The first ever Coldwell Banker International Film Festival kicks off today over at films.coldwellbanker.com. Over the course of the next three weeks, we’ll be showcasing short films from filmmakers across the globe that share with us their answer to the questions, “what’s the true value of a home?”

The first video of the inaugural film festival comes from the United Arab Emirates (UAE). When you think of the UAE, Dubai is probably the first city that pops into your head with its exotic resorts and magnificent skyscraper. But in this film, entitled ‘The Emirati Home’, filmmaker Siddharth Seth shows us how hospitality and entertaining play a central role in any Emirati home.

When we asked Siddharth about his inspiration for the film he remarked:

In the United Arab Emirates, over 80% of the population consists of expats. In spite of this peculiar demographic, the Emiratis, or the local citizenry, through their rich cultures and tradition have managed to maintain a very strong identity of their own. But more importantly, these figures prove that the Emiratis are splendid hosts. They are extremely welcoming and make it a point to make people from all different nationalities feel absolutely at home in the Emirates.

‘The Emirati Home’ is a tribute to the ‘Emirati’ hospitality and way of life which is a combination of the traditional and the modern, the familiar and the unfamiliar.

‘The Emirati Home’ also has one of the most memorable lines of the entire film festival. The narrator remarks that “it’s common to see a father teaching his son to ride a bike…only after he’s first learned to ride a camel.”

Take a look at what the true value of a home means in the United Arab Emirates in this first video of the film festival over at films.coldwellbanker.com.