Biographies

AbdulHamid Juma, Chairman, Dubai International Film Festival	Biography	Picture
Abdulhamid Juma was part of the initial team that founded the Dubai International Film Festival (DIFF) in 2004, and was appointed Chairman in 2006. His involvement with independent Arab and GCC (Gulf Co-operation Council) cinema led to his becoming a driving force behind the Gulf Film Festival, an annual event that showcases the best in regional cinema to a local and international audience under his Chairmanship.His work towards stimulating Arab Cinema led to his being named the third most influential figure in Arab Cinema today by Good News Group, and he is well-known in film and culture circles in the Emirates as being a prominent supporter, critic, friend and enthusiast. He sits on the board of the Dubai Culture and Arts Authority and lends counsel on cultural projects in the Emirates in his efforts to stimulate a thriving arts culture in the UAE.In helping to establish DIFF as the world-class event it is today, Abdulhamid was guided by the belief that through the language of film and art, cultural divides could be narrowed and bridged with tolerance and understanding. From his ongoing personal pursuit of diverse international cultural trends, he possesses an eclectic taste in cinema, incorporating varied genres, languages and styles, blending with his interest in music, poetry, sculpture, painting and other art forms.His business insight has been as central to his success as his cultural outlook. Abdulhamid is also the Deputy Director General of Dubai Technology and Media Free Zone Authority (DTMFZA), with the responsibility of generating a thriving knowledge economy in Dubai. His involvement grew out of an earlier assignment as Chief Executive Officer of Dubai Media City (DMC). His previous assignments include senior management positions at Dubai Internet City, Citibank and Jebel Ali Free Zone.He holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Economics from the University of Colorado at Boulder, and a certificate in General Management from Harvard Business School.
Jane Williams, Head of Industry Office	Biography	Picture
Jane Williams set up DIFF’s Industry Office in 2006. As Head of the Industry Office she arranges and organises events and networking opportunities that benefit the festival’s industry delegates. In 2007 the Industry Office launched two important new initiatives to support filmmakers and producers from of Arab origin: the Dubai Film Connection a co-production platform which showcases 15 film projects to an invited guest list of international and Arab industry professionals to encourage collaboration; the Producers Coaching Programme established in association with EAVE to support the development of 10 producers from the region.Jane moved to Amsterdam in 1998 to become Head of Training at the Maurits Binger Film Institute in Holland. Since 2002 she has been working as a freelance consultant for a number of funding organizations and international festivals. She has worked for the Cinemart and Hubert Bals Fund at the International Film Festival Rotterdam, the Balkan Fund, Thessaloniki International Film Festival Greece, the Industry Office at the BAFICI in Buenos Aries and Taormina Film Festival Sicilie, Italy. She is an expert for the European Commission and currently consults for the Royal Film Commission in Jordan.
Erfan Rashid - Director,Arab Programme	Biography
As director of the Festival’s Arab programme, Erfan builds its annual showcase of excellence in Arab cinema and ensures the Festival maintains its finger on the pulse of the Arab world.A festival veteran, accomplished director and celebrated journalist, Erfan maintains close relationships with filmmakers, industry professionals and a network of talent-spotters covering the Arabian Peninsula, Levant, Maghreb and North Africa and in Arab communities abroad to ensure the Festival mirrors the strengths of the Arab filmmaking fraternity.His distinguished career includes spells as Artistic Director of the ‘Mare di Cinema Arabo’ festival in Messina, and President of ‘Tammuz Verba Manent’ cultural association. He also serves as a consultant for a number of festivals and cultural events in Italy and across the Arab world.Erfan previously served as editor of the Italian channel Rai Med and editor-in-chief of the Arabic desk of Adn Kronos International. Experienced in both broadcast and print journalism, he has worked with Al Hurra TV, France 24, Deutche Welle and Radio Montecarlo, and is currently Italian correspondent for Al Hayat, LBC and Al Bayan. A theatre graduate from the Academy of Arts in Baghdad, Erfan has authored a number of documentaries in Arabic, English and Italian.
Mahsa Motamedi, Director of Marketing and Sponsorship	Biography	Picture
Part of the DIFF team since the inception in 2004, Mahsa Motamedi oversees the entire marketing strategy and integrated communications, developing and promoting the Festival’s vision and mission and ensuring that DIFF is a forerunner in new initiatives.She guides the Festival’s strategic advertising and PR campaigns, aimed at connecting DIFF to its target audiences, which includes traditional and new media activity, at home and abroad, positioning the Festival globally and engaging with the UAE’s diverse communities.Committed to driving the festival forward as the most definitive film event in the region, Mahsa conceptualises and leads an extensive community outreach and audience development programme that targets all cross-sections of the society.She continues to drive the relationship with the Festival’s sponsors and strengthens its stable of high-profile supporters from diverse industries, enhancing the portfolio year on year.Mahsa previously spent five years building the brand value of Dubai Media City, one of the city’s most prestigious economic clusters. Her accomplishments include the annual IBDA’A Awards for student media, which has mushroomed into one of the most popular competitions in the Middle East, North Africa and South Asia region.Mahsa’s career in communications spans two continents, beginning with advertising in London and growing into progressively larger roles in marketing and communications in the UAE.
Masoud Amralla Al Ali, Artistic Director	Biography	Picture
As Artistic Director of the Dubai International Film Festival, Masoud curates all Festival programming, overseeing the feature films, documentaries and shorts selected for the Arab and international sections. He also oversees the Festival’s competitive Muhr Arab and Muhr AsiaAfrica Awards. Masoud has been closely involved with DIFF since its inception. In its early years, he was responsible for its Arabic programming, including the popular Arabian Nights section and UAE-focused Emerging Emiratis, which has since evolved into a pan-Gulf showcase. His dedication to the region’s talent led Masoud to found the Emirates Film Competition in 2001. The UAE’s first showcase for local film talent, the annual competition is widely recognized as a turning point for Gulf cinema and a critical launch pad for its talent. Today, Masoud serves as director of its successor entity, the Gulf Film Festival. Masoud’s involvement with DIFF is the most recent step in a career steeped in the arts. A lifelong creative, the Emirati national first emerged into the public spotlight with his passion for poetry. After moving into filmmaking as a visual exploration of the written word, he produced his first short films and documentaries in the late 1980s and early 1990s. His wealth of film knowledge, first-hand experience in writing, directing and producing films, and passion for encouraging talent from the region makes Masoud one of the defining voices and leading mentors of contemporary Arab cinema. A graduate of UAE University, Masoud has previously worked for the Dubai Police and as artistic director for the Abu Dhabi Cultural Foundation.
Myrna Makaaron, Programmer - Cinema for Children	Biography
As the programmer behind DIFF’s newest component, Myrna is enthusiastic about the potential of using cinema as an educational and entertainment vehicle for children of all ages. A product of two cultures – her home country of Lebanon and adopted nation Germany - she believes culture bridging at an early age can create global-minded citizens, and is enthusiastic about using cinema to fire young imaginations. Filmmaker, actress, festival organizer and film promoter, Myrna Maakaron wears a number of hats in the European and Arab cinema community. She has organized film festivals and exhibitions in Lebanon and Germany, and served on the jury of the Leipzig dokfilmfestival and the Peace Prize at the Berlinale Film Festival. An accomplished filmmaker in her own right, Myrna’s last film, the documentary BerlinBeirut, screened at more than 80 international festivals, garnering nine awards. Myrna completed her filmmaking studies in Beirut before going on to study theatre at the Sorbonne in Paris. She is currently working on her first feature film.
Nashen Moodley, Director AsiaAfrica Programmes	Biography
As director of the Festival’s AsiaAfrica programmes, Nashen oversees DIFF’s popular Muhr AsiaAfrica competition as well as all the feature films, documentaries and shorts selected from the world’s two largest continents. A South African national, Nashen is committed to displaying the diversity and energy of Africa and Asia in the Festival and dismantling stereotypes about the two cultures. From his first association with the Festival in 2005, Nashen has been instrumental in bringing films from countries from Angola to Zimbabwe and Afghanistan to China to DIFF audiences. An accomplished film critic, journalist and festival programmer, Nashen is currently artistic director of the Durban International Film Festival, one of Africa’s most renowned cinema events. His writing has appeared in newspapers and magazines around the world, including GQ, The Sunday Independent and the Mail & Guardian. He is a graduate of the University of KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa.
Sheila Whitaker, Director International Programmes	Biography
Dubai International Film Festival’s Director of International Programmes and an industry veteran, Sheila Whitaker is responsible for the selection of contemporary film masterpieces from around the world. A member of the DIFF programming team since the Festival’s inception in 2004, Sheila was previously Director of the prestigious London Film Festival from 1987 to 1996, and Head of Programming at the National Film Theatre in London from 1984 to 1990. A well-known writer and festival consultant, she has served on numerous international festival juries from Venice to Syria. She also headed the British National Film Archive collection of stills, poster and original designs. She co-edited Life and art: the new Iranian cinema (BFI 1999) and An Argentine Passion: the films of Maria Luisa Bemberg (Verso 2000) and is advisory editor to independent publisher I.B.Tauris for film publications. She was also founding editor of Writing Women, a journal of women’s writing. She has been awarded a Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres, an Honorary Doctorate of Letters (D.Litt) by the University of Newcastle and an Honorary Doctorate of Law by the University of Warwick.
Shivani Pandya, Managing Director	Biography	Picture
Shivani Pandya, Managing Director of the Dubai International Film Festival, holds the mandate to direct strategic and operational aspects of the Festival. She has been with the Festival since its inception, working closely with the operations department to deliver an event that appeals to the cross section of audiences living in Dubai and the UAE while attracting global attention and appreciation. Her business insights clubbed with her approach towards enhancing the rapidly evolving film community in the UAE have been central to her success. Shivani is credited with contributing to the development of strategic direction for nurturing the local film industry and establishing Dubai’s position amongst the international film community. Shivani has been instrumental in the launch of key strategic initiatives at the Festival including the Industry Office and its project incubator Dubai Film Connection and bringing pro-social platforms such as amfAR Cinema against AIDS to Dubai. Her leadership with the Festival grew out of an earlier assignment within the Business Development team at the Dubai Media City. During her tenure at DMC, she established the media cluster’s broadcasting department, and facilitated the addition of international broadcasters under the DMC umbrella. Shivani holds a Baccalaureate Honours degree in Economics from Delhi University and a Masters in Marketing and Communications from the Xavier’s Institute of Communication in Mumbai, India.