DIFF AND GFF FILMS SHOWCASE AT ARAB CINEMAS FESTIVAL/IMA'GIMA IN PARIS

Dubai, June 27, 2013: The Dubai International Film Festival (DIFF) is supporting Arab Cinemas Festival/IMA'GIMA, a festival of Arab cinema organised by the Society CommNprod International and the Arab World Institute (IMA) for the second year running in Paris from 28th June through to 3rd July at IMA Rafik Hariri Auditorium.

Director Ibrahim El Batout and Amr Waked will open the Festival with the multi-award winning Egyptian film Winter of Discontent which screened to rave reviews at the 9th Dubai International Film Festival and won Amr Waked the Muhr Arab Feature: Best Actor award for his compelling performance.

The second edition of Arab Cinemas Festival/IMA'GIMA designed in close association CommNprod International presents an emotional and quality programme, considering the most recent evolutions within societies in the Arab world.

The Festival will showcase over 30 works, ranging from short and feature films, documentaries and animated films from emerging and established filmmakers from the Middle East and North Africa. Included in the line-up is a selection of films that were screened and won awards at the Dubai International Film Festival (DIFF) and Gulf Film Festival (GFF) from and about the Arab world that showcase perspectives on Arab people, culture, art, history and politics.

Many of the films will make their French premieres at Arab Cinemas Festival/ IMA'GIMA including a number of world premieres.  The Arab world is well represented with a diverse and unique collection of films from the Maghreb, Mashriq, Gulf, and the Nile Valley to Sudan. The young audience has not been forgotten, with the screening of six short films designed for them.        

Many of the writers, directors, producers and actors of these films will be attending the festival and will participate in various debates, round tables, workshops enriching further the program of this event including Ibrahim El Batout, Amr Waked, Mahmoud Ben Mahmoud, Sami Tlili, Fadi G. Haddad, Aseel Mansour, Lahcen Zinoun along with a number of major actors who will be in attendance.

Nayla Abdul-Khalek Director of the Society CommNprod International said: “Our mission is to open the doors of opportunity to filmmakers, to provide a platform for them to showcase their work and nurture and develop them further. The image of the Arab nations that the world sees everyday is not always accurate and through presenting films from talented Arab filmmakers we can do justice to the diversity and humanity of the Arab people and the reality and richness of our history and culture.  IMAG'IMA and DIFF along with the other partners all sharing the same objectives will do our utmost to further accelerate the production, distribution and promotion of Arab films.”

Jack Lang, President of the Institut de Monde Arabe (IMA) declared: “If the cinema is to fully recover its place in the Institut de Monde Arabe programme, the new Arab Cinemas Festival/Imag'IMA marks an important milestone.”

Masoud Amralla Al Ali, Artistic Director, Dubai International Film Festival, commented: “As we approach our 10th year of the Dubai International Film Festival we have witnessed a remarkable increase in talented and passionate filmmakers and a progressive evolution of a vibrant Arab film industry. Arab Cinemas Festival/IMA'GIMA is a great opportunity for emerging and established talents to showcase their work on a global stage and we look forward to a long and productive partnership with IMA'GIMA to further develop relationships between France and the Arab world.”