The Dubai International Film Festival (DIFF) will be the site of what is being billed as “the world’s first summit dedicated entirely to the future of cinematic innovation”.

The Cinematic Innovation Summit, taking place December 8-9 will feature several notable Hollywood speakers including producer Lauren Shuler Donner, Pixar Co-founder Alvy Ray Smith [pictured], How To Train Your Dragon writer-director Dean DeBlois, and Avatar actor Stephen Lang.

“Today, more than ever before, cinema and the entire media ecosystem are being transformed by ground-breaking innovations in technology,” said DIFF Chairman Abdulhamid Juma, “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.”

Organised in conjunction with Dubai’s Center for New Cinema (CNC) and business event coordinator naseba, the Summit aims to explore potential advances in motion picture technology, including artificial intelligence, game-style interactivity, ultra-real display technologies and augmented reality techniques. The Summit will also highlight the potential impact of cinematic innovations on such diverse sectors as healthcare, defense, and oil exploration. Over 200 executives are expected to attend from the fields of film, TV, games, technology and finance.

CNC President John B. Davis, said “Innovations in cinematic technology are 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.”