Emirates Film Festival will bring filmmakers, creative professionals, cultural partners and invited guests together for its 12th edition Awards Night on 26 July 2026 at New Covent Garden Theatre, Mall of the Emirates.
The evening will celebrate films and filmmakers from the UAE and the wider international community, recognising the creative vision, writing and performances that transform an idea into a story on screen.
Five principal honours will be presented during the ceremony: Best Short Film, Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Actor and Best Actress. Each winner will receive a bespoke trophy created through a cultural and creative partnership between Emirates Film Festival and Crystal Arc Factory.
More than an awards ceremony, the event represents an important moment in the continuing journey of Emirates Film Festival. Established in 2013, the festival has developed as an independent platform where emerging and established filmmakers can share stories shaped by different cultures, experiences and perspectives.
The Awards Night brings that mission into one space. It gives filmmakers the opportunity to be recognised in front of an audience, while also creating connections between artists, industry professionals and organisations that support the growth of cinema in the region.
“For many filmmakers, especially those still building their careers, recognition can become the encouragement that allows them to continue,” said Lezlie Pableo, Festival Director of Emirates Film Festival. “The Awards Night is not only about announcing winners. It is about giving people a moment where their work is seen, their voices are heard and their contribution to storytelling is valued.”
Central to this year’s celebration is the festival’s partnership with Crystal Arc, a premium Dubai based company known for creating bespoke trophies and recognition pieces for organisations and major events across the UAE and the wider region.
The collaboration began with a shared belief that the festival’s most important awards should carry more than the name of the winning category. They should reflect the identity of Emirates Film Festival, the country in which it was created and the international community of filmmakers it welcomes.
Emirates Film Festival and Crystal Arc worked closely from the outset, exchanging ideas on how the awards could reflect both the festival’s identity and the cultural character of the UAE. The result was a trophy conceived not simply for the stage, but as a lasting symbol of cinema, place and recognition.
Four of the principal honours share a distinctive four sided design. As the trophy is turned, scenes inspired by the Emirates gradually come into view, including the sea, desert landscapes, palm trees and traditional architectural forms. A film strip moves around the sculpted piece, bringing the images together as one continuing story.
A separate design was created for Best Short Film. It combines the film reel with cultural imagery that recalls the dhow, the desert and the architectural character of the Emirates.
The symbols were chosen to carry meaning. The dhow recalls a country whose story was shaped by the sea, travel and exchange. The desert speaks of resilience, imagination and the courage to move forward even when the path is not yet visible. The palms and architectural details give the awards a sense of home, while the film reel connects that heritage with a creative language understood around the world.
As the four sided trophy turns, the story of the UAE is revealed gradually, much like cinema itself, where meaning is built through a sequence of images. It reflects a country that holds its heritage close while remaining open to new ideas, cultures and voices.
“This trophy carries the spirit of the UAE, proud of its roots, open to the world and always looking towards the future,” said Ronald Awa, CEO of Emirates Film Festival. “It reflects the kind of festival we are building, one that is grounded here but welcomes stories from everywhere.”
That connection between place and storytelling lies at the heart of the Awards Night. The films may come from different countries, communities and languages, but they will meet in Dubai through the simple belief that stories can connect people.
For a filmmaker travelling from another part of the world, receiving one of the trophies will mean taking home more than a record of achievement. The award will carry the memory of a story that found an audience in the UAE and was welcomed in a city where cultures meet.
“Every winner will leave with more than an award,” said Amal Bint Mubarak, COO of Emirates Film Festival. “They will carry the memory of being recognised in the UAE, a country where cultures meet and where stories from around the world can find a home.”
For Crystal Arc, creating the awards required an understanding of both the festival’s vision and the emotional importance of the moment in which a filmmaker hears their name announced.
“The design draws from the language of cinema itself, light, motion and the frame, reimagined through the lens of the UAE’s own creative spirit,” said Mustansir Saifuddin, Managing Director at Crystal Arc. “We wanted the trophy to feel like a captured moment, the instant a story comes to life on screen.”
Light moves across the sculpted surfaces and reveals different details depending on the angle from which the trophy is viewed. The effect creates a natural connection with cinema, where light gives form to an image, creates atmosphere and guides an audience through emotion.
Each piece began with the identity of Emirates Film Festival. Crystal Arc’s designers refined the form and cultural imagery before the awards were completed by the company’s artisans in Dubai.
“At Crystal Arc, we believe an award should tell a story of its own,” Mustansir added. “Creating the trophies for the Emirates Film Festival allowed us to honour the art of storytelling in the same way we approach our craft, with vision, patience and heart. Each piece is made to carry the memory of a moment worth celebrating.”
The partnership also reflects the promise at the heart of Emirates Film Festival: We Share Your Story. It is a commitment to recognise the people behind the work and create a place where stories from different backgrounds can be seen, heard and remembered.
When the trophies are presented on 26 July, they will carry the names of the winners. They will also carry something of the place where those filmmakers were honoured: the sea, the desert, the architecture and the creative spirit of the Emirates.
For Emirates Film Festival and Crystal Arc, the collection marks the beginning of an awards identity created in Dubai and intended to travel into the world through the filmmakers who receive it.
