Endearing ‘Muppets,’ Peter Gabriel and Sicilian musicians take centre stage at DIFF

Friday (December 9, 2011) promises a world of fun for the little ones and music lovers at the eighth Dubai International Film Festival. While the young and young at heart can revel in the world of The Muppets, which makes its red carpet gala at 3 pm at the Madinat Arena, music lovers can discover the world of the legendary Peter Gabriel returning to the stage with an innovative performance with Peter Gabriel: New Blood – Live in London, to be screened in 3D, at 10 pm, at the same venue. Read more

DIFF Volunteer Recruitment to be held second week of November

Volunteer recruitment drives for the eighth Dubai International Film Festival, held under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, UAE Vice President & Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, will be held from November 12 to 14, 2011, at the Knowledge Village auditorium.

The three volunteer sessions will offer hundreds the opportunity to be part of the anticipated December 7 to 14 event.

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DIFF announces annual painting competition for school students

  The Dubai International Film Festival, the leading film festival in the region, held under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, UAE Vice President & Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, has announced its annual painting competition for school students.

Students aged 5 to 12 years from schools across Dubai and the UAE can submit their paintings, drawings, or posters, in any medium including watercolours, acrylic and oil paints, and crayons, under the theme ‘What’s your favourite movie and what did you learn from it?’ Read more

Dubai Film Market selects Arab titles for post-production funds

• New slate includes films from Egypt, Morocco, Lebanon, Palestine, Jordan
• Enjaaz supports 22 features, documentaries in three years

Enjaaz, the post-production fund of the Dubai International Film Festival’s Dubai Film Market, today provided a first look at 12 of the most promising upcoming films from the Arab world and Arab filmmakers. The announcement coincides with the debut of another Enjaaz film, Habibi Rasak Kharban, at the 36th Toronto International Film Festival.

The 12 titles, which include features and documentaries from Egypt, Morocco, Lebanon, Palestine and Jordan, have been shortlisted from more than 110 entries received from more than 17 countries. The post-production fund selects up to 15 films in production annually to receive up to US$100,000 each to help Arab and Arab-origin filmmakers bridge the gap between production and a screen-ready product. Read more

DIFF 2011 Career Fair to offer short-term vacancies for UAE residents, nationals

Opportunities on offer across Festival operations from registration to red carpet

The Dubai International Film Festival, one of the most anticipated events on the UAE’s cultural and social calendar, is offering UAE residents and nationals the opportunity to join its ranks and deliver an outstanding 2011 edition. The eighth edition of the Dubai International Film Festival will be held from December 7 to 14, 2011.

The Festival’s annual Career Fair, which showcases an array of short-term vacancies across DIFF operations from front of stage to back office, will be held from 10 am to 7 pm on Thursday, September 15, at the Knowledge Village Conference Centre. The DIFF team will lead two presentations at 10am and 3pm for prospective applicants. Read more

Dubai International Film Festival wins two Stevie® awards

The Dubai International Film Festival (DIFF), organised under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, UAE Vice President & Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, has won two awards at the eighth annual International Business Awards.

The leading film festival in the region was named ‘Distinguished Honouree’ in the IBA’s Best Consumer Event category, underlining its top-notch programme, operations and facilities. Other finalists in the category included organisations in Spain, South Korea and Turkey. Read more

Dubai International Film Festival ISO 9001:2008 certified

• Rigorous continuing audit will ensure better customer, partner, supplier experiences

The Dubai International Film Festival (DIFF) has been certified to ISO 9001: 2008 standards, as confirmed by Lloyd’s Register Quality Assurance (LRQA). The certification, an advance over the Festival’s previous three-year ISO 9001: 2000 certification, makes DIFF the only known festival in the world to seek and achieve the quality management standard. Read more

DIFF honourees shine at Cannes Film Festival

Talented filmmakers from Egypt, who won honour and recognition at various editions of the Dubai International Film Festival (DIFF), are leading the country’s first-ever special tribute at Cannes Film Festival.

To be held from May 11 to 22, the prestigious Cannes Film Festival is hosting Egypt as its first-ever annual country of honour setting a new tradition of welcoming a guest country every year. To celebrate the Egyptian presence at Cannes, the festival will host a screening of 18 jours – a series of short films by leading Egyptian directors, actors and writers, based on the January 25 uprising in Egypt. The screening will be held on May 18, and all proceeds from the film will be donated for promotion education missions in the rural areas of Egypt. Read more

DIFF opens ‘Rhythm & Reels’ screenings for free to the public at The Walk, JBR

Following the overwhelming response to the opening day screening of ‘The King’s Speech’ – the inaugural gala film of the seventh Dubai International Film Festival (DIFF) – the management of DIFF has opened all ‘Rhythm & Reel’ screenings for free to the public.

DIFF introduced The Walk at JBR as a new venue for the festival, where the opening ceremony of the festival and the opening gala film were telecast live. Hundreds of movie-lovers thronged the venue to watch the glittering opening ceremony and the much-acclaimed Colin Firth movie. Read more

75 children win tickets to Dubai International Film Festival through annual painting competition

Seventy-five children from around the UAE have won red carpet gala tickets for their families or screening tickets to the Dubai International Film Festival through DIFF’s 2010 painting competition, the Festival announced today.

Impressed by the creative outlook of children from around the country, DIFF this year expanded the prizes to include 51 runners-up, who will each receive two tickets to films in the Festival’s ‘Cinema for Children’ programme.

In addition, each of the top 24 winners receives a family invitation for four to the Cinema for Children red carpet gala screening – this year The Nutcracker in 3-D on Friday, December 17 – and their painting is reproduced in the annual DIFF calendar. Other films in the Cinema for Children programme this year include The Magic Tree, The Magic Silver, Oblivion Island and Eleanor’s Secret. Read more

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