Ron Perlman
Actor · Hellboy, Sons of Anarchy
28 – 30 November 2026 Downtown Dubai, U.A.E.
Golden Dunes — Dubai International Film Festival
Three days of international cinema in Dubai, judged by a jury drawn from Hollywood and the Gulf.
Countdown to the festival
Golden Dunes 2026 begins in
Days
Hours
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Seconds
Golden Dunes 2026 is under way.
The Jury
The 2026 jury
Eight jurors from film and television, whose work has been recognised with an Academy Award, a Golden Globe and multiple Emmys.
Shohreh Aghdashloo
Academy Award–nominated actress
Cuba Gooding Jr.
Academy Award–winning actor
Phillip B. Goldfine
Academy Award–winning producer
Also on the jury: Pete Goldfinger · Dr. Rashed Mohammed Zubair Al Farooq · Levon Davis · Adelle Nazarian.
The full juryThe Year
The 2026 calendar
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Submissions open
Submissions open worldwide on FilmFreeway.
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Earlybird closes
Early pricing retires — $45 standard, $30 student.
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Open now
Final deadline
Last day to submit — $50 standard, $35 student.
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Official Selections
The 2026 selections are announced to the world.
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The festival
Screenings on the 28th, the awards ceremony on the 29th, panels and workshops on the 30th.
The Festival
Why Golden Dunes
An international jury
Ron Perlman, Shohreh Aghdashloo and Academy Award winner Cuba Gooding Jr., alongside an Academy Award–winning producer, a Saw franchise screenwriter and a documentary executive with credits across Netflix, Amazon and ESPN.
Meet the juryCategories for AI-made work
Alongside the classic crafts, Golden Dunes awards Best AI-Short Film, AI-Commercial and AI-Music Video, judged to the same standard as every other category.
All sixteen categoriesThe Dubai stage
Screenings, an awards ceremony, and a day of panels and workshops across three days in Downtown Dubai. The awards are presented at Belcanto, on the rooftop of Dubai Opera.
Inside the venue
The Golden Dunes Award · 24K gold-plated clapboard
The Award
The Clapboard
Winners receive a 24-karat gold-plated clapboard mounted on a black base, presented on stage at the awards gala on 29 November.
It is awarded across sixteen categories, from Best Feature Film to Best Sound Design, including three for AI-made work.
Awards & jury2025
The 2025 winners
Regret
Best Feature Film
The Children of Light
Best Short Film
Depth
Best Documentary
Echo
Best AI-Short Film
Good Morning Mom
Best Director
Gum
Best Arab Film
It Could Have Been Me
Best Animation
The Hipsters
Best AI-Commercial
Al Rawdah
Best Cinematography
Deadly Vows
Best Actress
Kazbegi
Best Sound Design
A Line to Draw
Best Student Film
L i OVE
Best Experimental
Open now · closes 20 October
Submissions
Submit your film
Sixteen categories. Entry is $50, or $35 for students. The final deadline is 20 October 2026.
FilmFreeway is the official — and only — submission channel for Golden Dunes. Festival ID 87181.
Partners
Festival partners
Partnership places your brand across the festival’s three days, from red-carpet visibility to on-screen credits.