Dubai International Film Festival opens with The Theory of Everything

Emirati, regional and international filmmakers light up the red carpet for DIFF opening night. See more at: http://gulfnews.com/gntv

Transcript

00:00Well, here we are, the bright lights, the glitz and glamour and of course that infamous

00:11red carpet.

00:12It can only mean one thing, DIFF is back.

00:15The Dubai International Film Festival is now in its 11th year and will showcase 118 films

00:19over the coming seven days, including 55 world premieres.

00:23It all kicks off with a film tipped for awards season, a biopic about scientist Stephen Hawking's

00:28life called The Theory of Everything.

00:30Celebrities this year will include Hollywood A-lister Emily Blunt as well as Bollywood

00:34star John Abraham.

00:35We caught up with some of them on the red carpet.

00:38We want to build a film industry and it takes some time, but I think the wheel is moving.

00:44There are more Arab films as usual, there are more Emirati films, there are more Khaliji

00:49films, there are more Arab films, there are more people interested in the industry side

00:53of the thing.

00:54There is more respect from the industry, there are more people watching films and enjoying

00:59films they don't see the rest of the year and all of that really makes us very happy.

01:04I'm not familiar with any of the films from this area and so I feel very privileged to

01:09be here and very excited to meet the filmmakers and hear their stories.

01:14No, I don't have any expectations at all, I'm very excited to see what's happening in

01:20the region, to see what's the situation regarding the Arab cinema.

01:28I'm very interested in seeing that and I'm really very excited.

01:33The good thing about this year's festival is that there will be films in 34 different

01:36languages, a good representation you might say of the UAE's multicultural society.

01:40There will also be panels, debates and workshops running alongside the festival, including

01:44actors and directors, so in other words there's no reason for you not to get involved.

01:49For all the latest, stay up to date on gulfnews.com.

01:52Luigi Barkil reporting from the Dubai International Film Festival Red Carpet.