The UAE will now be able to submit an entry to the foreign language film competition of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), said the chairman of Dubai International Film Festival (DIFF).

The UAE is now eligible to submit a feature-length film for consideration in this category for the 90th Academy Awards taking place on March 4, 2018, at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California.

The UAE selection committee is made up of highly regarded filmmakers, film industry professionals and cultural figures either UAE nationals or residing in the UAE selected for their knowledge of UAE cinema, international cinema and filmmaking skills.

Abdulhamid Juma, DIFF chairman said: “On behalf of everyone involved in the industry here, we are delighted to now be in a position to submit UAE films for the Oscars, which is another step forward to placing UAE film and talent on the world cinematic map. Its encouragement for all UAE filmmakers that our stories can go a long way in today’s world. The UAE film industry has come on leaps and bounds in the last 10 years and the future looks very promising with more compelling films being produced year on year and finding acclaim at festivals around the world and securing theatrical releases.”

As per the Academy, a foreign language film is defined as a feature-length motion picture produced outside the US, with a predominantly non-English dialogue track. In order to be eligible, the film must first be released within its home country before October 1 and be publicly exhibited for at least seven consecutive days in a commercial theatre for the profit of the producer and exhibitor.

Along with other technical specifics, the Academy requires that all submitting countries certify that creative control of the motion picture was largely in the hands of its citizens or residents of that country.

This is a positive step towards increasing the chances of a Middle East presence at the Oscars, DIFF said.

In 2014, Palestinian filmmaker Hany Abu-Assad received his second Oscar nomination for Omar which opened DIFF’s 10th edition; the film also received support from DIFF’s post-production programme Enjaaz.  The film won the Best Film in the Muhr Arab Feature Competition along with Best Director for Abu-Assad.

The 14th edition of the Dubai International Film Festival will be held from December 6 to 13. – TradeArabia News Service