The Dubai Culture & Arts Authority (Dubai Culture), which aims to build upon Dubai's status as a multicultural city, will support au upcoming film festival as part if its mandate to drive and support key cultural events in the city.

The third edition of the Gulf Film Festival (GFF) will be held from April 8 to 14 in Dubai.

GFF director 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,” Al Ali said.

“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: “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.”

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. – TradeArabia News Service