Art Dubai Film is a programme of video and film by and about artists. Part of Art Dubai’s film programming, Moving Images, is a partnership between Dubai International Film Festival, Sharjah Art Foundation and Art Dubai, dedicated to artists’ films and filmmakers’ art in the Arab world.

Exploring the intersection between art and film, Moving Images aims to increase access to, and the understanding of, artists’ films; support artists and filmmakers from the Arab world through new opportunities; and debate existing and future models for funding and distribution through the UAE and beyond. The programme marks the first such initiative in the Arab world.

Sarah Abu Abdallah, Abraaj Group Art Prize Exhibition, 2017, Courtesy of Photo Solutions

As part of the Moving Images programme, “Short Cuts: From Theatre to Art Gallery” explored the challenges and possibilities of working with short formats and the creative process behind video art at the Dubai International Film Festival. Artist, Sarah Abu Abdallah, was in conversation with filmmaker, Yassmina Karajah, about how today’s exhibition space for moving image work extends far beyond the theatre to art galleries, urban rooftops and even building facades. The discussion touched on models of funding and distribution as well as ways the language of the medium changes from one setting to the next.