Documentary Voices: Pulling Focus, the first ever United Arab Emirate-area initiative to focus strictly on documentary films, will premiere in Dubai, UAE, July 4 - 8, 2008. Screenings and workshops will be held at Knowledge Village, Dubai’s state-of-the-art destination for educational opportunities. Documentary Voices: Pulling Focus will highlight perspectives on culture, society and development by new and established filmmakers. It will be the centerpiece for summer cultural activity in the UAE.

Documentary Voices’ artistic director, Anisa Mehdi’s aim is to bring together documentary filmmakers at all stages of career development. She says, “Combining the know-how of established talent with the wit and audacity of newcomers will give everyone a creative boost–not to mention the benefits of nourishing relationships for future projects.” A veteran American journalist and documentary filmmaker, Mehdi has a track record in building bridges through reporting and interactive workshops among people of different cultures with similar concerns. Mehdi is a Muslim-American who devotes professional and personal time to projects that break stereotypes and amplify authentic voices from diverse communities. She is founder and president of Whetstone Productions, co-producer of Documentary Voices.

The initiative is endorsed by the Dubai International Film Festival (DIFF). It will showcase stories of the greater Gulf region and the filmmakers with the zeal to tell them. There will be films about music, politics, war, peace, and faith by men and women with the passion and vision for telling true stories. An international jury of experts in film, diplomacy and the arts selected the films, primarily from Arab countries, the US and Iran, to be screened for the public in July. Filmmakers will attend the screenings of their work and engage with audiences, many of them exhibiting for the first time. They will also participate in an intensive program of workshops, master classes and symposia, designed to hone skills, amplify effective communication and encourage networking across the globe.

Dubai’s leader, His Highness Sheikh Mohammad bin Maktoum, is eager to make his city a cultural hub of the Middle East. Documentary Voices complements that goal. Approximately 30 thought-provoking documentary films will be screened and discussed. The initiative will entertain and educate local audiences, while providing a much-needed platform for filmmakers from the region to learn about production, financing, distribution and creative development from experts in the field. Networking among professional filmmakers from both inside and outside the region will foster dialogue and continued partnerships.

The symposium is a co-production of Whetstone Productions, Anisa Mehdi, artistic director (US), and Caspian Events, Mahshid Zamani, Managing Director (Dubai). For more information, please visit www.documentaryvoices.com.