Dubai films at Toronto Film Festival

Dubai International Film Festival (DIFF) has declared that two films made by Arab filmmakers and supported by Dubai Film Connection will be screened at the ongoing Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF). TIFF is considered to be one of the most successful and prestigious events in the field of international cinema. It brings forth distinct prominence and global publicity to films that are showcased during the event.

Films that are shown at TIFF were chosen and submitted at the Dubai Film Connection, the co-production market of DIFF, the main objective of which is to inspire the development of film production in the Arab world. The film ‘When I Saw You’ by award winning director Annemarie Jacir which made headlines by winning the Bahrain Film Production Company Award in 2008, has been selected for screening in the distinguished Contemporary World Cinema section at TIFF along with ‘Fidai’ an imaginative and emotive documentary by Damien Ounouri.

Artistic Director of the Dubai International Film Festival, Mosoud Amralla Al Ali said, “Fostering opportunities for Arab filmmakers and supporting the development of the regional film industry are DIFF’s core aims. We are proud that the two films were chosen by the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), one of the most prestigious cinematic events in the world, to showcase the best of Arab cinema and expose the Arab perspective of storytelling to TIFF’s audience.”

Established in 1976, Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) is accredited as the launching pad for scores of artists and filmmakers as the locale where their career got a kick-start and their movies initially reached a responsive audience. Every year, there are 300 diverse films across 60 countries that are screened at the festival.