Dubai International Film Festival (Diff) has joined hands with Center for New Cinema and naseba for the debut 'Cinematic Innovation Summit' that will see experts discuss the advances coming in cinematic technology in the next 10 to 20 years.

To be held in Dubai on December 8 and 9, the summit, which will feature top speakers from Hollywood and the tech sector, will be the ultimate lead-in event to the ninth edition of the Diff, said a senior official.

'Today, more than ever before, cinema and the entire media ecosystem are being transformed by ground-breaking innovations in technology. Providing access to powerful new tools for storytelling is crucial to the achievement of our ultimate goal - enabling talent and films to find critical and commercial success,' remarked Diff chairman Abdulhamid Juma.

'We are delighted to host the inaugural Cinematic Innovation Summit in association with our partners CNC and Naseba.The summit will be an annual event that furthers Dubai’s commitment to the development of cinema and the film industry,' he noted.
 
'Movies are experiencing nothing short of a revolution in technology. These cinematic advances - from the current surge in computer-generated content to the now-constant ability for movies to be streamed anywhere, anytime, on wireless devices - are impacting and transforming a broad array of industries,' he explained.

With more innovations coming, businesses and investors can gain if they are prepared for the opportunities, he added. 

According to him, the summit will illuminate the economic value of cinematic technology for multiple sectors including telecom, video gaming, advertising, and even extending across industries like healthcare, defence, and oil exploration.

“Dubai continues to collaborate and enhance its relationship with the world of cinema, making it an ideal location for this summit,” said Nic Watson, MD Marketing at naseba.

“Not only is Dubai a promising emerging market, but due to its unique geographic position, it is the best place to connect movie professionals with businesses from the East and West,” he added.
 
The debut summit will spotlight advances coming in cinematic technology in the next 10-20 years, including innovations driven by artificial intelligence and cognitive science…limitless game-style interactivity between audiences and characters…ultra-realistic 3D projections and “augmented reality”, making viewers feel they are inside the movies they are watching…and more.

Each of these is expected to have wide applications beyond cinema, noted Watson.

CNC president John B. Davis said the innovations in cinematic technology were accelerating: many of today’s movies could not have been made a decade ago, and the same will be true a decade from now.

'This has major implications for cinema and for business. Attending this summit will provide valuable insights on what is to come and how companies and investors can benefit,' he added.

The summit will convene a group of 200 executives from the world of film, games, technology, finance, and more.

The key speakers lined up for the summit include Lauren Shuler Donner (producer of X-Men film franchise), Alvy Ray Smith (Pixar co-founder), Dean DeBlois (writer/director of Oscar-nominated How to Train Your Dragon 3D and Lilo & Stitch), and actor Stephen Lang, best known for his role as Col. Miles Quaritch in Avatar.-TradeArabia News Service