Recognition · The Grand Prix

The festival's highest honour

THE DANA

The festival's highest honour — open to ALL films across every category. One grand prix, open to every film in competition — awarded across the whole roster, not a single strand.

Alongside THE DANA, 25 juried prizes across 4 clusters.

26 honours in total — spanning features and formats, the crafts, performance, and the awards that recognise a film's reach, including the new Horizon Reel prize for AI-generated film.

01

Features & Formats

7

  • Best Feature Film

    Outstanding achievement in feature-length filmmaking

  • Best Short Film

    Excellence in short-form cinema

  • Best Documentary

    Compelling non-fiction storytelling

  • Best Animation

    Artistry and imagination in animated filmmaking

  • Best AI-Generated Film

    The Horizon Reel honour — AI-assisted and AI-generated film judged on craft and story, with full tool disclosure and rights verification

  • Best Student Film

    The strongest work from filmmakers still in training

  • Best UAE Film

    Celebrating outstanding homegrown cinema

02

Craft

9

  • Best Director

    Singular vision and command of the medium

  • Best First-Time Director

    An exceptional debut behind the camera

  • Best Screenplay

    Excellence in original or adapted screenwriting

  • Best Cinematography

    Distinction in visual storytelling and camera craft

  • Best Editing

    Mastery of rhythm, structure, and assembly

  • Best Original Score

    Original composition that shapes the life of a film

  • Best Sound Design / Sound Mixing

    Excellence in the sonic construction of a film

  • Best Production Design / Art Direction

    Building the world the story lives in

  • Best Visual Effects

    Technical and artistic achievement in visual effects

03

Performance

4

  • Best Actor

    Outstanding performance in a leading role

  • Best Actress

    Outstanding performance in a leading role

  • Best Supporting Actor

    Outstanding performance in a supporting role

  • Best Supporting Actress

    Outstanding performance in a supporting role

04

Other

5

  • Best Producer

    Recognising the craft of bringing a film into being

  • Best Social Impact Film

    Cinema that moves the conversation forward

  • Vanguard Award

    For work that pushes the form somewhere new

  • Audience Choice Award

    Voted by festival attendees — open to ALL films

  • Jury Special Mention

    A film the jury refuses to let pass unrecognised

The Jury

Industry Legends

Our distinguished jury comprises acclaimed filmmakers, actors, and industry leaders committed to recognizing exceptional cinema.

To Be Announced

Head of Jury

Distinguished filmmaker and industry veteran

To Be Announced

Feature Film Jury

Award-winning director

To Be Announced

Documentary Jury

Acclaimed documentarian

To Be Announced

Short Film Jury

Festival favorite and emerging voice

Full jury announcements coming soon. Subscribe to our newsletter for updates.

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