The Dublin Arabic Film Festival (DAFF), presented by Dubai Duty Free, will run online from the 11-13th December 2020. Five feature-length Arab films will be shown on the Festival’s website www.dublinarabicfilmfestival.com while The Chester Beatty Library in Dublin and the French Embassy will show Arabic/ French films during the festival. The embassy will offer one or two films for free for schools to screen online. The final film programme for DAFF will be announced shortly and audiences should keep an eye on the Festival’s website and social media for details.
Zahara Moufid and Jim Sheridan established DAFF in 2014 in a bid to allow Irish audiences the opportunity to enjoy some of the best new and classic Arab films ever made. The festival, which has been presented and supported since its inception by Dubai Duty Free, has had some very high-profile actors, filmmakers and celebrities involved with it over the years. Legendary, actor Omar Sharif launched the inaugural edition of DAFF in 2014 and was the guest of honour for the duration of the festival. The Egyptian actor was due to return to Ireland for the 2015 festival but sadly died in the summer of 2015. He was subsequently represented by his eponymous grandson, Omar Sharif Junior. Other famous faces who have supported the festival over the years have included The Edge, actress Fionnula Flanagan, singer Damien Dempsey and last year’s patron, Liam Cunningham of ‘Game of Throne’s’ fame.
An additional, exciting element has been added to this year’s film festival, ‘The Jim Sheridan International Short Film Competition’ which has been created by Zahara Moufid and Jim Sheridan in order to inspire young filmmakers around the world. Aspiring filmmakers are invited to submit up to a 20- minute, original short film which explores the themes of Arabic culture, human rights, injustices, immigrant life, displacement, or which helps to create awareness of the plight of underprivileged women and girls. The competition will consider live action, documentaries, and animation of the aforementioned themes. Entrants will have their work viewed and judged by distinguished professionals from the film industry. The last selection of five shorts will be judged by Jim Sheridan, Omar Sharif Jnr and Zahara Moufid. The short films may be viewed online between Fri 22 Jan -Sun 24th Jan 2021 and the winners will be announced on Facebook Live on the eve of the final day.
The overall Short Film Competition winner will win a one-on-one virtual mentoring session with Jim Sheridan and will automatically qualify to screen their work at the Waterford Film Festival in 2021. Runner up prizes will be awarded and all finalists will receive official certificates to mark their achievements. Entry details may be found on www.dublinarabicfilmfestival.com
The pandemic has affected all of us in so many ways, life as we know it has changed utterly and I wonder if we will ever be the same. Film has played an essential role for so many people, particularly through the various lockdowns of 2020. The medium of film provides us with an escape mechanism and in these strange times it’s important to be able to escape, even in our minds and even if just for a short time. We felt this year, was particularly important to run the festival. So many things have been cancelled or postponed we wanted to give people something to look forward to. Additionally, The Short Film Competition will hopefully inspire young filmmakers and I look forward to seeing the submissions.
Jim Sheridan, DAFF President
We are delighted to be in a position to be able to go ahead with the festival and I would like to pay tribute to everyone who has supported us, particularly Dubai Duty Free, The Arab Irish Chamber of Commerce and Dublin City Council who have sponsored us from the very beginning. It’s definitely a challenging year for the film industry and for the arts industry as a whole, however the role of film and its importance for mental health and cultural awareness cannot be underestimated. I am delighted to add two new elements to our festival, The Jim Sheridan International Short Film Competition and our latest collaboration with The French Embassy involving film screenings in schools. We will announce the full schedule and programme of films in the coming weeks and are confident that Irish audiences will enjoy the films as much as we did.
Zahara Moufid, DAFF Festival Director
I am very impressed with the innovation and determination shown by both Jim Sheridan and Zahara Moufid in these challenging times. I would like to congratulate all involved and are once again delighted that Dubai Duty Free is the presenting sponsor of DAFF for the seventh year running.
Colm McLoughlin Executive Vice Chairman and CEO of Dubai Duty Free
The AICC has been a sponsor of DAFF since its inception in 2014. During this time, we have been proud to have been able to share some of our most beloved Arab films with Irish audiences. Our involvement with DAFF allows us to strengthen our Arab- Irish relationships and helps strengthen both our business and cultural ties.
Ahmad Younis, Secretary General and CEO of the Arab- Irish Chamber of Commerce
The French Embassy in Ireland is proud to collaborate again with DAFF. Relations between France and Arab countries are deeply rooted and our cultures are largely intertwined. The films selected are a formidable illustration of this reality. We are grateful to Zahara Moufid and to Jim Sheridan for associating us with this event.
H.E. Vincent Guérend, French Ambassador to Ireland
For more information see www.dublinarabicfilmfestival.com