Film director and scriptwriter Ibrahim El Batout received a grant at the Dubai Film Connection, a part of Dubai International Film Festival which started on 12 December 2010 and continues to the 19th. El Batout and the producer Hossam Elwancompeted in the festival with their new cinema project among many others submitted by directors and writers from all over the Arab world. The film received the International Relations ARTE Prize of €6000. This award is presented to a filmmaker for exceptional originality, writing style and motivation.

The Dubai Film Connection (DFC) is the co-production market of DIFF. Launched in 2007, the DFC aims to raise the visibility of Arab filmmakers and stimulate the growth of film production originating from the Arab world. The DFC focuses on bridging cultures by bringing international and Arab film professionals together to collaborate on the realization of approximately 15 selected projects each year.

Since its launch in 2007 the DFC has showcased a total of 46 films in development (fiction and documentary) and 6 Works-in-Progress. 10 films have now been completed and a further 9 are in production/nearing completion. In just three years, 50% of the projects presented have been realized.

It is noteworthy that Ibrahim El Batout's participation in the Dubai International Film Festival was also through his production company Ein Shams Films. He additionally screened his latest film Hawi,which is also an independent production that received theBest Arab Film award only a month ago at the Doha Tribeca Film Festival. Hawi was filmed entirely in Alexandria and was written and directed by Ibrahim El Batout. The film stars a large group of Alexandrian actors and actresses, including Mohamed Al Sayed, Sherief Al Desouky, Rina Aref and the talented actress Hanan Youssef.