The glitz, glamour and celebrity appearances will make the headlines when the Dubai International Film Festival (DIFF) rolls into town next month.
From December 6 to 14, Madinat Jumeirah will come alive as the world’s media descend on a red carpet awash with famous faces from the movie business.
However, George Clooney, Owen Wilson and Gerard Butler aside, it’s often the stories playing out during the other 356 days of the year that truly represent the success of this annual event.
“People ask what we do for the rest of year,” said the DIFF managing director Shivani Pandya. “The festival takes place in December, but for the other 11 months of the year, we are working behind the scenes to expand the film market for the benefit of all.”
The Dubai Film Market (DFM) is best described as the “festival engine”, according to Jane Williams, the director of DIFF’s Film Connection & Film Forum.
Running concurrently with DIFF, DFM attracts hundreds of industry professionals from all over the globe every year and offers co-production, post-production, trade and distribution support, panel discussions and workshops, as well as numerous networking sessions aimed at raising the visibility of filmmakers from the region.
“It’s the business centre of DIFF and business never sleeps,” says Williams. “It is the behind-the-scenes segment of the festival.”
Since its inception in 2010, DFM has supported more than 240 regional and international projects by way of either funding, expertise or by connecting parties. This figure incorporates DIFF’s post- production fund, Enjaaz, which has helped fund 84 films, 67 of which have been realised, including Baghdad Messi, Wadjda and Cairo Exit.
New to DFM for 2013, to celebrate a decade of DIFF, is Dubai Docs, a pilot project to raise awareness of and interest in creative documentary filmmakers in the Arab world.
“It’s one of the most popular genres of filmmaking, yet one of the hardest to get funding for,” says Williams. “The hope is Dubai Docs will plug another gap we have identified in the market.”
Dubai Docs will train seven regional directors in the art of pitching their projects before they face potential investors.
“We are seeing festivals around the world showcasing more and more Arab talent and we know we’ve played a part in that,” says Pandya. “It makes working for 365 days a year worth it.”
• For more information, visit www.dubaifilmfest.com
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At a glance
Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year
Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month
Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30
Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse
Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth
Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances
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The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
Where to buy
Limited-edition art prints of The Sofa Series: Sultani can be acquired from Reem El Mutwalli at www.reemelmutwalli.com
Fight card
Bantamweight
Siyovush Gulmamadov (TJK) v Rey Nacionales (PHI)
Lightweight
Alexandru Chitoran (ROM) v Hussein Fakhir Abed (SYR)
Catch 74kg
Tohir Zhuraev (TJK) v Omar Hussein (JOR)
Strawweight (Female)
Weronika Zygmunt (POL) v Seo Ye-dam (KOR)
Featherweight
Kaan Ofli (TUR) v Walid Laidi (ALG)
Lightweight
Leandro Martins (BRA) v Abdulla Al Bousheiri (KUW)
Welterweight
Ahmad Labban (LEB) v Sofiane Benchohra (ALG)
Bantamweight
Jaures Dea (CAM) v Nawras Abzakh (JOR)
Lightweight
Mohammed Yahya (UAE) v Glen Ranillo (PHI)
Lightweight
Alan Omer (GER) v Aidan Aguilera (AUS)
Welterweight
Mounir Lazzez (TUN) Sasha Palatnikov (HKG)
Featherweight title bout
Romando Dy (PHI) v Lee Do-gyeom (KOR)
Brief scores:
Toss: Nepal, chose to field
UAE 153-6: Shaiman (59), Usman (30); Regmi 2-23
Nepal 132-7: Jora 53 not out; Zahoor 2-17
Result: UAE won by 21 runs
Series: UAE lead 1-0
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Name: Dr Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
The 10 Questions
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- How did it all begin?
- What is inside a black hole?
- Can we predict the future?
- Is time travel possible?
- Will we survive on Earth?
- Is there other intelligent life in the universe?
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- Will artificial intelligence outsmart us?
- How do we shape the future?
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Game Changer
Director: Shankar
Stars: Ram Charan, Kiara Advani, Anjali, S J Suryah, Jayaram
Rating: 2/5
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'The worst thing you can eat'
Trans fat is typically found in fried and baked goods, but you may be consuming more than you think.
Powdered coffee creamer, microwave popcorn and virtually anything processed with a crust is likely to contain it, as this guide from Mayo Clinic outlines:
Baked goods - Most cakes, cookies, pie crusts and crackers contain shortening, which is usually made from partially hydrogenated vegetable oil. Ready-made frosting is another source of trans fat.
Snacks - Potato, corn and tortilla chips often contain trans fat. And while popcorn can be a healthy snack, many types of packaged or microwave popcorn use trans fat to help cook or flavour the popcorn.
Fried food - Foods that require deep frying — french fries, doughnuts and fried chicken — can contain trans fat from the oil used in the cooking process.
Refrigerator dough - Products such as canned biscuits and cinnamon rolls often contain trans fat, as do frozen pizza crusts.
Creamer and margarine - Nondairy coffee creamer and stick margarines also may contain partially hydrogenated vegetable oils.
