The Dubai International Film Festival will return on December 8, 2027, with its first edition under its new phase dedicated to celebrating films and filmmakers from across the Middle East.
The announcement was made by Mona Ghanem Al Marri, Vice Chairperson and Managing Director of the Dubai Media Council and President of the Dubai Press Club, at the Arab media summit
The festival, which will come under the umbrella of Dubai Media, is being relaunched more than two decades after its first edition in 2004, when it was established with a vision to position Dubai as a gateway for Arab cinema to the world and bring filmmakers, industry professionals and cultures together.
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Over its 14-year run, the festival became one of the region’s prominent cinema platforms, opening opportunities for hundreds of Arab talents and productions and contributing to putting Dubai and the UAE on the global cinema map, Al Marri said.
The festival’s return is also being positioned as part of a wider push to develop Dubai’s cinema and production sector and build a more competitive creative economy.
Al Marri said the ambition goes beyond organizing the festival, with Dubai seeking to contribute to the growth of the film industry, discover a new generation of creators and establish the city as a place where Arab stories can begin and reach global audiences.
She described the relaunch as a new chapter in a journey that began in 2004, saying the festival would now help take stories from Dubai and the UAE, and from across the region, to the world.
The festival previously attracted high-profile premieres and distinguished guests from the global film industry. Among its notable premieres were Slumdog Millionaire in 2008 and The King’s Speech in 2010, both of which went on to win the Academy Award for Best Picture.
Source: Khaleej Times