Four documentaries from the Dubai International Film Festival (DIFF) and the recently concluded Gulf Film Festival (GFF) will screen this week in Toronto as part of a major festival, conference and market.

The films to be screened at the Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival include two focused on the Arab world and three UAE co-productions.

“The Dubai International Film Festival and Gulf Film Festival work hard to showcase the best in cinema from the Arab world, Asia and Africa,” said Masoud Amralla Al Ali, DIFF artistic director.

“We are proud to see four of our films selected for this prestigious festival, and proud to serve as a stepping stone for regional filmmakers to take their talent to a global audience.”

The Hot Docs festival will be held until May 8, and includes more than 150 cutting-edge documentaries from around the globe.

The seventh edition of the Dubai International Film Festival screened 157 films from 57 countries, and was held from December 12 to 19, 2010. DIFF 2010 included 41 world premieres, 13 international premieres, 58 Middle East premieres and 32 Gulf premieres.

The fourth edition of the Gulf Film Festival ran from January 14 to 20, and featured 153 films from 31 nations. – TradeArabia News Service