Three legends honoured

Lifetime achievement award goes to Youssef Chahine, Danny Glover and Im Kwon-taek.

The Dubai International Film Festival (DIFF) on Saturday honoured three legends of world cinema with its Lifetime Achievement Award. They were Egyptian director Youssef Chahine, dubbed the "poet and thinker" of modern Arab cinema, American actor, activist and producer Danny Glover and Im Kwon-taek, one of the most critically and commercially successful filmmakers in South Korea.

The honourees

Youssef Chahine is one of the most distinguished and controversial figures in Egyptian cinema since the 1950s and is known best for The Sparrow (1973) and The Emigrant (1994). Chahine was also honoured with a lifetime achievement award at the 50th Anniversary of the Cannes Film Festival.

American actor, activist and producer Danny Glover is best known for his roles in The Color Purple and the Lethal Weapon series, and has been an important figure in independent cinema in the US and internationally.

He was producer of last year's DIFF African Cinema presentation Bamako, and his dramatic versatility has earned him critical acclaim. He has received five NAACP Image Awards for his achievements as an actor of colour, alongside five Emmy Award nominations for his outstanding performances, including lead actor in Mandela (1987) and supporting role in Freedom Song (2000).

In March 1998, Glover was appointed Ambassador to the United Nations Development Programme.

Honouree Im Kwon-taek is one of the most critically and commercially successful filmmakers in South Korea. His Sopyonje (1993) was the first domestic film to draw over a million viewers in Seoul alone, and he is recognised as a founding member of the New Korean Cinema or Korean New Wave.

This year he released his 100th film, Beyond the Years.