Jake Gyllenhaal will attend this year’s Dubai International Film Festival, organisers announced on Wednesday.
The Oscar-nominated actor will be presented with Variety’s International Star of the Year Award. Previous winners include Colin Firth and Owen Wilson.
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Fans will also be able to attend “In Conversation with Jake Gyllenhaal”, a public Q&A with the actor that will take place on December 16.
Diff chairman Abdulhamid Juma said Gyllenhaal is “undeniably one of the most accomplished actors of his generation.”
“His screen presence has captivated audiences since his earliest roles and he is one of the most versatile actors working today. We are absolutely delighted to honour his extraordinary talents with Variety magazine’s ‘International Star of the Year’ Award at this year’s festival,” he said.
Gyllenhaal has been known for his eccentric movie choices that spotlight disturbed characters. He first garnered a cult following in 2001 with his film Donnie Darko, where he played a troubled teenager told by a gigantic rabbit named Frank that the world is ending.
In 2005, Gyllenhaal earned a Bafta award and Oscar nomination for his role in Brokeback Mountain opposite his close personal friend, Heath Ledger. 2014’s Nightcrawler, where he plays a crime journalist who gets a little too involved in his crime scenes, earned him Golden Globe, Screen Actor’s Guild and Bafta nominations.
Vice president and executive editor of Variety Steven Gaydos, said: “Jake Gyllenhaal’s promise as an actor was clear almost from the beginning of his illustrious career … the last few years have witnessed an explosion of great work that matches the best actors of any generation. Southpaw, Nightcrawler, Enemy, Prisoners, Everest, and End of Watch all demonstrate this vital young artist’s skills, amazing range and the depths to which he’ll travel to find his own unique truth and personal insights into each of these complex and often haunted characters.”
Diff will take place between Dec 9-16.
