Dubai Culture and Arts Authority supports Gulf Film Festival 2010

The Dubai Culture & Arts Authority (Dubai Culture), announced its support for the Gulf Film Festival (GFF) 2010, held under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Majid Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Chairman of the Dubai Culture and Arts Authority.

With Dubai Culture already extending its support to the Dubai International Film Festival, the support for the Gulf Film Festival is important to its mandate to drive and support key cultural events in the city and nurture the regional film industry,

Gulf Film Festival Director Mr Masoud Amralla Al Ali said that Dubai Culture’s active role in promoting film-making has been vital in creating a fertile foundation for UAE and regional talent to thrive and accomplish tangible results.

“The success of GFF in encouraging regional talent to break the mould and accomplish global success has been underscored with the past two editions. The Festival provides filmmakers with an opportunity to receive recognition for outstanding work, and encourage production of films in the region. We are eager to see the entries for 2010, and proud that our initiative is now in its third year.”

Saeed Al Nabouda, Chief Projects Officer at Dubai Culture said Gulf Film Festival, highlighted the infrastructure support provided by the Authority to promote local film-making talent in UAE and the GCC. “Films, like other cultural forms, open doors for dialogue and cultural interaction. The strong showing of regional talent at the Festival provides an interesting cross-section of stories that offer a glimpse of the Arab world and its people.”

Cinema is one of the most prominent and most sought after artforms, which enjoys strong popularity among the people. GFF offers a platform to showcase the progress achieved by Gulf cinema and provide film-makers in the Gulf a chance to advance their skills by competing against other film-makers. With Dubai being home to over 200 nationalities, film festivals serve as ideal platforms for regional film talent to narrate their stories and educate the world about their cultures.

The second edition of the festival, screened 169 films from 32 countries, and featured 47 world premieres and 18 international premieres. The third edition of the Gulf Film Festival will be held from April 8 to April 14, 2010.