In order to raise the awareness of the environmental, social and economic consequences of desertification to a wider public, within the framework of the International Year of Deserts and Desertification (2006) the Secretariat of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) has instituted the International Film Festival Desert Nights: Tales from the Desert with the support of the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and under the patronage of the Italian Ministry of Cultural Heritage and Activities. The festival will take place in Rome, Italy, from 1 to 7 December 2006.



'Desert Nights' is a non-competitive, specialized film festival that aims to spotlight new films, classics and documentaries from the countries most affected by desertification and also those films and documentaries focusing on the desert, its stories and the most interesting aspects of the cultural environment of arid and desertified areas.