The Dubai International Film Festival (Diff) will host a special event celebrating filmmakers, who are resident in Sharjah, at Maraya Art Centre on November 3.

The evening will feature screenings of eight short films and a Q & A session with the filmmakers.

Opening with a reception at 7pm, the evening will feature screenings from the emirate's best up and coming filmmakers, some of whom have been feted at festivals around the world, a statement from Diff said.

“It is a wonderful opportunity to meet and offer support to young filmmakers,” said artistic director Masoud Amralla Al Ali. “Community outreach is an important part of Diff as we strive to nurture a vibrant cinema culture here in the UAE. As an extension of our monthly 'Film Buzz' series at the Pavilion in Dubai, the Maraya Art Centre event will shine a light on new talents that are offering unique and special points of view.”

Giuseppe Moscatello, Maraya Art Centre Manager, said: “Culture and art are inextricable. Every artist is a product of his or her time, culture, and society and there are few media as adept at capturing the interplay between artist and environment as film. With its rich cultural traditions the Sharjah forms an exceptional backdrop for exploring the talents of the region and we are very pleased to be able to throw the spotlight on emirate’s amazing emerging film talent through this unique event.”

There are eight films slated to screen on the night, including Maryam Al Serkal's London in a Headscarf, which won an appreciation certificate from Diff in 2011. Fresh from Cannes 2012 Mahya Soltani's Sweet and Sour Like a Pomegranate, which also participated in GFF last April, will delight with its charming animation style, the statement said.

Several films offer commentary on the culture and way of life of the Emirates: Fatima Ibrahim's short documentary Rabbit Hole analyses the phenomenon of young Arabs becoming alienated from their own culture, while Maysoon Al Ali's Nations and Tribes, also a short documentary, follows a diverse group of subjects in the UAE, underscoring the similarities of cultures through their day to day rituals.

On the fiction side, Embodiment by Maram Ashour offers a visual metaphor of identity, and Perfume of the Rain, by Talal Mahmood and Alya Al Shamsi, celebrates life and hope. Talal Mahmood's Abeer is the tale of a simple girl, while Sarah Al Agroobi's The Forbidden Fruit follows two Westernised young adults who are unaware that they will soon meet for a potential arranged marriage. – TradeArabia News Service