Submissions are now open for the Dubai Film Connection (DFC), a co-production market that allows Arab filmmakers to network with industry experts during the 14th Dubai International Film Festival. Diff will this year run between December 6-13.
DFC, celebrating its tenth year anniversary, has showcased over 135 film projects, 56 of which have since been completed.
Feature-length and non-fiction projects that are in development by those of Arab nationality or origin are eligible for submission online until August 1. The selected filmmakers will be exposed to regional and international film backers over the course of three days at Diff. Past successes include Divines, directed by Houda Benyamina, which screened at the Cannes Film Festival, Ghost Hunting, directed by Raed Andoni, which won a documentary prize this year at Berlin International Film Festival, When I Saw You, directed by Annemarie Jacir, selected as the Palestinian entry for the Best Foreign Language Oscar and the winner of Best Asian Film at the 63rd Berlin International Film Festival, as well as Wadjda by Haifaa Al Mansour, which was nominated for a BAFTA.
“Over the last 10 years, we have seen an increase in the number of Arab films featuring at major film festivals and many are securing theatrical releases and enjoying commercial success,” said Shivani Pandya, Diff’s managing director.
In addition, submissions for the Muhr competition for fiction and non-fiction feature and short films that originate from the UAE or the Arab world are now open, until August 31. Monetary prizes will be awarded to the winners across several categories, including Mahr Feature, Mahr Short, Mahr Gulf Short and Mahr Emirati.
