Dubai, 28 November, 2006: The Dubai International Film Festival (DIFF) today announced the line-up of programming for the festival's third and largest year yet, with a comprehensive array of international cinema and a large line-up of Arabic films from the Gulf States, the Levant, and North Africa. In all, there are 115 films from 47 different countries at the festival, of which 38 are UAE premieres.

Abdulhamid Juma, Chairman of DIFF, stated, "We are featuring more films this year than ever before, and we have cast the net wide geographically as well. Festival guests will be able to see a Moroccan film in the morning, an African film in the afternoon, and a Hollywood offering in the evening. What we are most proud of, however, is the extent of our Arabic programming, which we will continue to expand as part of our mandate to stimulate Arabic filmmaking. We are off to a flying start."

The festival's main program is divided into two sections. The first, In Competition, showcases the films competing for the Muhr Awards for Excellence in Arab Film, in which AED 1.2 million (US $325 000) in prize money is at stake. Ten films will compete in each of three categories: narrative features, documentaries and shorts, and none have been screened in the UAE before. Several directors that will be featured have won awards internationally, such as documentarian Mai Masri, who will screen her new documentary, Beirut Diaries: Truth, Lies and Videos.

The second section, Out of Competition, features both Arab and international programming.  The two dedicated Arab programs include Arabian Nights, featuring works of some of the world's best Arab filmmakers, and Emerging Emiratis, showcasing films by UAE nationals.  There is also a segment called Mosaic, featuring films that did not exactly fit program specifications, but that programmers felt were too powerful to be left out of the festival.

The Emerging Emiratis programme will showcase works by UAE national filmmakers, a category that looks set to expand, according to Masoud Amralla al Ali, DIFF's Artistic Director of Arabic Programming: "We are dedicated to developing the film industry in this region, and honing the talents of the filmmakers that are up-and-coming. They should think of DIFF as their home festival, the place where their work is introduced to the world. There are two UAE films in this year's Muhr Awards programming, and if we continue at this pace, that number will increase dramatically in coming years."

The rest of the Out of Competition programming fits into nine separate categories (see highlights of the Out of Competition sections in the Appendix, at the end of this document), including the Children's section, which is new to DIFF 2006:

  • Operation Cultural Bridge features films that mend the rift in cross-cultural understanding between the Muslim world and the West. One of these films will be selected to close the festival in a special gala screening on 17 December, 2006.

  • Caf Europe comprises films from across Europe's major film production centers such as the United Kingdom, France, Italy and Spain.

  • Insights from Asia will feature cinema from the culturally rich capitals of the Far East including Japan, China, Philippines and South Korea.

  • Cinema from the Subcontinent features films from India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, including Bollywood.

  • Destination Documentary will present the best documentaries of 2005-2006, projecting core human values that surface in contemporary turbulent settings.

  • In Honor of Africa will focus on this extremely diverse continent.

  • Contemporary World Cinema features a wide cross-section of work from filmmakers from all corners of the globe including Romania, Russia, Iran and Argentina.

  • Cinema for Children is new to DIFF in 2006, and will show films from Finland, Denmark, Germany and the United States, which will appeal to children of diverse nationalities.

  • DIFF Salutes presents and celebrates the work of a distinguished actor, director or producer from each of three cinema strongholds: Asia, the Arab World, and Hollywood. This year's honourees are Shah Rukh Khan, Nabil Maleh, and Oliver Stone.

Simon Field, Artistic Director, International Programming, said, "Our programming roster for 2006 truly reflects a representative sampling of the best in cinema today. It is an opportunity for festival goers to touch on the experience of people leading different lives in disparate places around the globe through the medium of cinema, which is true to DIFF's motto, 'Bridging Cultures, Meeting Minds.'"

In addition to the programming, there will be a variety of workshops, panels and gatherings of industry professionals. The festival is in its third year, and will run from December 10 to 17, 2006.    

-Ends-

About The Dubai International Film Festival
In 2004, a new festival joined the ranks of the world's international film festivals. Using the powerful medium of film to serve as a platform for inter-cultural dialogue and an instrument of global understanding, the Dubai International Film Festival (DIFF) launched with its theme of 'Bridging Cultures. Meeting Minds.'

Going into its third year, the DIFF is held under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, UAE Vice President and Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, and under the Chairmanship of His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum. The DIFF is a not-for-profit cultural event, presented and organized by the Dubai Technology and Media Free Zone Authority.

DIFF showcases a wide selection of features, shorts and documentaries, from around the world, reflecting Dubai's cosmopolitan and multi-cultural character. The festival further seeks to celebrate excellence in Arab and world cinema by screening a repertoire of critically acclaimed and award winning films.

Located at the crossroads of East and West, and one of the world's fastest growing business and tourist destinations, Dubai provides an ideal meeting point for industry friends and colleagues from around the globe. The array of panel discussions at DIFF instigates a healthy exchange of ideas among a group of progressive film industry professionals, and the networking initiatives hosted by DIFF provide a setting conducive to business.

In both its previous editions, the festival has attracted the attendance of prominent industry figures, including filmmakers and talent from as many as 46 different countries. Several past DIFF guests are currently scouting locations in Dubai for their new film projects.

DIFF 2005
Last year, DIFF took place from December 11 to 17, against the magnificent backdrop of the Madinat Jumeirah Arabian Resort. The festival's registration figures increased dramatically and the audience grew from approximately 18,000 in 2004 to over 30,000 in 2005. The 2005 festival showcased 98 films from 46 different countries, which included 22 Gulf premieres, 38 Middle East premieres, 7 International premieres and 6 World premieres.

DIFF 2006
The third edition of DIFF takes place from the 10 to 17 December, 2006. For information on this year's festival, including details on media and industry accreditation, please visit the website www.dubaifilmfest.com.

Appendix: Programming Highlights

Cinema for Children is new to DIFF in 2006, and will appeal to children of diverse nationalities. This segment boasts Happy Feet, the animated hit about tap-dancing penguins, and a Finnish film called Valo, about a group of children living in Finland when it was a part of the Russian empire in the early 1900's.

Arabian Nights features many films that have already won international accolades, such as Mohamed Al-Daradji's Ahlaam (Dreams), set in a psychiatric ward in Baghdad, which won the prize for Best Film at the Bangladesh Film Festival, or Samir Nasr's Folgeschaden (Seeds of Doubt), which explores the relationship between an Algerian man and his German wife after he is arrested under suspicion of terrorism. The film won Nasr a Naguib Mahfouz award at the Cairo Film Festival in 2005.

Operation Cultural Bridge features films that mend the rift in cross-cultural understanding between the Muslim world and the West, and is epitomized in one of the programme's main films, All the Invisible Children. A collection of shorts by seven directors, including Spike Lee and John Woo, the film represents the lives of children around the world who have been forgotten by war, strife, poverty, and hunger. Another film in the program, a recent International Emmy winner, is Knowledge is the Beginning, a documentary on the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra, a musical mission of peace set up by the late Edward Said and his close friend Daniel Barenboim. 

DIFF Salutes presents and celebrates the work of a distinguished actor, director or producer from each of three cinema strongholds: Asia, the Arab World, and Hollywood. This year, the honourees are Shah Rukh Khan, Indian acting legend, Nabil Maleh, the fearless Syrian director of El Fahd, the Leopard, and Hollywood auteur Oliver Stone. DIFF will screen highlights from each honouree's portfolio, among them Stone's recent World Trade Center. 

Caf Europe comprises films from across Europe's major film production centers. Highlights include Paris, Je T'Aime, a collection of 21 shorts about the unique atmosphere of Paris, directed by the Coen Brothers and Gus Van Sant, among others. Caf Europe also features the controversial Death of a President, a hypothetical musing on the assassination of George W. Bush.

Insights from Asia will feature cinema from the culturally rich capitals of the Far East including Japan, China, Philippines and South Korea. Guimul (the Host), directed by Bong Joon-Ho, was a cult favourite at Cannes and will wow DIFF-goers with its classic monster-movie premise: toxic sludge has created a human-eating monster. Phillippino director Jeffrey Jeturian will screen his Kubrador (The Debt Collector), which won the International Critics' Prize at this year's Moscow Film Festival. The film centres around a woman who supports her family in Manila's slums by collecting proceeds from an illegal numbers game.  

Cinema from the Subcontinent will show both independent and studio films from India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, including the best of Bollywood. Iruvar (the Duo), the 1997 film that was Ashwariya Rai's big-screen debut, will screen in this segment, as well as Outsourced, an American film about a call-centre manager who is sent to India to train his replacement. Mira Nair's The Namesake depicts an inter-ethnic relationship and its effects on an Indian family living in the United States.

Destination Documentary will present the best documentaries of 2005-2006 centering on regions in turmoil, including two films---My Country, My Country and Blood of My Brother---that focus on Iraq. Martyr Street depicts five years on a street in Hebron where a Jewish and a Palestinian family live across the street from each other and in reality across a wide political divide, made broader by hatred and anger.

In Honor of Africa will focus on this extremely diverse continent. Conversations on a Sunday Afternoon is an offering from South Africa that explores the lives of the displaced in Johannesburg; Daratt (Dry Season), winner of this year's Special Jury Prize at the Venice Film Festival, takes the viewer to post-Civil War Chad.

Contemporary World Cinema features a wide cross-section of work from filmmakers from all corners of the globe, from Hollywood to Romania, Russia, Iran and Argentina. High-profile films from the segment include For Your Consideration, a mockumentary by Christopher Guest, the director of the hilarious Best in Show and Waiting for Guffman, and Fast Food Nation, from Before Sunrise director Richard Linklater. The film is part thriller, part expose on the horrors of industrial farming.

'Mosaics' features films that did not exactly fit program specifications, but that programmers could not resist. They include Dahlal al-Samt, or Shadow of Silence, a Saudi feature film from a first-time filmmaker.

For further information, please contact:
Majid Wasi
Account Manager
Jiwin
Tel:  +9714 361 3333
Fax: +9714 368 8001
Email: majid.wasi@jiwin.ae

© Press Release 2006