Diff 2016: Meet the volunteers

The Dubai International Film Festival is by no means a small event. Guests pour in through every door, all needing staff guidance. Complex equipment needs to be set up with a skilled worker behind it, pushing the right buttons at the right time. It sounds taxing but many hands make it work and that is where Diff’s passionate volunteers come in.

But what motivates them to come to work every morning? Perhaps it is their love for film.

Everyone has that one film. It may be that animated film you obsessed over as a child or that romance you loved as a preteen. That is because film has a magical way of impacting viewers and showing us new viewpoints.

For Nepalese Diff volunteer Nikki, who works within Diff’s extensive security, that one film is Mera Naam Joker.

“It shows the different aspects of a circus clown’s life and how even though he was suffering terribly, he had to put on a show for the people,” said Nikki.

For another Diff volunteer, Akram, who was busy controlling the Giga Works headset and chair, it is Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children.

“I loved that it taught you that we are all different and we all can achieve so much,” said Akram, who is from India.

For our very own young journalist contender, William Fewtrell, it was the movie American Beauty that made him see the “beauty in life”.

Diff has acted as a platform for volunteers and film fans to get close to the action and work within their passion, just by meeting new people or gaining experience in the industry’s newest technology.

Many are now eager to watch the new movies Diff is screening, including the Bollywood premiere of Befikre, the wistful musical La La Land and the long-awaited Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.

Perhaps one of these stories, and of course others from the diverse list of screenings, will be someone else’s new favourite.

The constant energetic and enthusiastic atmosphere is what drives this festival, and we have the volunteers to thank for that.

While it may be within a stunning hotel and have all the latest film equipment, the Dubai International Film Festival would be not be the same without its team of volunteers.

For more information: dubaifilmfest.com

— The Young Journalist Award (YJA) at Diff is a training programme for high school students who are aspiring writers and reporters. Eight students are competing at the festival this year between December 7-14. One winner will secure a month-long internship with Gulf News.