00:00Welcome to the 10th Dubai International Film Festival here at the iconic Madinat Jumeirah.
00:13As it enters its 10th year, DIFF, as it's more commonly known, has solidified its presence
00:17as one of the leading film festivals in the region, and this year promises to be bigger
00:22and better than ever.
00:23174 films will be showcased here, 70 of which will be world premieres over the nine coming
00:29days.
00:30Among them will be Hollywood blockbusters like 12 Years a Slave and American Hustle,
00:34which stars A-listers Christian Bale and Bradley Cooper.
00:37But, as it's the 10th year, organisers say they want to focus on local and regional talent.
00:43The film opening DIFF 2013 will be a part Emirati, part Palestinian production called
00:48Omar.
00:49However, all eyes are most likely set to be on another film premiering here in Dubai,
00:53Mandela Long Walk to Freedom.
00:55The visionary ex-South African leader died on Thursday night and that's only set to
00:59add to the importance of the film when it's shown here, which looks at his struggle against
01:04apartheid in South Africa.
01:06One thing is for sure though, the red carpet's been rolled and Dubai is ready once again
01:09for the 10th year to welcome the stars.
01:12It's hard to articulate all that I feel.
01:15It's very gratifying.
01:16You don't think very much outside your own community, you know, and so an international
01:22festival like this is extremely gratifying.
01:25It's deeply personal.
01:26These are the kind of things that you look forward to, but they're all quite different.
01:31I don't know what the evening is going to present, but it's very exciting, and so I'm
01:38grateful and I'm looking forward to it, and afterward I'll let you know how I feel.
01:44I know virtually nothing about film in the Middle East, I'd say, so it's good to be here
01:50to get some exposure because it's high time that I was educated to it.
01:54There's just too many, you know, films from the Arab world, and this is also kind of a
02:00window into their cinema.
02:02One of the greatest movies ever made was made in the Middle East by David Lean, you know,
02:06Lardons of Arabia, and there's been great movies like Call of the Corlew, you know,
02:12the one on the Nile.
02:14I think there could be new stories told, you know.
02:16In fact, there will be new stories told.
02:18To work with Palestinian crew, Palestinian directors, Palestinian editors, this is a
02:24good, big step.
02:25A sign for a future film in Palestine.
02:28Ammar is a love story, it's a universal love story.
02:31It can be an action film at the same time, and a thriller.
02:34It's a message of love.
02:35I would say now the Arabian cinemas are actually getting on, how do you say, a track.
02:41Well, it's amazing because we have 15 Ammarati films now this year, you know, so the movement
02:46is growing, the film industry is growing, so it's very exciting.
02:48Well, there you have it, Hollywood A-listers like Martin Sheen and Cate Blanchett have
02:52once again graced Dubai with their presence, highlighting DIFF's important role in regional
02:56and international film festivals.
02:58One thing is for sure, Dubai is set to dazzle the stage over the nine coming days, and you
03:02can take part yourself.
03:03For more information, just check out the Gulf News website, gulfnews.com.
03:15GULF NEWS
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