Dubai International Film Festival to return in December 2027

Dubai is getting its film festival back.

The Dubai International Film Festival will return with a new edition starting Dec. 8, 2027, almost a decade after its last outing, as reported by Variety.

The revival was announced by Mona Ghanem Al Marri during the Arab Media Summit. Al Marri is vice chairperson and managing director of the Dubai Media Council, the organisation that oversees media development in the emirate.

The relaunched event will put Arab cinema at its centre. Its stated aim is to support Dubai's growth as a base for making film and television, work that includes attracting location shoots, crews and post-production business to the city.

That is a narrower brief than the old festival had at its peak. The original event launched in 2004 and grew into a broad international showcase. Its programme archive notes more than 150 films from over 50 countries, according to the Dubai International Film Festival.

The last edition was held in December 2017. It closed with Star Wars: The Last Jedi, the Disney space epic that played as its final-night title.

A few months later, organisers said the festival would end its existing format and pursue a new strategy, as reported by Variety in April 2018. The event was then shuttered in 2018, after 14 years on the calendar. No edition has been held since.

It has stayed away for eight years. That is a long gap in festival life.

What makes this return stand out is the calendar slot. Festivals are markets as well as screenings. Sales agents bring finished films and early footage. Buyers from cinemas and streaming services decide what gets picked up for release. A December date in Dubai gives filmmakers from the region another shop window late in the year, when awards season is under way and programmers are locking in titles for the months ahead.

The focus on Arab cinema points to local talent first. For the wider industry, the production-hub ambition matters too. A festival brings directors, producers and financiers to one place. Deals for shoots and studio facilities often start with those face-to-face meetings.

There are still blanks to fill. The management team for the new festival has yet to be announced. Former managing director Shivani Pandya Malhotra, who led the original event, is not involved in the relaunch.

For audiences, this means a wait. December 2027 is more than a year away. Details on the programme, venues and how to attend will follow closer to the opening date.