DIFF Unveils ‘Friends Of The Festival' Packages for Arts Patrons

Packages Offer Exclusive Benefits for an Intimate Festival Experience

Dubai, October 17, 2013: The Dubai International Film Festival (DIFF) today revealed the packages for its Friends of the Festival (FOTF) philanthropic programme, designed to engage the UAE's cinephiles by providing a platform for them to become supporters of the arts.

The programme is the first of its kind in the region, though such stakeholder funding platforms are common in festivals and cultural events in North America and Europe.

Friends of the Festival engages cinephiles who are eager to build the film community in Dubai, said DIFF's Managing Director, Shivani Pandya: “The Friends of the Festival are film lovers who are cultural connoisseurs and recognize the importance of events such as DIFF to building a cultural hub here in Dubai. They are a core constituency for us, and as part of our engagement with them, we want to offer them an exclusive Dubai experience, with the opportunity to rub shoulders with the film professionals, celebrities and artists who frequent one of Dubai's most anticipated cultural events each year.”

She continued, “The programme is in its fourth year, and has grown exponentially since then. The Friends of the Festival programme is a game-changer for arts funding in the region, and builds a foundation for a community of arts patrons--a significant growth factor for artistic communities throughout history.”

“Friends of the Festival” packages are now available in four exclusive tiers - DIFF Platinum Partner, DIFF Gold Circle, Patron of DIFF and DIFF Supporter. Friends receive exclusive access to the festival's events, and a glimpse at the inner workings of the UAE's most anticipated event. For full details on each package and ticket purchases please visit www.dubaifilmfest.com, contact DIFF.Customerservice@filmfest.ae or the call centre 363-3456. The tenth edition of DIFF will run from December 6-14, 2013.