Sixth Annual DIFF 2009 marks another feather on cap for Dubai

The opening of the Sixth Annual Dubai International Film Festival (DIFF) is another feather to the cultural cap of the city. It delivered a spectacular night of cinematic magic and Hollywood grandeur. The sky was lit up with flashes of camera bulbs in Madinat Arena, with all actors joining together to support their projects. With Dubai Film Festival, Dubai no longer feels distanced from global film hubs.

The festival opened with the film Nine, hours before its premiere in Los Angeles. However, none of the actors in the film could appear in Dubai, due to conflict in scheduling. Instead there were recorded messages played before the screening. Several of the famous faces in the city, appreciated Dubai for its effort in bridging the two film communities A group of supporting actors from the film managed to make appearance on the red carpet, making their way through the media blitz.

The showstopper of the night was the stunning Mandy Moore, who arrived in black ball-gown. The successful, singer-actress was in Dubai to support a charity case.

The Father of Indian Cinema, Amitabh Bacchan also spoke softly to the audience, while promoting his latest film Paa, where he plays a 12-year old boy suffering from a rare disease Progeria. Speaking about DIFF 2009 Lifetime Achievement Award that was bestowed to the legendary Indian actor, he said he felt ‘honored’ and ‘humbled’, and added that Middle East was growing to be one of the largest territories for Indian Cinemas overseas.

With the Queen Noor of Jordan entering the arena, an entourage of more than 25 followed suit. Dressed in a beautiful blue embroidered dress, the Queen waved to cameras and was escorted to the venue.

Other Arab stars who were spotted at the opening of the gala are Somayya Al Kashab, Hala Sarhan, Nelly Kareem, Mostafa Fahmy, Habib Gholoom, Sherine Adel, Rania Shawky, Khalid Al Sawi, and Khalid Taja.

Young Emirati filmmaker Ali Mustafa also appeared to promote his latest project City of Life, which is a story involving three individuals living in Dubai, the first-ever feature to come of the city.

The DIFF Chairman, Abdulhamid Juma, said that 168 films from 55 countries are to be screened over the next week, which confirms the emergence of the festival as a leading one in the region.

“As a nation, we have always believed in building bridges between people and civilizations, and in opening doors for discussions, despite the differences in language or cultural attributes such as music,” he said.

Just as is the case with movies, music also brings together people from different cultures. This respect for diversity and the universal language of movies and music is highlighted in ‘Nine’, the opening film of the event, and the films to be screened during the days to come, he added.

Posted on 12/12/2009

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