A selection of 5 outstanding films will honored during the special gala screening at the festival's prime venue, Madinat Jumeirah.

The films discussed in the following film categories will be shown at various venues including the Mercato Cinema, Dubai Media City Amphitheatre, and the Jumeirah Beach Auditorium.

Arabian Nights - 20 films
A selection of films by the best filmmakers from the Arab world will be showcased as the best of contemporary Arab cinema. A film from this section will inaugurate the DIFF as the opening night Dubai Gala Screening on December 6, 2004.

Operation Cultural Bridge - 15 films
This category focuses on the conflict and misunderstanding between the Islamic and Western worlds. Internationally selected films focusing on tearing down the wall between the two worlds will be showcased here. A film from this centerpiece program of the festival will be selected as the closing Dubai Gala Screening on December 10, 2004.

Bollywood Meets Hollywood - 10 films
This program will include a selection of classic Bollywood and new crossover films produced or inspired by Bollywood for an international audience. A film from this section will be selected as the December 7, 2004 Dubai Gala Screening.

Cinema from the Subcontinent - 10 films
This program will showcase a selection of films produced by emerging young and independent filmmakers from Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh will be shown.

Destination Documentary - 5 films
A selection of documentary films focusing on shining a spotlight on the planet's precious natural resources and the reminder of importance to protect the environment and natural habitat.

Hi-Tech Hollywood - 5 films
A selection of films from the film capital of the world will be showcased to showoff the increasingly prominent role of computer technology used in today's films. A film from this section will be chosen as the December 9, 2004 Dubai Gala Screening.

Contemporary World Cinema (From Paris to Moscow to Tehran to Manila) - 15 films
This scope of this segment is wide and includes works from independant fimmakers world-wide. For DIFF 2004, this segment will focus on works of cinematic excellence by filmmakers from France, Eastern Europe, Iran and the Philippines. A film from this program will be selected as the December 8, 2004 Dubai Gala Screening.

Screen on the Green
A selection of 4 crowd-pleasing films will be drawn from the festival’s program and screened under the stars at the open-air amphitheatre of Dubai Media City. Show times are 8pm on December 7, December 8, December 9 and December 10, 2004.

"Director's in the Spotlight"
This will be a special retrospective sidebar showcasing the work of a distinguished movie director from the Arab world, as well as an eminent director from Bollywood. Two seminal films from each director will be showcased.

Arabian Shorts
This program will showcase short films from across the Arab world, including works by promosing UAE filmmakers, which either contain a distinct Arabian theme or will be directed or produced by emergin Arab filmmakers.

Omar Sharif: A Celebration - A sidebar collection of 4 classic films from this celebrated Arab actor.

DIFF Discussion Panels & Forums
This non-film program will be held at the Knowledge Village Auditorium and consist of a panel of actors, directors and producers from around the world, with great cinematic achievements to their credit. A selected number of artists and filmmakers whose works are participating in the DIFF Film Program, will be allowed to share their experiences in filmmaking.