Unfortunately, Dubai — one of the most beautiful and developed cities in Eurasia, despite the culture and diversity of the city, as well as the rapidly spreading values of tolerance, harmony and peace — still does not have a Jewish film festival.

For the third millennium, Jews have been scattered all over the world. It is not surprising, therefore, that films with Jewish themes are made in a wide variety of countries, and specialized festivals gather and show the most relevant films for their region.

The Concept

Today, the most iconic and influential Jewish film festivals are held in America — the world’s oldest Jewish film festival in San Francisco — the San Francisco Jewish Film Festival, founded in 1980, the Miami Jewish Film Festival and the Toronto Jewish Film Festival.

The Dubai Jewish Film Festival aims to be the first international Jewish film festival in the Middle East and one of the largest and most important film festivals in the world.

The Dubai Jewish Film Festival is an introduction to professional Jewish cinema, an opportunity to see films that have not been screened in the UAE before and to engage with their producers as well as international specialists in local and international cinema. The Festival aims to bring together the best pictures of the recent years dealing with Jewish themes and show them in a single program.

The organization of such a festival will confirm the uniqueness of the UAE and its leadership in the progressive Arab world.

The Dubai Jewish Film Festival is an appeal to cinematography to attract the attention of international audiences to the global dialogue of national communities and to create new connections between people of different nations and religions.

Jewish film festivals exist all over the world — in London and New York, Toronto and Berlin, Miami and Lisbon.