Rebooting Lisa Ray

Indo-Canadian actress Lisa Ray will undergo a stem cell transplant to treat her multiple myeloma, an incurable form of blood cancer.

The 37-year-old star was diagnosed with the cancer of the bone marrow in June and has been undergoing chemotherapy since July.

Toronto-born Lisa made this announcement on Tuesday while visiting the Marshall McLuhan Catholic Secondary School, Toronto, where her film Water, directed by Deepa Mehta, was screened.

Ray, who was born to a Polish mother and Bengali father, said the process for a stem cell transplant would begin next week at a city hospital.

Freezing

The procedure would begin by releasing her own stem cells into her blood, then collecting them and later freezing them, she said.

Calling it a "reboot" of her system, she said the process would take up to two weeks to complete. After this, she will be put on a waiting list for a stem cell transplant.

"Healing isn't just about the physical procedures. You need to be emotionally and spiritually and psychologically in the right frame of mind..."

She said she was taking a break from acting to complete the treatment. Multiple myeloma destroys the red blood cells in the body. However, advances made in the medical field have meant that multiple myeloma patients can now live up to 20 years.

Ray has been sharing her experiences on a blog called The Yellow Diaries. She recently appeared at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) gala promoting her film Cooking with Stella.

Shot mostly in the Canadian High Commission in New Delhi, the film is a hilarious comedy featuring Ray as the wife of a Canadian diplomat (played by Don McKellar) posted in New Delhi.

DIFF's french connection

The French and Arab worlds collide for this year's Dubai International Film Festival's In Focus segment.

"French films have been a constant source of inspiration for emerging talent as well as cinema veterans," said Sheila Whitaker, director of the International Programme.

Omar Sharif, in J'ai Oublié de te Dire (I Forgot To Tell You) is directed by Laurent Vinas-Raymond, while Agnès Varda presents a fascinating documentary Les Plages D'Agnès (The Beaches of Agnès) and director Mona Achache's brings Le Hérisson, an oddball film.