9th Annual Dublin International Arabic Film Festival (DIAFF)
Oscar- nominated film maker, Jim Sheridan and Festival Director Zahara Moufid’s ninth annual Dublin International Arabic Film Festival (DIAFF) opened on Wednesday 23rd November at the Stella cinema Rathmines.
The Arab Irish Chamber are the Main Sponsor of this festival and have been supporting it since its inception in 2014. Zahara Moufid and Jim Sheridan established the festival to allow Irish audiences the opportunity to enjoy some of the best new and classic Arab films ever made. DIAFF has proved to be a great success since its inaugural year in 2014 when movie great, Omar Sharif first opened the festival.
The curtain-raiser to the festival was Gaza Mon Amour which was directed by Palestine born twins, Tarzan Nasser and Arab Nasser and produced by Rashid Abdelhamid. The film is a sweet, dramatic comedy inspired by a true story that took place in Gaza in 2014 when an old fisherman searches for love with the help of a statue of Apollo he found in the sea. This festival features seven films in total with the opening film at the Stella Theatre and the remaining six being shown at the Chester Beatty Library at Dublin Castle.
Ahmad Younis, Secretary General and CEO of the Arab- Irish Chamber of Commerce said, “The AICC has been a sponsor of DIAFF since the festival began in 2014. During this time, we are proud to have been able to share some of our most beloved Arab films with Irish audiences. Our involvement with DIAFF allows us to strengthen our Arab- Irish relationships and helps strengthen both our business and cultural ties. The interest and engagement with Ireland and the Arab world is growing all the time. We know that film has a unique ability to travel, to cross borders and to create an engagement with people of all cultures in a way that other mediums cannot. There is a great selection of films at DIAFF this year with films from all over the Arab world including Egypt, Morocco, Palestine and Saudi Arabia and we look forward to viewing them”
