The Toronto International Film Festival has become one of the prime meeting places for film professionals from all over the map. So, not only are films seen, bought and sold, but the Festival is also an important place to make important new announcements about upcoming productions and initiatives.
Therefore, it was completely appropriate that the Dubai International Film Festival (DIFF), the largest and most ambitious film event in the Middle East, use the Toronto setting to m...
One of my favorite films this year that I couldn't wait to see since first learning about it at the 2010 Taormina Film Festival was The Circle (2009) by the young and up and coming director Nawaf Al-Janahi from Abu Dhabi. Born on the same year and only four days after me, I have to admit my pride to be a '77 aquarian when seeing such greatness. The Circle left me in deep contemplation about life and indeed as soon as it ended, I found myself watching it immediately a second time. Here to speak w...
Abu Dhabi Pavilion
Returning to the International Pavilion this year is capital of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Abu Dhabi. The pavilion is being co-hosted by the Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture and Heritage (ADACH), the Abu Dhabi Film Commission (ADFC), the Abu Dhabi Film Festival, Imagenation Abu Dhabi and industry services company twofour54. The main goal of this pavilion is to present to filmmakers the idea of Abu Dhabi as...
The seventh edition of the Dubai International Film Festival, the definitive film festival of the Arab world, Asia and Africa, will be held from December 12 to 19, 2010.
The latest edition of the film festival is being planned to showcase an even diverse selection of movies from around the world across a dozen themed segments including Arabian Nights, Gulf Voices, Cinema of the World, Cinema for Children, Cinema of AsiaAfrica, Lifetime Achievement and Cinema from India.
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The Closing Ceremony for the third annual Middle East International Film Festival (MEIFF) was held at the Emirates Palace Hotel on Saturday evening. During the ceremony, celebrity guests including Naomi Watts, Orlando Bloom and Eva Mendes presented the 2009 Black Pearl Awards to the winners of MEIFF’s competitions.The awards were the culmination of 10 days of cinema, with 128 films screened. Seventeen Narrative Features, fourteen Documentary Features, twenty‐five Short Films, and ten Stu...
The 2009 Middle East International Film Festival in Abu Dhabi today announced a special program of silent film comedies to be shown in pristine archival prints and accompanied by live music. The festival is proud to present “LAUGH TILL IT HURTS” Friday, October 16 at 4pm at the Cinestar Cinemas in the Marina Mall. The films to be presented include early 2-reelers by two of the titans of silent film comedy, Charlie Chaplin (The Immigrant, 1916) and Buster Keaton (One Week, 1920), along with a...
The lineup of Gala evening screenings was announced today for the third Middle East International Film Festival to be held October 8-17 in Abu Dhabi. Among the festival’s highest-profile offerings, these nine films include, in the words of the Festival’s Executive Director Peter Scarlet, ‘’far more than the minimum daily requirement of big-names – in the cast, or behind the camera, and on the Festival’s red carpet.” The Festival’s Centerpiece offering will be the World Premiere o...
Egypt's The Traveler (Al Mosafer) with Omar Sharif to screen as Opening Night Gala
The Middle East International Film Festival (MEIFF) today unveiled the lineup of the feature-length narratives and documentaries that will compete for Black Pearl Awards worth over $1 million during the upcoming Festival. Presented by the Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture and Heritage, this year's MEIFF will run from October 8 to 17.
Peter Scarlet, the festival's new Executive Director commented, "...
The Middle East International Film Festival executives announce dates for 2009 editionA month after returning from the 59th Berlin International Film Festival, the Middle East International Film Festival executives have announced the new dates for the 2009 Festival. To be held at the Emirates Palace, the third edition of MEIFF will take place from October 8-17 and will have a number of exciting projects that will be announced over the next few months and which promise to bring an even greater sl...
Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture and Heritage and Middle East International Film Festival executives conclude Berlinale delegationAbu Dhabi, 25th February 2009: ADACH and MEIFF executives along with MEIFF film programmers concluded their week long delegation to the 59th Berlin International Film Festival, returning to Abu Dhabi with a handful of potential co-operations and films for this year’s Middle East International Film Festival and other ADACH film-related projects. The delegation to Berl...
As noted in our February 4th write up, setting up the first regional film market is part of a comprehensive strategy by the Emirate of Dubai to create a sophisticated media infrastructure. It includes dating Dubai media city for electronic and print media with 1300 mostly foreign companies; Dubai Internet City; the International Media Production Zone; Dubai Studio City housing the biggest and technologically most advanced studio facility in the Middle East; and the five year old Dubai Internatio...
Thefifth Dubai International Film Festival held in December 2008 introduced animportant new component, the Dubai Film Market. To date Dubai has been among theEmirates the fastest growing tourist and business destination and has investedbillions of dollars into establishing a state of the art communications andmedia infrastructure. This includes a film sector for which the Dubai FilmFestival and the Dubai Film Market are essential ingredients, not to speak ofthe imminent opening in Dubai of th...
Dubai Film MarketThe fifth Dubai International Film Festival held in December 2008 introduced an important new component, the Dubai Film Market. To date Dubai has been among the Emirates the fastest growing tourist and business destination and has invested billions of dollars into establishing a state of the art communications and media infrastructure. This includes a film sector for which the Dubai Film Festival and the Dubai Film Market are essential ingredients, not to speak of the immin...
Director: Eirin Gjorv.
A brand new capital – in the middle of the desert! And an Icon building – a Taj Mahal, or Sidney Oprahouse that will be the gateway to the city and a symbol to the entire world!
This is what His Highness Sheikh Saud Bin Saqr Al Qasimi in The United Arab Emirate Ras Al Khaimah has commissioned. The Norwegian architectural firm Snøhetta has been invited to present their vision for this uniqe and gigantic project.
In this film we follow Snøhetta and its director Kjetil Thorsen in their bid for adventurous and ground-breaking architectural challenges in the Arab sands of Ras Al Khaimah."I don’t believe in learning from experience” claims Kjetil Thorsen, ”Most experience is based on negative experience; on things that can’t be done, things that aren’t possible”.
An annual film festival dedicated to short films. The festival consists of two main competitions, one for emirati shorts, and another for GCC shorts, plus different selected programs of various films from around the world.
Arab media personality and Executive Director of the Middle East International Film Festival, Nashwa Al Ruwaini, has been invited to participate as a juror in the category of non-fiction for the 2009 International Digital Emmy® Awards (IDEA). This is the fourth year that The International Academy of Television Arts and Science host the awards which will recognize excellence in content created and designed for viewer interaction and/or delivery on a digital platform.
Three Emmy® ...
Arab media personality and Executive Director of the Middle East International Film Festival, Nashwa Al Ruwaini, has been invited to participate as a juror in the category of non-fiction for the 2009 International Digital Emmy® Awards (IDEA). This is the fourth year that The International Academy of Television Arts and Science host the awards which will recognize excellence in content created and designed for viewer interaction and/or delivery on a digital platform. Three Emmy® Awards for Digi...
Nashwa Al Ruwaini aims to tackle Arab stereotypes through initiatives launched during MEIFF 2008Nashwa Al Ruwaini, recently returned from Los Angeles after launching MOST at the Paley Center for Media, aims to tackle Arab stereotypes in the Western media through several initiatives launched during the second Middle East International Film Festival. Among them is MOST, short for Muslims on Screen and Television, which aims to shed light on the image of Muslims in the Arab World, especially in the...
Held from December 11th-18th in Dubai’s luxurious Madinat Jemeirah’s conference center embedded in an upscale tourist resort with screening in other venues, the Dubai film festival is racing to be number one in the region. Catering to about 750 official participants who attended as guests and numerous other professionals, the program featured 181 films from 66 countries. More than 20 well attended industry events and panels were held ranging from marketing and distribution issues to cas...
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...
In line with the Middle East International Film Festival's (MEIFF) objective of advancing the development and creation of social and humanitarian cinema, MEIFF organisers - the Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture and Heritage (ADACH) -presented five special Tribute Awards to industry giants Saturday evening at Emirates Palace.
Sir Ben Kingsley was presented with an Honorary Black Pearl Award for Cross Cultural Contributions to Cinema by His Highness Sheikh Abdullah bin Mohamm...
More than 130 films from 35 countries will be screened at the second edition of the Middle East International Film Festival (MEIFF), organised by the Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture and Heritage (ADACH) and being held over an expanded ten enthralling days from 10th to 19th October 2008 in Abu Dhabi.“MEIFF has positioned itself as one of the most important regional cinema events in a relatively short span of time,” said MEIFF’s Vice Chairman and ADACH’s Director General His Excellency Moh...
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...
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...
