Crowds welcome big screen talent
DUBAI // Dubai International Film Festival opened its 13th edition with a star-studded red carpet gala screening of John Madden’s Miss Sloane last night at the Madinat Arena.
UAE film- making talents, including directors Abdullah Al Kaabi and Ali F Mostafa, who both have films screening at this year’s event, were joined on the red carpet by Sheikh Mansoor bin Mohammed, son of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai.
Talent from the wider region included the Egyptian satirist Bassam Youssef and Golden Globe-winning Palestinian actor Ali Suliman, who is a judge for this year’s IWC award.
Bollywood stars Ranveer Singh and Vaani Kapoor made the trip across the Arabian Sea ahead of tonight’s world premiere of their latest movie, Befkire. The biggest cheer of the evening, however, was reserved for Hollywood legend Samuel L Jackson, who was set to receive a Lifetime Achievement Award later in the evening.
The star spent about 30 minutes chatting to press and fans, and revealed we may be seeing more of him in the UAE soon.
“Would I film here? Sure, I’d love to,” Jackson said. “We were talking about that today actually – I was asking ‘do I have to learn Arabic , or can I just come here?’ Maybe next year one of my movies will screen here.”
Diff runs until December 14.