Dubai International Film Festival has come a long way

Eleven years after it opened a window to the region and put Dubai on the world’s film map, the Dubai International Film Festival (DIFF) is on its way to becoming a positive eventful catalyst for the region’s movie industry. DIFF has covered much ground since its inception in 2004, showcased a swathe of Arab talent, which has gone on to garner international attention and acclaim, and attracted an impressive A-list of international movie industry stalwarts to grace its red carpet year after year. The many awards that DIFF has instituted promote local, regional and international movie talent and the event is gaining increasing respect as an arbiter of quality cinema.

The path forward for DIFF is to be able to champion, more vigorously, the broader emergence of local and regional film-making. Arab cinema, as a reflection of Arab history, heritage and its peoples, both in the region and around the world, is enviably advantaged to make its imprint on the movie consciousness of the global audience. The Arab voice and perspective need to be an integral part of world cinematic history for posterity and the shoots of the Arab film industry, nascent at present, are immensely promising of a giant growth. It is important that the diverse aspects and prerequisites of movie-making, an art-craft that is as dependant on human imagination as it is on technology and monetary resources, be made abundantly available to aspirants here. Pivotal events like DIFF, with its influence and reach, can be the impetus to accelerate this change.