The Dubai International Film Festival (DIFF) has been certified to ISO 9001: 2008 standards, as confirmed by Lloyd’s Register Quality Assurance (LRQA), making DIFF the only festival in the world to achieve the quality management standard.

The certification, an advance over the festival’s previous three-year ISO 9001: 2000 certification, follows the completion of a stringent onsite audit and verification process.

The recertification, to the highest existing International Organization for Standardizations (ISO) guidelines, will ensure all DIFF stakeholders – including filmgoers, filmmakers, suppliers, sponsors, staff and media – experience consistently high customer satisfaction levels in their interactions with the Festival.

“ISO certification is rarely if ever sought out by film festivals. We have historically taken this extra step voluntarily to ensure all our processes adhere to global best practices, and are geared towards delivering the best possible results for us and all our partners and visitors,” said Abdulhamid Juma, DIFF chairman.

“The resources, time and energy we invest in the annual ISO audits, now and continuously over the next three years, will ensure we operate as effectively and efficiently as possible.”

Brian Baxter, service delivery manager UAE for Lloyd’s Register Quality Assurance, said: “It is very unique for a cultural event like the Dubai International Film Festival to seek and receive ISO certification.”

“It is certainly a measure of internal and external effectiveness, and speaks volumes for the manner in which the Festival values its audiences, from customers to shareholders,” he added.

LRQA assessors examined all aspects of the festival’s customer relationship management, staffing, operations, supplier relationships and internal processes over several months before approving the DIFF certification this week.

Meanwhile, DIFF has now opened entries for the eighth edition of the festival to be held from December 7 to 14. Filmmakers from the Arab world, Asia, and Africa can submit their projects at dubaifilmfest.com by August 31, it said in a statement. – TradeArabia News Service