Filmmakers from the Arab world, Asia and Africa with films, whose subjects are related to their regions, are eligible to submit their films to participate in the competition. Films must have been produced after September 1, 2009. Deadline for submissions is August 31, 2010.

DIFF welcomes submissions from all around the world. In addition to the large selection of Arab cinema, the festival's programme is varied, diverse and equally inclusive of films originating from countries with emerging cinema movements and those with more established traditions of filmmaking.

The festival presents unprecedented opportunities to filmmakers from the region, as it provides them an excellent platform to premiere their films to a significant gathering of international industry professionals and media.

Taking into account the entire filmmaking process, DIFF has launched initiatives that support directors at every stage of the production cycle.
Filmmakers from the Arab world can present their projects, when in a stage of development, or a work-in-progress to key international industry figures at the Dubai Film Connection.

Arab, Asian and African filmmakers can submit their films to participate in the festival's Muhr competition that presents 28 awards and more than US$550,000 in prize money.

-Muhr Arab & Emirati Awards
-Muhr AsiaAfrica Awards
-Out of Competition

The Muhr awards for Arab, Emirati, Asian and African cinema
Since its inception in 2006, the Muhr Arab Awards has honoured 65 filmmakers and talents and facilitated in raising the awardees' profile at an international level.

In 2008, the Muhr Awards introduced a competition for cinema from Asia and Africa. The Muhr AsiaAfrica Awards recognises the perseverance and talent of young and independent filmmakers from emerging and established cinematic traditions.

To encourage Emirati filmmakers in their bid to reach a high standard of cinematic excellence, the Muhr Awards announces a competition specifically for directors from the United Arab Emirates.

Adjudicated by a prestigious international jury, the Muhr Awards competitions present 31 awards and distribute prize money of more than US$575,000 in the categories of short films, features and documentaries. The awards honour outstanding work in the areas of filmmaking, scriptwriting, acting, cinematography, editing and music.

In 2009, entries from more than 60 countries across the Arab world, Asia and Africa vied for top honours. The Muhr Arab competition drew 437 submissions, while the Muhr AsiaAfrica competition, only in its second year, attracted more than 510 entries. The tremendous response from the region's filmmaking talent is testimony to the growing prestige associated with the Muhr Awards within the fraternity.

Out-of-Competition Submissions
Filmmakers from around the world can submit their feature films and documentaries to participate in the festival's programme and also in the Dubai Film Market, which is the only one of its kind in the Middle East and attracts leading industry professionals from the region.

Short film submissions will be considered only for the Muhr Competition and ‘Arabian Nights' section of the Out-of-Competition programme.

In order to qualify for selection to the DIFF film programme, films must have been produced after September 1, 2009 and must not have previously screened in the Gulf region. DIFF will not consider films submitted to its earlier editions.