The welcoming words from HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum and
HH Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum

The launch of an international film festival in Dubai is a wonderful testament to the city’s growth and ongoing development as a community.

At a time when Dubai is enjoying great prosperity in the economic sphere, a major cultural event of this scale further enhances Dubai’s position on the global map. Historically, Dubai has always been a crossroads of multicultural harmony and thus, it is perfectly fitting that the festival will espouse and reflect this important theme.

As Patron, it gives me great pleasure to see this exciting festival come to fruition. I would like to thank and congratulate all its contributors who have been instrumental in bringing us closer to our 2010 vision of Dubai.

I also extend a warm welcome to all our guests who have come to Dubai to be a part of this inaugural festival, and wish them a wonderful stay in our city.


HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum
Patron
Dubai International Film Festival

We are delighted to introduce to the Dubai landscape a new cultural event celebrating excellence in the universally loved medium of filmed entertainment.

Film is an ideal tool for trying to enhance cross-cultural understanding around the world. This is the very purpose and theme of Dubai’s first film festival, which seeks to build a new international cultural bridge at a time in world history when the need for bridge-building is ever more necessary and important. Indeed, I hope that this festival can make a contribution, however small, towards promoting peace and understanding on the international stage.

Over the coming days, I invite you all to experience Dubai’s warm hospitality, enjoy some fascinating films and engage in interesting and uplifting cross-cultural conversation with your fellow festival-goers. I offer my sincere best wishes to everyone for a most memorable festival and an unforgettable stay in Dubai.


HH Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum
Chairman
Dubai International Film Festival