Media Zone Authority restructure will not impact Sanad Fund.

The Abu Dhabi Film Festival (Adff) has been closed down after eight years as part of a restructure by the Media Zone Authority-Abu Dhabi (Mza).

The festival offered a mix of films from the region, independent cinema and more mainstream fare, as well as on-stage industry discussions and interviews with actors and film-makers.

Last year’s edition, which ran from Oct 23-Nov 1, opened with Ali Mostafa’s Emerati film From A to B and closed with Disney animation Big Hero 6, with nearly 200 films from more than 60 countries included. Andrey Zvyagintsev’s Leviathan won the festival’s top prize, the Black Pearl Award.

According to a statement, the Mza has taken the move to focus on “targeted initiatives to further support local and Arab filmmakers and attract more film productions to Abu Dhabi”.