The Dubai International Film Festival (DIFF) is the leading film festival in the Middle East, Asia and Africa. Since its inception in 2004, the festival has served as an influential platform for Arab filmmakers and talent at an international level, by spearheading the cinema movement in the region.

DIFF has established itself as a major international festival, while continuing to serve as a premier showcase event for Arab cinema, and contributing to the development and growth of the regional industry.


2013 Winners

Muhr Emirati

Best Director
CONCEALMENT
Director: Muna Al Ali
United Arab Emirates

Best Film
DON'T LEAVE ME
Producer: Abdullah Hasan Ahmed
Producer: Khalid Al Mahmood
United Arab Emirates

Special Jury Prize
THE NEIGHBOUR
Producer: Claudia Corbelli
Producer: Greg White
United Arab Emirates

Special Mention
GIRL & IT
Director: Mohammad Fikree
United Arab Emirates

Muhr Arab Short

Best Director:
THE DISQUIET
Director: Ali Cherri
Lebanon and France

Best Film:
THE LOST VOICE
Producer: Bavi Yassin
Producer: Nore Maatala
Belgium and Iraq

Special Jury Prize
THE DEEP
Producer: Haider Rashid
Iraq and Italy

Special Mention
CHILDREN OF GOD
Director: Ahmed Yassin
Iraq, United Kingdom and Hungary

Special Mention
TROUBLED WATERS
Cast: Camille Salameh
Lebanon

Muhr Arab Documentary

Best Director
UNDERGROUND ON THE SURFACE
Director: Salma El Tarzi
Egypt

Best Film
THE SQUARE
Producer: Karim Amer
United States of America (USA) and Egypt

Special Jury Prize
GUARDIANS OF TIME LOST
Producer: Diala Kachmar
Producer: Carole Abboud
Lebanon and United Arab Emirates

Special Mention
SCHEHERAZADE'S DIARY
Director: Zeina Daccache
Lebanon

Muhr Arab Feature

Best Actor
THEY ARE THE DOGS
Cast: Hassan Badida
Morocco

Best Actress
FACTORY GIRL
Cast: Yasmine Raees
Egypt and United Arab Emirates

Best Director
OMAR
Director: Hany Abu Assad
Palestine and United Arab Emirates

Best Film
OMAR
Producer: Waleed Zuaiter
Palestine and United Arab Emirates

Special Jury Prize
THEY ARE THE DOGS
Producer: Nabil Ayouch
Morocco

Special Mention
ADIOS CARMEN
Director: Mohamed Amin Benamraoui
Morocco, Belgium and United Arab Emirates

Special Mention
ROCK THE CASBAH
Cast: Fatima Harandi
Morocco and France

Muhr AsiaAfrica Short

Best Director
THIN ARMS
Director: Sandeep Ray
India

Best Film
GAS IS OVER
Producer: Askhat Kuchinchirekov
Kazakhstan

Special Jury Prize
THE WAY BACK
Producer: Halla Kim
South Korea
Special Mention

TWAAGA
Director: Cédric Ido
Burkina Faso and France

Muhr AsiaAfrica Documentary

Best Film
THE HORSES OF FUKUSHIMA
Producer: Yoshiko Hashimoto
Producer: Shigeki Kinoshita
Japan

Special Jury Prize
MY RED SHOES
Producer: Sara Rastegar
France

Special Mention
WUKAN: THE FLAME OF DEMOCRACY
Director: Lynn Lee
Director: James Leong
Singapore

Best Director
TO SINGAPORE, WITH LOVE
Director: Pin Pin Tan
Singapore

Muhr AsiaAfrica Feature

Best Actor
THE LUNCHBOX
Cast: Irrfan Khan
France, Germany and India

Best Actress
ILO ILO
Cast: Yeo Yann Yann
Singapore

Best Director
STRAY DOGS
Director: Tsai Ming Liang
Taiwan R.O.C. and France

Best Film
ILO ILO
Producer: Ang Hwee Sim
Producer: Anthony Chen
Producer: Wahyuni A. Hadi
Singapore

Special Jury Prize
FISH & CAT
Producer: Sepehr Seifi
Iran

Special Mention
GRIGRIS
Cast: Souleymane Démé
France and Chad

Special Mention
THE LUNCHBOX
Scriptwriter: Ritesh Batra
France, Germany and India

FIPRESCI Short

Best Arab Short
CHILDREN OF GOD
Director: Ahmed Yassin
Iraq, United Kingdom and Hungary

FIPRESCI Documentary

Best Arab Documentary
SCHEHERAZADE'S DIARY
Director: Zeina Daccache
Lebanon

FIPRESCI Feature

Best Arab Feature
FACTORY GIRL
Director: Mohamed Khan
Egypt and United Arab Emirates

EmiratesNBD People's Choice Award

Best Film
FROZEN 3D
Director: Chris Buck
Director: Jennifer Lee
United States of America (USA)

Best Film
THE BRAIN THAT SINGS
Director: Amal Al-Agroobi
United Arab Emirates