DIFF 2009 reaps the benefits of advanced technology to grow an ever larger audience of film fans

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Dubai-  Dubai International Film Festival celebrated a record turnout in 2009 – and technology has been credited with playing a significant role in driving attendance to the sixth edition of the region’s leading film event.
 
DIFF 2009 was the year the festival went digital in style, with a host of innovations to its website, a groundbreaking mobile phone application, and an ambitious push into social media aimed at the burgeoning audience of young film fans.
 
Mahsa Motamedi, DIFF’s Director of Marketing and Sponsorship, said: “Embracing technology is critical to engaging with modern cinema audiences, and DIFF led the way for film festivals in the region by introducing a number of innovative applications at its 2009 event. Integration has been the key, combining established vehicles such as our fixed website www.dubaifilmfest.com with new services aimed at maximising the experience of film enthusiasts.”
 
The DIFF website www.dubaifilmfest.com helped drive awareness of the programme for 2009 and increase attendance over previous years. Around half of all ticket sales for December’s festival were made online, with novel features such as an online ‘shopping cart’ helping to boost purchases.
 
For the first time, DIFF introduced an advanced mobile phone application with the support of Sony Ericsson to provide instant access to film information and allow users to buy tickets on the move. Film fans from 56 countries downloaded the software from the official website, generating more than 23,000 page views.
 
New visitors made up more than 40 per cent of the total website traffic in 2009 – and more than 12,000 visitors accessed the site every day during festival week, a 40 per cent increase in daily volume over DIFF 2008. Underscoring the festival’s growing international profile, film enthusiasts from 153 countries logged on to the site.
 
In 2009, DIFF made its boldest advance yet into social media, creating an online following of thousands of film fans through a dedicated You Tube channel, Twitter feed, and Facebook page.
 
The DIFF You Tube channel was designed in collaboration with education partner SAE. It carried trailers of movies scheduled for screening, as well as 133 videos capturing all the goings-on during festival week itself, from celebrity interviews to gala events, to press conferences and award presentations. Each video was produced with the support of Arab Business Machine and JVC, and uploaded to You Tube virtually live throughout the festival. www.youtube.com/Dubaifilmfestival
 
 
The channel received nearly 40,000 views while the daily updates on Facebook and Twitter attracted more than 5,000 followers. Hundreds of fans also entered the DIFF competitions held exclusively on Facebook and Twitter, with free tickets going to 30 winners.
 
DIFF’s Mahsa Motamedi added: “If there is one technological breakthrough that defines DIFF 2009, it is the communication via social media. This has brought the festival closer to such an important audience, young people, and established a relationship with a community that is genuinely passionate about film. Social media will play a big part in our marketing campaigns moving forward, and we’ll be looking to grow this very receptive audience at future festivals.”
 
DIFF garners increasing international media attention, and the 2009 festival created a dedicated website for journalists, www.DIFFMediaCentre.com, with real-time news updates and the latest imagery from the daily programme. The site received 200 ‘unique visitors’ per day.
 
Visiting industry professionals also had the latest information at their fingertips thanks to technology partner HP. Prospective film buyers at the Dubai Film Market – the only state of the art regional platform for trading and distributing films – were able to view over 300 titles through touch-screen, video-on-demand software.
 
For the first time, private booths at the Cinetech video library screened films via HP Touchsmart PCs.
 
Ziad Yaghi, Director of Dubai Film Market, said the new digital wizardry at DIFF 2009 made for easier access to the festival’s diverse portfolio of films, and to the filmmakers behind them.
 
He said: “The festival’s responsibility goes beyond showing films. It’s about supporting film in all stages of production and ensuring the final product reaches an appreciate audience. The new technology at the latest Dubai Film Market, through the Cinetech initiative, helped the large number of visiting experts from leading distributors, buyers and broadcasters at DIFF 2009 absorb the numerous titles on show, and increase the commercial opportunities for these films.”
 
DIFF also set up information booths, using HP touch-screen technology, for cinema goers at DIFF venues and at Virgin Megastore.
 
DIFF 2009 was held in association with Dubai Studio City. Dubai Duty Free, Dubai Pearl, Emirates Airline and Madinat Jumeirah were the principal sponsors of the festival, which was also supported by Dubai Culture & Arts Authority.
 

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