DIFF kicks off Teth Eition with Gittering Red Carpet Gala

Martin Sheen, Cate Blanchett, Hany Abu Assad, Samir Farid, Yosra and Top Arab Artists add Festival Glitz and Glamour to Opening Night
Dubai, December 7, 2013: The landmark tenth edition of the Dubai International Film Festival (DIFF) got off to a roaring start last night at the Madinat Jumeirah with a Red Carpet Opening Gala screening of Hany Abu-Assad's Omar, the Palestinian entry for the Foreign Language Oscar.

Academy Award-nominated and Golden Globe winning Palestinian director Hany Abu Assad led the line- up of stars gracing the red carpet as he attended alongside the films cast members Adam Bakri, Eyad Hourani and Waleed Zuaiter.

DIFF Chairman Abdulhamid Juma said: “Last night's opening ceremony were tremendously exciting, commencing the festival's tenth year of amazing cinema. To celebrate in the presence of our UAE community, including His Highness Sheikh Mansour bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum was truly an honour, and we look forward to giving our international guests and faithful Dubai audiences the best festival yet over the next eight days. The result of a decade's work by an extremely dedicated team, this year's programme truly epitomizes our stated mission of bridging cultures and meeting minds.”

Omar is a tough look at love, friendship and betrayal amongst a group of Palestinian friends living on different sides of the contentious Israeli ‘Separation Wall.' The film has been applauded at prestigious venues around the world, including the Cannes film festival.

The prestigious DIFF Lifetime Achievement Award was presented during the Opening Night ceremonies. This year's recipients were Egyptian journalist and film historian Samir Farid, who pioneered film criticism in the Arab world, and Multiple Emmy and Golden Globe Award winner Martin Sheen.'

The DIFF box office is open online on at www.dubaifilmfest.com. Additional information is also available through the Festival's dedicated customer care number, 363 FILM (3456).