As the curtain falls on the landmark fifth edition of the Dubai International Film Festival (DIFF), the foremost cultural event on Dubai's yearly calendar, organizers have released figures that indicate that the 2008 event was the most successful yet.
A total of 47 500 movie-goers streamed into DIFF's screenings as of Wednesday, December 17, representing a significant increase in festival attendance over 2007. Coveted seats went in a flash, particularly for the festival's Gala...
The 2008 edition of the Dubai International Film Festival features 12 programmes that will showcase cinema of all genres from all over the world.Selected films will be placed in the appropriate programme by DIFF management in consultation with the filmmaker. While DIFF welcomes international submissions, it should be noted that the non-Arab section of the festival is limited to only 60 films and presently does not include short films.The Cultural BridgeThe Cultural Bridge programme is one of the...
The Dubai International Film Festival (DIFF) today announced that the documentary feature film, The Day After Peace, has been chosen as part of the Rhythm and Reels line up for 2008. This is in support of worldwide peace.
The film has a cultural bridge theme furthering the Festival’s mandate to create intercultural understanding through the language of Cinema. The screening at DIFF will be held under the patronage of Her Royal Highness Princess Haya Bint Al Hussein, wife of HH Sheikh Mo...
In its continuous effort of “Bridging Cultures, Meeting Minds”, DIFF is launching the Dubai Film Market during its 5th edition. The Dubai Film Market is committed to raising the visibility of world cinema - with an emphasis on Arab, Asian and African filmmakers - and stimulating regional and international film production and trade.
Vision
Dubai, to become a regional and international pioneer of audio-visual content trade.
Mission
To make Dubai Film Market a global stat...
Sharon Stone, Michelle Yeoh, Kenneth Cole, Hayden Christensen, Rachel Bilson, Gloria Estefan, Dana Fuchs, Dita Von Teese, Pooja Batra, Kabir Bedi, Akbar Khan, Sarah Shahi and amfAR CEO Kevin Frost came out to raise awareness about HIV/AIDS last night at amfAR's inaugural Cinema Against AIDS gala in Dubai. The event, which was presented by The Dubai International Film Festival, raised $3 million for amfAR. Dubai Pearl was the event’s sponsor. Hewlett-Packard Company and Alfiya Kuanysheva were ...
The Dubai International Film Festival (DIFF) today introduced its new initiative, ‘The Scene: Your UAE Film Network,’ a series of monthly screenings at the DUCTAC auditorium at Mall of the Emirates, facilitated by UAE National filmmaker Nayla al Khaja. The first screening will be held November 30, and will showcase three award-winning films by Arab filmmakers. The series is dedicated to films that have not been commercially released in the UAE. Director and producer al Khaja, whose short f...
The Dubai International Film Festival (DIFF) today announced its new initiative ‘Rhythm and Reels’ presented by Dubai Pearl. The three-day event during DIFF 2007 will bring unusual and cutting-edge film together with live musical performances; the festival has introduced the open-air series at the Dubai Media City amphitheatre to celebrate the mutually enriching relationship between film and music.The first screening, to be held on December 13, 2007, will bring 5-time Grammy Award-winning ...
The Dubai International Film Festival (DI...
The Dubai International Film Festival (DIFF) today announced that the critically acclaimed thriller MICHAEL CLAYTON will open this year’s festival. Lead actor George Clooney (Oscar winner Syriana, Good Night and Good Luck, Ocean’s 11, 12 & 13) will attend the star-studded Opening Night Gala. Tony Gilroy’s feature film debut draws from the political undertones of the Bourne series to tell the story of Michael Clayton, a corporate lawyer who is increasingly disillusioned with his life as a...
The Dubai International Film Festival (DIFF) has introduced a number of new initiatives for its Industry Office, including a Project Market, a producer's training program, and a screenwriting master class. Under the guidance of Associate Director Jane Williams (industry consultant for reputed organizations such as Cinemart and The European Commission), the DIFF Industry Office has been designed to provide a platform for information exchange and share of best practice between Arab f...
Dubai International Film Festival poster 2007
Dubai International Film Festival poster 2007
As the countdown for the fourth Dubai International Film Festival (DIFF) begins, organizers are seeking a temporary workforce to assist in operational aspects of the festival. To this end, DIFF will hold a job fair on Sunday, 2nd September, 2007 from 10am to 8pm at Dubai Knowledge Village. Over 200 temporary staff are needed in such vital areas as the Industry Office, Box Office and Customer Service, accreditation & registration, theatre operations and marketing, all of which offer an opport...
The Dubai International Film Festival today announced the appointment of Masoud Amralla Al Ali as the Festival Artistic Director. In his new capacity, Al Ali will oversee the programming for the festival that comprises films from Arab and international filmmakers. He will be ably assisted by a qualified team of programmers and colleague, Simon Field, the Director for International Programming. A UAE National, Al Ali was the Artistic Director of the UAE Cultural Foundation and the founder of the ...
The Dubai International Film Festival (DIFF) today facilitated a talk with Dubai-based filmmaker Ali Faisal Mustafa, as part of a community outreach initiative to demystify cinema for young people and inspire them to pursue careers in the creative arts.The workshop was organized as a part of the activities for the Kids Press Club, Dubai Press Club’s annual summer camp for kids.Mustafa’s short film “Under the Sun” screened at DIFF 2005 and won the Emirates Film Competition in 2006. It has...
The Dubai International Film Festival (DIFF) today announced that the second annual Muhr Awards for Excellence in Arab Cinema is now open, and will be accepting submissions until 31st August 2007. As part of the festival’s mandate of promoting Arab cinema, winners in three categories—feature films, shorts and documentaries—will receive handsome prizes that amount to over AED 1 million.Competing films must be made by a director of Arab nationality or origin, and the subject and storyline of...
Dubai International Film Festival (DIFF) announced today that DIFF will be hosting the amfAR Cinema Against AIDS Event to be presented during the Fourth edition of the film festival which takes place December 9-16th, 2007. The Dubai International Film Festival was founded on the unique theme ‘Bridging Cultures. Meeting Minds.’ launched in 2004 using the powerful medium of film to serve as a platform for inter-cultural dialogue. The association with amfAR offers the opportunity to extend ...
Four years ago Dubai commenced their international film festival and today in Abu Dhabi, another Persian Gulf town approximately 150 km south of Dubai, officials announced that they too will hold an international film festival during the second half of October.Dubai is well on its way to establishing itself as an regional film hub, and its own international film festival, set to run December 9-16, will be a direct competitor with Abu Dhabi's. Although according to Abdulhamid Juma, Ch...
The Dubai International Film Festival (DIFF) today announced this year’s festival will honour Oliver Stone, Nabil El-Maleh and Shah Rukh Khan for their outstanding contribution to cinema, as part of the DIFF Salutes programme.
DIFF Salutes is a retrospective tribute that celebrates the work of distinguished film makers from Asia, the Arab world, and Hollywood. This follows last year’s In the Spotlight segment, which honoured Oscar-winning American actor Morgan Freeman, the Egyptian "king...
As the Dubai International Film Festival (DIFF) gathers momentum for its third edition this December, it is inviting submissions in the categories of features, shorts and documentaries to its new Arab Film Competition. “DIFF has launched an Arab Film Competition in order to fulfill one of its core objectives – showcasing and promoting excellence in Arab cinema,” commented Festival CEO, Neil Stephenson.The Competition satisfies this objective through carefully composed criteria - films must...
Dubai Studio City (DSC) today launched its iconic landmark, the ‘Wall of Fame’ with the most recognised and influential name in the Indian and international film industry, Aishwarya Rai.A special handprint ceremony organised by Dubai Studio City, marked the occasion as part of the 7th IIFA Weekend and Awards extravaganza in Dubai.Expressing delight over Aishwarya Rai’s presence to commemorate the launch, Jamal Al Sharif, Director, DSC said: “The Wall of Fame is a significant feature of D...
A series of key changes highlight the development of the Dubai International Film Festival. The festival’s credo of bridging cultures and meeting minds will be particularly prevalent during its December 10-17 run this year when it will be taking further serious steps to tackle controversial issues while facilitating and stimulating intelligent dialogue. One step toward this goal is the introduction of the Sheikh Zayed Award, a lifetime achievement award to be given to a member of the film in...
Dubai International Film Festival (DIFF) today announced a new segment that will allow filmmakers to compete for jury prizes.Providing details of the competition categories and submission dates, Neil Stephenson, CEO, Dubai International Film Festival said, “DIFF’s decision to add a competitive component is part of the Festival’s strategy to evolve into an important destination for creative excellence in Arab cinema. “DIFF is developing into a major film event and has a responsibility to ...
