The dream merchant

Top Stories

The dream merchant
Shivani Pandya, managing director of the Dubai International Film Festival.

Shivani Pandya has been instrumental in the launch of key strategic initiatives at DIFF

By Muhammad Riaz Usman

  • Follow us on
  • google-news
  • whatsapp
  • telegram

Published: Sat 3 Dec 2016, 7:19 PM

Last updated: Sat 3 Dec 2016, 9:25 PM

Shivani Pandya, managing director of the Dubai International Film Festival (DIFF), holds the mandate to direct strategic and operational aspects of the festival.
DIFF is the leading film festival in the region and since it was established in 2004, has served as an influential platform for Arab filmmakers and talent at an international level by spearheading the cinema industry in the region.
Shivani has been with the festival since its inception, working closely with all departments to deliver an event that appeals to the cross section of audiences living in Dubai and the UAE while attracting global attention and appreciation.
"Every year our audiences are growing with over 55,000 admissions, filmmakers and cinema-lovers uniting to celebrate the world of film in the 12th edition of the DIFF, which took place last year from December 9-16, 2015," she said.
In comparison to the likes of Cannes and Berlin, DIFF is still an evolving festival, yet it has its own unique charm. DIFF offers the opportunity to feel the pulse of the Arab world and a fascinating window in this part of the world through a slate of 70 Arab titles.
"DIFF is an international film festival with an Arab heart and I think that defines us. Every year we showcase the very best of Arab cinema from emerging and established talent from the Arab world. We strive to nurture and foster growth in the industry and over the past 12 years we have been recognised as a pillar for Arab cinema," Shivani said.
Shivani has been instrumental in the launch of key strategic initiatives at DIFF including The Dubai Film Market and bringing charitable organisations such as amfAR Cinema against AIDS and Oxfam to Dubai.
"Many nurturing projects have been launched in a bid to discover burgeoning talent that bring stories from a diverse variety of filmmakers to the screen. The highly competitive Muhr programme was established in 2006 to recognize and reward exceptional Arab talent and cinema, which has distributed over 280 awards."
"2007 marked the launch of the Dubai Film Market to raise the visibility of Arab cinema in the region and across the globe, supporting over 300 projects since its inception. With successful collaborations, such as our partnership with IWC Schaffhausen, we have launched multiple awards, including the IWC Award four years ago, which offers a generous $100,000 cash prize presented to a winning feature-length fiction film project in development by directors from the Gulf region," Shivani said.
The Dubai Film Market welcomed more than 3,300 industry representatives, media and film professionals last year and the Dubai Film Connection (DFC) awarded funds and partnership opportunities to help regional filmmakers bring their work to the silver screen.
"The Dubai Film Market's post-production initiative, Enjaaz has supported 127 films to date including over 70 Arab films, short films and documentaries, which have earned critical acclaim. I am pleased to watch them continue to succeed at international festivals around the globe and see a growing presence at the Oscars, Golden Globes and BAFTAs," Shivani said.
Shivani's business insights clubbed with her approach towards enhancing the rapidly evolving film community in the UAE have been central to her success. Shivani is credited with contributing to the development of strategic direction for nurturing the local film industry and establishing Dubai's position amongst the international film community.
Last year DIFF showcased 134 feature films, short films and documentaries from 60 countries in 40 languages which populated the Arab and Emirati competitions, as well as its out-of-competition segments dedicated to children, the Arab world and cinema from around the globe.
"We have a very thorough submissions procedure and every year we are overwhelmed with thousands of entries. To submit a feature, documentary or short films for our highly contested Muhr competition filmmakers should be of Arab nationality or origin. The stakes are high, and this is an exceptional time for Arab cinema with many Arab films excelling at award ceremonies including the Oscars and the BAFTA's and winning the highest honours at prestigious film festivals such as Cannes and Berlin," Shivani said.
DIFF's Muhr competition is playing a fundamental role in unearthing burgeoning filmmakers and supporting Arab cinema to guarantee local talent remains firmly in the international spotlight. DIFF's critically acclaimed out-of-competition sections present the very best of cinema from around the world.
"We have a team of programmers who cherry pick the most anticipated titles of the year, serving as a testament to the excellence of DIFF's programming, the 12th edition film line-up received 21 Oscar nominations which included a nod for Basil Khalil's 'Ave Maria' which won Best Muhr Short in DIFF's prestigious competition," she said.
Shivani said that every year DIFF gets bigger and better.
"With ambitions to adapt and expand within the Dubai Film Market, this year we are introducing virtual reality storytelling into the programme, from the globes most thrilling VR (virtual reality) creators. We take pride in developing our community activities, with our free screenings at The Beach JBR proving greatly successful.
"This year we have also introduced 'The Road to DIFF', for fans offering them to be the first to see some of the year's most exciting new films in style. Through new partnerships both locally and international we can bring fresh ideas and events to engage our audiences. Our 13th edition which will run from December 7-14 2016 is shaping up really well, so I urge film fans to keep checking our website diff.ae for updates over the coming months," she concluded.
- riaz@khaleejtimes.com
 


More news from