‘Life never stops in Dubai': Emirati filmmaker Nawaf Al Janahi powers global cinema showcase at DIFC Art Nights this weekend

Dubai: “Life never stops. We don’t believe in that. Here in the UAE, life goes on, and every challenge is just one more step towards more strength, right?”

That unflinching belief from Emirati filmmaker Nawaf Al Janahi defines the mood at the on-going DIFC Art Nights, where crowds and creativity continued to thrive despite global and regional uncertainty.

Speaking on the sidelines of the cultural event running until April 26th, Al Janahi dismissed the idea of fear dominating his life in the last few weeks.

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“Worried, not at all. If there was any worry, it was about innocent people, their lives, and livelihoods gone that have nothing to do with any conflict whatsoever. Like I said, our government is strong, our country is strong, our people, and we’re always confident that nothing can shake us. So why worry?”

It’s a sentiment that mirrors the UAE’s larger narrative today, one that's steady, forward-looking and deeply rooted in confidence.

At DIFC Art Nights, Al Janahi is bringing that philosophy to life through Cineolio, a showcase of short film programmes that introduce audiences to stories from around the world. For him, the goal is simple but urgent: increase access.

“The more you do, the better, the more people can see these artworks, the better, the more people can have opportunities to watch films, the better. Our problem in the region, not just the UAE, is that all of this is happening less, not more.”

His approach is rooted in collaboration and not just within the film community, but across cultural platforms.

“When we believe in that concept, and we come together in collaboration, the main beneficiary is the audience, right? And this is who are we working for, all of us, people, the society. And that only adds dimensions to beauty, to tasting beauty.”

That thinking has led to new initiatives, including partnerships with events like DIFC Art Nights.

“We are more proud that the first event that we collaborate with is the DIFC Art Nights. Before that, we screen these showcases at venues but with this collaboration, everybody wins.”

Yet, beneath the optimism lies a clear-eyed critique of the current state of Emirati cinema.

Despite his own success with films like Sea Shadow, Al Janahi believes the industry needs to recalibrate.

“Emirati cinema needs to come back on track a little bit, because the last few years haven’t been that great, to be honest. And the main focus, in my opinion, should be more production, more local production. The amount of feature films that we make here in the UAE is not the right number right now.”

He doesn’t mince words when it comes to defining the bigger picture.

“I don’t believe we have a film industry yet… but if that’s the aim, if that’s the objective, we need to boost our local productions.”

A major factor, he believes, has been the loss of key film festivals that once anchored the ecosystem.

“If it’s up to me, I would bring every festival that has stopped around the world.”

For Al Janahi, the issue isn’t scale, but it’s existence.

“Those film festivals that are no longer at play don’t have to come back in that scale… You can always downsize the scale, but killing an art space, a film space, a breathing space for knowledge is never a good idea."

Back at DIFC Art Nights, however, the focus is firmly on what’s being built, not what’s been lost. His immediate concern is ensuring audiences show up.

“My fear is that they might not know about what we do, because we’re offering them cinema from around the world. Our programme is focused on bringing short films from around the world… so definitely people have more opportunities to watch the films.”

And while feature films and box-office glory often dominate commercial conversations around cinema, Al Janahi is passionate about preserving the integrity of short films.

“Sometimes people forget that the whole field of cinema started with short films. And we shouldn’t ignore that fact.”

He continues, “It’s a very unique art form on its own… that doesn’t mean at all that we overlook short films and look at them as a complementary thing or something on the side. We need to keep it accessible to people, because it’s here to stay forever.”

Ultimately, his vision for the UAE’s creative future remains expansive and optimistic.

“The horizon for creativity in the UAE is limitless. The more we focus on pushing for more production in all fields, more we will reach heights that are yet to be reached, and I am looking forward to that.”