According to Variety Janet Fine, Neil Stephenson is about to sue the festival over the termination of his contract in february.Neil Stephenson was instrumental in the establishing of the festival on the map as an important place for bridging the gap of culture between the continents.Herewith the article reproduced from Variety.com"Breaking his silence on whether he'd jumped or been pushed, former Dubai Film Festival chief Neil Stephenson held a tumultuous press conference in Cairo sayin...
As the Dubai International Film Festival (DIFF) gathers momentum for its third edition this December, it is inviting submissions in the categories of features, shorts and documentaries to its new Arab Film Competition. “DIFF has launched an Arab Film Competition in order to fulfill one of its core objectives – showcasing and promoting excellence in Arab cinema,” commented Festival CEO, Neil Stephenson.The Competition satisfies this objective through carefully composed criteria - films must...
Dubai International Film Festival (DIFF) today announced a new segment that will allow filmmakers to compete for jury prizes.Providing details of the competition categories and submission dates, Neil Stephenson, CEO, Dubai International Film Festival said, “DIFF’s decision to add a competitive component is part of the Festival’s strategy to evolve into an important destination for creative excellence in Arab cinema. “DIFF is developing into a major film event and has a responsibility to ...
Dubai is set to play host to the third edition of the Dubai International Film Festival (DIFF) from December 10-17, 2006, the Dubai Technology and Media Free Zone Authority (TECOM) announced today.The Dubai International Film Festival is held under the patronage of the UAE Vice President and Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, and the chairmanship of His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Director of Civil Aviation, Dubai and President o...
International and regional film stars, industry leaders and filmmakers from around the world expected to grace tonight’s red carpet opening gala Months of planning and preparation will culminate in grand style tonight as international celebrities, regional stars and UAE VIPs walk up an 80-metre long red carpet and into the Madinat Jumeirah Arabian Resort at 8pm Sunday (December 11, 2005), to officially open the second Dubai International Film Festival. Lit up by sky trackers and a state-of-the...
The Dubai International Film Festival announced the silver sponsors of DIFF 2005 – Filmworks, Motivate Publishing and Sony. The three silver sponsors, who make up the third tier of corporate participation in DIFF, are from a variety of media-related backgrounds from film production and publishing to technology providers. Festival Director and CEO Neil Stephenson said the DIFF management team was pleased to receive such enthusiastic participation and support from dynamic local companies.“We a...
Dubai Film Festival a Vital Platform in Improving Portrayal of Arabs, Muslims in Mainstream Cinema, Says US ExpertNegative stereotypes unchanged since 9/11, according to Arab-American scholar Dubai, December 5, 2005 – The Dubai International Film Festival can play an integral role in shattering the negative stereotypes of Arabs and Muslims that permeate mainstream American cinema, the world’s leading authority on media stereotyping of Arabs and Muslims has said. Dr. Jack Shaheen, author of t...
Organizers Deliver on Promise of Bigger, Better Second Dubai International Film Festival: DIFF team announces 6 world premieres Seven days, 98 films from 46 countries and a galaxy of the film elite from the Arab world, Asia, Europe and the Americas – the building blocks of the second Dubai International Film Festival generated much excitement today when Festival organizers unveiled the entire 2005 line-up for the first time at DIFF epicenter Madinat Jumeirah. Building rapidly on the success of...
In line with the ‘Cultural Bridge’ theme of the Dubai International Film Festival (DIFF), multi-award winning helmer Albert Brooks’ LOOKING FOR COMEDY IN THE MUSLIM WORLD has been selected to have its world premiere in Dubai on December 15, 2005, as part of the festival’s second edition. DIFF will take place from December 11 – 17, 2005. The comedy will be screened in DIFF’s flagship “Operation Cultural Bridge” section, which underlines the event’s objectives to build cultural b...
The second Dubai International Film Festival (“DIFF”) will be bigger and better than its predecessor, with more and diverse films, a strengthened team of programmers, and changes in ticketing procedures and scheduling, Festival organizers announced at a press conference at the Madinat Jumeirah today. Apart from the enhancements, the 2005 Festival, which will run from December 11 to 17 this year, will retain most of its successful inaugural framework. Mr. Ahmad bin Byat, the Director General ...
First Dubai Film Festival Ends on High Note, Impressing Industry Guests, Local Festival-goers, More than 18,000 screening tickets issued during six-day Festival The first Dubai International Film Festival ended on an upbeat note yesterday, with international celebrities and industry executives complimenting DIFF organizers on a promising and successful first Festival, and Festival-goers praising the diversity of cinema brought to these shores for the first time. More than 13,000 people from arou...
Inaugural festival guests expected to attend include Prince Albert of Monaco, Archbishop Tutu, Morgan Freeman, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Harvey Weinstein, Amitabh Bachchan.The Dubai International Film Festival (DIFF) today announced the program for its inaugural event which will take place December 6-11, 2004.The festival will be held under the patronage of His Highness General Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and UAE Defence Minister and the Chairmanship of His Highness...
Inaugural Dubai International Film Festival aims to build cultural bridgesCultural understanding and international harmony will be the themes of the inaugural Dubai International Film Festival, Dubai Media City’s newly launched film festival scheduled for December 2004 6-11, 2004.To be held under the patronage of His Highness General Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and UAE Defence Minister, the festival will showcase a wide selection of contemporary and classic glo...
