Trade show will be 'major boost' for film makers

Dubai International Film Festival announces a new programme to help the region's producers pitch projects internationally.

Movies such as Under the Bombs which won the Gold Muhr Award in 2007 will benefit from the launch of the Dubai Film Market.

Dubai // GCC filmmakers will be able to promote their work collectively in the Middle East for the first time during this year's international film festival in Dubai with the launch of a major new initiative. Dubai International Film Festival (Diff) organisers yesterday launched the Dubai Film Market, which will allow film companies to view and trade films from the region during the seven-day festival in December.

Officials said the film market would be an opening for filmmakers to promote their films to major film companies. "We do not have any such market in this entire region, not even close to the region," said Abdulhamid Juma, the chairman at Diff. Talent from the region would get a major boost with a professional platform for trade in films, he added. The film market will assist with the exchange of broadcast and distribution rights, services and product ownership. Authorities said they were already sending out invitations and lobbying with international film companies to participate.

Content providers from across the globe are invited to trade during the Dubai Film Market, which will include all genres of content including feature films, documentaries, short films and films made for television. "We saw that many major companies were a part of Diff last year, and they would certainly be willing to participate this year too," said Ziad Yaghi, the director of Dubai Film Market. A highlight will be the introduction of a new process to acquire film content using Cinetech, a digitised library that helps participants browse and screen through a multitude of film titles. The initial archive will have more than 200 titles, and organisers hope to expand the library each year.

Cinetech categorises all available content under different labels to assist potential buyers and film researchers. It will also assist industry professionals by giving them the opportunity to contact sales agents and the holders of a film's rights. When asked how much trade in films could be expected in comparison to other festivals, Mr Juma said: "It would be unfair to compare the initiative with a festival like Cannes, which has been running for decades. However, considering that there is no such platform at all for filmmakers in this region, it would be a great boost for artists here."

Mr Juma said the film market was designed to establish Dubai as the regional centre for trade of content, which would benefit the rapidly evolving film, media and technology industry. He added that the initiative would also empower buyers and sellers with knowledge and simplify trading transactions. Registration to the Dubai Film Market is free and open to all professional industry participants from around the world including buyers, sales agents, programmers, filmmakers and producers. Market participants are required to obtain a separate accreditation from Diff.

More information is available on the festival website at www. dubaifilmfest.com. @email:[e-mail]