Abu Dhabi: A strong line-up of male stars is leading the red-carpet offering at this year’s Dubai International Film Festival (DIFF).
Sean Penn, whose Abu Dhabi-produced film Fair Game is due for release next month, will be honoured with a lifetime achievement award, organisers announced Tuesday. The two-time Oscar winner will receive the honour alongside legendary Lebanese actress Sabah and Malian director Souleymane Cisse.
Penn will be joined by Irish actor Colin Farrell, American actor/director Ed Harris and English actor Jim Sturgess, who star in the Second World War drama The Way Back, co-produced by Imagenation Abu Dhabi. Acclaimed director Peter Weir will join the cast of the film on the red carpet.
Radio 2: Managing Director of Dubai International Film Festival Shivani Pandya says Dubai is big right now
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British actor Colin Firth, who plays King George VI in the biopic The King’s Speech — Diff’s gala opening — has also confirmed his attendance and so has French actor Jean Reno, who stars in a short film, The Philospher, by Emirati director Abdullah Al Ka’abi.
Leading the female stars on the red carpet will be British actress and Oscar nominee Carey Mulligan, model Kelly Brook and Italian-Iranian actress Maya Sansa.
Bollywood will be represented by director Karan Johar and actress/filmmaker Aparna Sen.
Diff, which runs from December 12-19 at the Madinat Jumeirah, will screen 157 films from around the world, 41 of which are world premieres.
Shivani Pandya, the festival’s managing director said while successfully booking stars largely depended on their schedules, Dubai as a destination has always helped in selling the festival.
“There is an attraction to be associated with this city and many of the stars are curious to be here because they’ve heard so much about it. So it always helps when booking stars,” she said.
Backseat
Interestingly, while there’s a selection of films dedicated to Indian cinema, mainstream Bollywood seems to have taken a backseat this year. Last year’s festival saw the global release of Rocket Singh, starring Bollywood heart-throb Ranbir Kapoor.
“A lot of the mainstream films inevitably get released in the UAE so we wanted to focus on the regional films, which are equally great and which people don’t normally get to see,” said Pandya.
The Celebration of Indian Cinema segment features films from Kerala, West Bengal and Tamil Nadu.
A new segment, Muhr Emirati Awards, for UAE national filmmakers have also been created this year. In previous festivals, all Arab filmmakers were competing under the Muhr Arab Awards.
“It’s because of the growing number of entries we’ve been receiving over the years from Emirati filmmakers. So we decided they deserved their very own awards,” said Masoud Amralla Al Ali, Diff’s artistic director.
“The quality has also been phenomenal compared to when we started it. And this festival is growing from just showcasing films to actually nurturing and encouraging talent, which is exactly what a film festival should do.”
French produced The Philosopher, starring Reno will be screened as the Cinema of Asia Africa gala along with Reign of Assasins, co-directed by acclaimed filmmaker John Woo.
Tickets
Tickets for all the films showing at Diff go on sale Wednesday on dubaifilmfest.com. You can also call to book tickets 04-3913378 or buy it off the box office locations at Madinat Arena and Cinestar, Mall of the Emirates. All regular tickets are priced at Dh25 and Dh10 for students with relevant IDs. Tickets to gala screenings are priced at Dh80.
Films on the Beach
Jumeirah Beach Residence will this year form a central part of the Dubai International Film Festival. The area will feature free screenings of films showing at the festival, including the opening gala The King’s Speech and musical perfomances from the Rhythm and Reels segment. Performances by Mariachi Band, Lebanese singer Rima Khcheich and Egyptian bands Masar Egbari and Y-Crew will follow various film screenings. All events at JBR will be free.
Radio 2: Managing Director of Dubai International Film Festival Shivani Pandya says parking should be easy for people going to watch films at the Jumeirah Beach Residence Screen
