The Dubai International Film Festival (DIFF) topped previous records in its 13th edition, seeing over 60,000admissions and over 4,000 registered industry professionals and media from around the world during the eight-day event.

The dates for DIFF’s 14thedition have been confirmed as December 6 – 13, 2017. The festival will take place at Madinat Jumeirah, the home of DIFF.

The impressive slate of films showcased during the 2016 Festival featured 156 films from 55 countries, including 57 world and international premieres, 73 Mena premieres, 12 Middle East premieres and nine GCC premieres.

The films from its 13th edition have won nine Golden Globe Awards, nine Bafta awards and received 30 Oscar nominations.

The 13th edition bestowed three prestigious Lifetime Achievement Awards, to the American film icon Samuel L. Jackson, the legendary Indian actress Rekha and acclaimed French Lebanese composer Gabriel Yared for their incredible contribution to cinema.

"This year’s edition was spectacular. We saw international films with powerful and unique stories crafted in over 44 languages and from 55 countries,” said DIFF's chairman Abdulhamid Juma, who was honoured by a Distinctive International Arab Festival Award this January for his contribution to Arab cinema.

“DIFF audiences were up to a challenging task to view so many different perspectives and cultures, but they surprised even us with such an overwhelming support from the community who filled the red carpets, special presentations and screenings. It truly captures the spirit of our work at the Festival, to celebrate our differences and discover how similar we are through the powerful medium that is film.

“Centering on the core of DIFF to support the growth of Arab cinema, we screened more than 70 films from across the region, including highly debated topics which sparked discussion and won critical praise at the Festival and abroad. I am also delighted to continue to see the unabated growth of our industry arms – Dubai Film Market and Dubai Film Connection – which this year hosted more than 1,400 delegates to share insights, grow knowledge and further strengthen the work of individuals to their goal of the silver screen,” he added.

New to this year’s offerings was Dubai Investors Club (DIC) at Dubai Film Market, whose successful inaugural year promises further growth in upcoming editions.

The 13th edition also witnessed a brand new Virtual Reality (VR) programme, ‘DIFFerent REALITY’, designed to give Festival-goers a window into the possibilities of virtual reality technology by viewing films in a whole new dimension at the du VR Cinema powered by Samsung, a first for the region ensuring DIFF is at the forefront of bringing the latest and advanced film-making techniques to the Arab world.

Bringing together industry professionals, students and media to forge connections and shine a spotlight on the regional film industry, the Dubai Film Market (DFM), the leading industry platform for Arab cinema and business epicentre of the Festival, welcomed more than 4,000 industry representatives, media and film professionals from 62 countries.

DIFF’s post-production programme Injaz supported 11 extraordinary films in the programme and an additional 9 further feature and short films which will receive fundamental support to help emerging regional talent finalise their works and bring their projects to screens and audiences this year. Since the programme’s inception, more than 140 films have benefitted from the support system provided by Injaz.

DIFF also welcomed members of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA) to the festival following the inaugural event in November which saw the festival present two exceptional Arab films for Golden Globe Award consideration. The HFPA the classic 1964 spaghetti western film ‘A Fistful of Dollars’ which they recently restored to audiences at the BEACH, JBR.

Included amongst the Festival highlights were the free film screenings at The Beach, JBR, whose eight days of enchantment saw crowds flock to be part of the excitement, which included live performances. The D3: DIFF Fashion Forward takeover on the Madinat Arena Red Carpet for the penultimate day of the Festival, was also a fan favourite that featured six local designers showcasing the wide array of talent in the art world and beyond in the United Arab Emirates.

The final day of DIFF featured the esteemed Mohr Awards, which celebrate the best in local and regional short and feature films from the year, held at the Madinat Theatre.

“Throughout the year we will continue to join forces with industry partners to promote local and regional film, and we look forward to welcoming back audiences from near and far to celebrate fresh storytelling, industry achievements and regional and international icons for the 14th edition later this year,” Juma said. – TradeArabia News Service