UAE | Media
Glitz, glamour and glitches as film festival opens
The long-awaited launch of the inaugural Middle East International Film Festival may have been all glitz and glamour upstairs on the red carpet but downstairs it was a different story.
- Staff Report
- Published: 22:48 October 14, 2007
- Egyptian artist Nellie Kareem (left) and Dalia Al Behery, an Egyptian actress, model and TV presenter, arrive for the opening of the Middle East International Film Festival.
- Image Credit: Ravindranath/Gulf News
Dubai: The long-awaited launch of the inaugural Middle East International Film Festival may have been all glitz and glamour upstairs on the red carpet but downstairs it was a different story.
As Bollywood stars Irfan Khan, Dia Mirza, Shiney Ahuja and Konkona Sen Sharma trod the freshly-laid carpet at the impressive Emirates Palace Hotel, visitors, residents and guests had to struggle to even get close to the big screen.
The opening night of the Middle East International Film Festival (MEIFF) offered complimentary tickets for the opening gala screening of Bafta Award-winning director Joe Wright's Atonement starring Keira Knightley, followed by a party under the stars on the terrace.
But it soon became apparent to visitors, who had clearly dressed to impress at the strictly black tie event, that too many tickets had been issued and many would be left disappointed.
Arguments broke out in the crowd as people pushed from the back and tried to make their way into the main theatre which can accommodate just 1,100 people.
Chaos
More than 100 people were told there was no room and to make their way to the terrace to enjoy food and drinks on offer.
But it wasn't long before this bubble also burst as the guests were told, at 8pm, that the terrace would not open until 10pm.
The red carpet run was done well. Stars made their way along the route to the theatre amid incessant flashes by photographers.
MEIFF runs until October 19 and sees the regional premieres of a number of international movies as well as offerings from the Middle East.
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