‘La Dolce Via Festival’ empowers UAE-Italy art and culture bonds

The United Arab Emirates has hosted the first Italian–Emirati cinema event, “La Dolce Via Festival,” conceived to empower the Emirati creatives and talents by providing training delivered by Italian excellence in the sector.

The three-day festival from Nov.24 -26, aimed at exploring new collaboration between the two countries in art and culture.

The Embassy of Italy in the UAE and the Consulate General of Italy in Dubai actively participated in the initiative, attended by Deputy Head of Mission Giacomo Buonaiuto and Consul General Edoardo Napoli.

Mohammed Al Murr, Chairman of the Mohammed Bin Rashid Library, received La Dolce Via Award along with the Italian Consul, the President of AUE Prof. Muthanna, Thoraya Al Awadhi, Roberta Calarese and the 2 Italian special guests Gabriele Mainetti and Alessandro Preziosi.

La Dolce Via Festival, conceived in 2023 by Benedetta Paravia—a Golden Visa holder recognised as a “talented pioneering individual”—is promoted by A.N.G.E.L.S. – Associazione Nazionale Giovani Energie Latrici di Solidarietà APS, in support of young Emirati creatives and university talents.

The aim of the initiative is to bring new generations closer to Italian film culture and to support the development of a national film hub in the United Arab Emirates, led by Emirati citizens.

The Festival seeks to encourage collaborations, joint ventures, and co-productions between Italy and the UAE, offering undergraduate and postgraduate students from the Faculties of Arts, Design, and Media & Communication a high-level educational path taught by experts from the Italian film industry.

The current edition involved students from various Emirati universities — with a special participation of the American University in the Emirates — who are engaging with director and producer Gabriele Mainetti, featured in a masterclass at the Cultural Foundation in Abu Dhabi and at the Mohammed Bin Rashid Library, where his trilogy is being screened alongside additional student-focused masterclasses and workshops.

For the first time, actor Alessandro Preziosi was also in attendance, captivating aspiring actors. The Festival is held under the patronage of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, the Ministry of Culture, the Ministry of Tourism, and the Lazio Region. On the Emirati side, it is realised under the aegis of the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Embassy of Italy in Abu Dhabi, with media partnerships from RAI and Abu Dhabi Media. On Nov.19, 2025, a Memorandum of Understanding was signed between the American University in the Emirates, represented by its President and Founder, Professor Muthanna G. Abdul Razzaq, and A.N.G.E.L.S. APS, represented by Vice President Benedetta Paravia.

The agreement aims to develop advanced specialist training programmes in the film sector, offering students in Media and Design the opportunity to strengthen their professional growth through excellence-based pathways in Italy, within the framework of La Dolce Via Festival. This is the fourth agreement signed by Paravia.

“Since my arrival in the United Arab Emirates in 2002,” stated the Festival’s founder and director, Dr. Benedetta Paravia, “I have considered it both a duty and an honour to contribute to the development of this extraordinary country through Italian know-how. I have created initiatives to support Emiratisation, having deeply understood the importance of this national project. I work so that the students of today may one day win a Golden Lion in Venice as directors, producers or actors. The UAE is rich in extraordinary talent that deserves to be encouraged and guided towards advanced film education.”

La Dolce Via Festival represents a true milestone in the cultural and cinematic relations between Italy and the United Arab Emirates, as the first film festival ever established between the two countries.