Dubai International Film Festival (DIFF), which began on Friday, has reached a milestone as it celebrates a decade of growth in scale, quality and range of films. But there is another reason that puts focus on the event more prominently than ever: it opened with an Arabic-language film.
To be sure, the objective of the film festivals in the UAE is broadly two-fold: projecting the country as a filmmaking destination, as well as augmenting the development of local and regional films.
This country has long established itself as a market for foreign films. Only in recent years, however, has it seen a rise in locally produced films, with Emiratis and Arabs getting ever more involved in every aspect of the craft, from writing to directing, thanks to the impetus the UAE has provided to the industry. That the festival – which will showcase more than 100 Arab films – opened with Omar, directed by Hany Abu Assad, a Dutch-Palestinian, makes a spirited statement in that regard.
Despite the fact that this region has never been short of talent and enthusiasm, people from other parts of the world rarely get an opportunity to enjoy films depicting Arab culture, tradition, history and landscapes. The Dubai festival makes a good start in that.
