story - Film Kids Film Kids Alex Bagot, Gergő Varga, Charlotte de Bekker, Maddie Moore

Best Cinematography - Dunk Campus Ben Leb, Sarah Daher, Krishan Mistry, Dean Shaff

Audience Choice - Dunk Campus Ben Leb, Sarah Daher, Krishan Mistry, Dean Shaff

Best Picture - Erasable Heart Reine Defranco