Red carpet cues

Glitz and glamour was the order of the day at DIFF's first gala screening of the Festival.

Celebrities, royalty and film fans — the red carpet saw them all as they made their way to watch Emilio Estevez's Bobby.
While laser beams probed the sky in all directions, the stars were to be found on the deep-pile crimson walkway leading into Madinat Conference Hall on Sunday night.

Among those happy to pander to the eager throng of waiting media were some of the stars of the show: Laurence Fishburne, Joy Bryant, Nick Cannon and Joshua Jackson.

Bryant, 30, was one of the first under the glare of flashlights and rolling cameras, looking radiant in a floor-length cappuccino dress and waving to the media.

Fishburne, too, inspired a clatter of shutters as he stepped into the spotlight in a striking purple suit.
Joshua Jackson, in Dubai for the first time, was charming as he stopped to answer questions about Bobby, in which he stars as Wade.

“It is always nice to travel with a good movie and I think it is a good choice if the (festival's) theme is about bridging cultures,'' said the 28-year-old.

“I am here for four days — not too long but just enough to get my feet wet.''

Breathtaking

Co-star Nick Cannon was clearly thrilled to be in Dubai for DIFF. The 26-year-old who plays Dwayne — a member of Robert Kennedy's Presidential election campaign team in the film — said: “It's amazing out here. It's breathtaking, it's unreal, it's like nothing I've ever experienced before — I'm loving it.''

When asked which element of Bobby he was most proud of, he said: “That everybody came together and saw a brilliant piece of work and was really inspired to move on it.''

A surprise guest was Jesse Metcalfe, of Desperate Housewives fame. The just-turned 28-year-old American actor looked tanned and relaxed on the runway in a stylish grey suit and black shirt.

Having just arrived that day, he told DIFF Daily: “I am here as a guest of Sir Steven Saxton (president of Hollywood Studios) and I just wanted to come to the festival as an opportunity to see Dubai. So far, it's a great experience and I look forward to seeing the rest of the city.''

In addition to the Hollywood contingent, there were plenty of Arab stars including Hala Sarhan and Mahmoud Abdulaziz.

Stunning

Adding exotic appeal to the event was a host of celebrities from the sub-continent, including Ayesha Dharker. The actress, 28, had just flown in from her base in London for the event and was looking stunning in a purple halter-neck dress.

Here to support her film Outsourced, being screened at DIFF this week, she said: “This is part of the fun and the great thing about being in the acting business is that it changes from one day to the next. I have always supported independent films and I have often chosen them over Bollywood before.''

Speaking of the selection of Bobby to open the Festival, she said: “It's a brave choice as an opening night film. This festival is setting itself up to be an intermediary between East and West and I think that's really interesting.''
Fresh from Mumbai was Bollywood actress Kangana Ranaut who was taking time out from her busy schedule filming Shaka Laka Boom Boom and Metro in India.

“I will be here for one or two more days because I need to get back for my shoot,'' said the 19-year-old actress.
“I think I will enjoy Bobby because there are a lot of stars in it who I admire.''

Don actress Sushama Reddy said she hoped her next film, Mahesh Manjrekar's Big Bazaar, would come to DIFF in the future

Hotspot

Back in Dubai after a break of a few years, she was amazed at the changes in the emirate and said: “I have a feeling that Dubai Studio City could become a hotspot for Bollywood because it is so close.''

Also in the gala audience was Indian filmmaker Ramesh Sippy who was keen to see how Emilio Estevez had directed the film, which is centred around the hours leading up to the assassination of US Senator Robert Kennedy during his election campaign in 1968.

Among some of the final guests to arrive was Prince Albert of Monaco who waved and smiled warmly at the crowds en route to the screening.

After an hour-and-a-half of frantic star gazing, the red carpet cleared at last as the special guests took their seats inside, under the cover of darkness.