Dubai International Film Festival (DIFF) has announced the 10th anniversary will run from December 6th through to the 14th, 2013. The 9th edition of the festival saw a 35% increase in public admissions resulting in the highest audience turn-out of over 52,000 film goers for the 158 strong film programme. Held under the patronage of […]
Dubai International Film Festival (DIFF) has announced the 10th anniversary will run from December 6th through to the 14th, 2013. The 9th edition of the festival saw a 35% increase in public admissions resulting in the highest audience turn-out of over 52,000 film goers for the 158 strong film programme.
Held under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, UAE Vice President & Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, DIFF hosted over 1,700 industry delegates and over 1,300 media from 90 countries.
Abdulhamid Juma, DIFF Chairman, said: DIFFs ninth edition delivered a true spectacle of cinematic multiplicity and a showcase of unbridled talent, achieving our goal of increasing awareness of Arab cinema both at home and abroad, while simultaneously developing regional talent to ensure its sustained future. It is thrilling to see our industry initiatives and awards assisting the creation of the filmmakers of the future and the thriving Arab film industry making a true impact on the international festival circuit.
International filmmakers and actors graced the red carpet over the 8 days. DIFF 2012 opened with the Middle East premiere of Life of Pi, attended by the films cast. Celebrity guests throughout the Festival included Academy Award winners Cate Blanchett, Kevin Spacey and Colin Firth, Livia Firth, Frieda Pinto, Rooney Mara, Kirsten Davis and Amr Waked.
The Festival awarded more than USD 600,000 to filmmakers from the UAE, the Arab world, Asia and Africa through its coveted Muhr Awards. In addition, USD 110,000 was distributed in co-production support through the Dubai Film Connection.
Dubai Filmmart, the Festivals trade and distribution platform, hosted 330 films for potential buyers from across the world.
Enjaaz, the Festivals post-production support programme, announced 13 additional films from the Arab world to receive up to US$100,000 each towards helping filmmakers complete their projects.
Since 2009, Enjaaz has supported nearly 50 Arab and Arab-origin films and presented a selection of Enjaaz funded films in DIFFs 2012 line-up across a range of genres including 8 from this years cycles and 9 from 2010 and 2011 cycles.
The IWC Schaffhausen Filmmaker Award was also launched by luxury Swiss watch manufacturer, IWC Schaffhausen and DIFF. The Award offered the financial means to help selected filmmakers transfer their vision to the screen, with a cash prize of USD 100,000. Academy Award winner Cate Blanchett headed the jury to select the winning project, Maysoon Pachachis Nothing Doing in Baghdad.
In a Festival first, DIFF 2012 fans had the unique opportunity to connect with actors and directors via Google+ Hangouts in real time. Those who couldnt attend the Festival enjoyed live coverage of the Festivals opening red carpet via the Festivals live stream on YouTube. In addition, coverage of the Festivals filmmaker panels, interviews and behind-the-scenes footage was made available to the public on the official DIFF YouTube channel.
Another event at DIFF 2012 was the One Night to Change Lives charity auction hosted by DIFF in aid of Dubai Cares and Oxfam. Colin Firth and Livia Firth, Kristin Davis, Rooney Mara and Freida Pinto, attended the event to help raise a total of more than USD 500,000 during the auction, reaffirming the overwhelming success of this charity event for the second successive year.
As DIFF prepares for the decennial edition, Abdulhamid Juma added: We look forward to rolling out the carpet for our 10th year to celebrate the richness of Arab cinema and further introduce audiences to fresh new talent and original, intelligent and distinctive filmmaking. Our 2013 edition will showcase the best of cinema from around the world, offering an opportunity to reflect on the monumental accomplishments and global impact which the Festival has achieved in the past decade.
