Jake Gyllenhaal, Shah Rukh Khan and Kajol among stars appearing at Diff

This year's DIFF line-up includes 55 world premières across the Arab and Emirati competitions, plus out-of-competition segments dedicated to children, the Arab world and cinema from around the globe.

Shah Rukh Khan and Kajol head a line-up of stars who will walk the red carpet at Diff. AFP PHOTO / AFP / STR
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Next month’s 12th edition of the Dubai International Film Festival will showcase 134 films from 60 countries in eight days.

The line up includes 54 world premieres across the Arab and Emirati competitions, plus out-of-competition segments dedicated to children, the Arab world and cinema from around the globe.

Star Trek fans will get an early chance to see footage from the upcoming sequel Star Trek Beyond, which was partly filmed in Dubai and is due out next July. Details of the event are yet to be confirmed.

Celebrities confirmed as attending include Hollywood actors Richard Dreyfuss (Jaws, Close Encounters of the Third Kind), Jake Gyllenhaal (Donnie Darko, Nightcrawler), Melanie Griffith (Working Girl), Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje (Game of Thrones, Lost, the upcoming Concussion and Suicide Squad) and Dev Patel (Slumdog Millionaire, The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel). Bollywood stars attending include Shah Rukh Khan, Kajol, Naseeruddin Shah and Kalki Koechlin.

International big hitters

Diff will open on December 9 with Lenny Abrahamson's Room, based on Emma Donoghue's 2010 best-selling novel of the same name.

It tells the story of a mother, played by Brie Larson, and her young son Jack (Jacob Tremblay), who have been held in captivity in a tiny room for five years before they manage to escape into the world beyond, where they have to adjust to a strange, terrifying and wondrous life outside their prison.

Room won the People's Choice Award at this year's Toronto International Film Festival, the previous winners of which include Oscar successes such as Slumdog Millionaire, The King's Speech, 12 Years a Slave and American Beauty.

Internationally renowned screenwriter, director, comedian and actor Adam McKay's star-studded financial-crisis comedy-drama The Big Short, based on Michael Lewis's best-selling novel, will close the festival on December 16.

The film features an ensemble cast that includes Brad Pitt, Christian Bale, Ryan Gosling and Steve Carell as four outsiders from the world of high finance who predicted the spectacular collapse of the credit and housing market in the mid-2000s and decide to take on the big banks for their lack of foresight and greed.

The movie debuted to widespread critical acclaim at last month’s American Film Institute Festival in Los Angeles and will not go on general release until December 23.

Gala screenings

The red-carpet screenings at Madinat Jumeirah are always guaranteed to bring out Dubai’s best-dressed.

This year's highlights include children's gala screenings of Steve Martino's The Peanuts Movie, which brings Charlie Brown, Snoopy and the rest of the gang to the big screen for the first time, and Thale Persen's festive Valley of Knights: Mira's Magical Christmas.

Highlights for the grown-ups include Peter Landesman's dramatic thriller Concussion, a based-on-fact drama starring Will Smith as a forensic pathologist who battles sports authorities to bring to light brain damage suffered by American football players; Larry Yang's Chinese drama Mountain Cry; and award-winning crime drama The Clan, by Argentinian director Pablo Trapero.

Legendary Egyptian director Mohamed Khan will also take centre stage at Madinat Theatre with the world premiere of his latest film, Before the Summer Crowds.

Local talent

In addition to the local films featured in this year’s Muhr Awards, there are some hotly anticipated Emirati-produced features getting world or regional premieres at this year’s festival.

These kick off on December 10 with Zinzana, the neo-noir thriller from Majid Al Ansari that has already proved a hit at Fantastic Fest in the United States and the BFI London Film Festival.

Ayman Jamal and Khurram H Alavi's visually stunning epic animated action-adventure Bilal will also be screened.

Acclaimed Emirati director Saeed Salmeen Al Murry will present the world premiere of his heart-warming feature Going to Heaven, which was supported by Enjaaz, Image Nation and Filmi. It was shortlisted for last year's IWC Filmmaker Award and won the Ministry of Interior's Cinema Award.

In all, 16 of this year’s films received support from Diff’s Enjaaz fund.

In conversation with the stars

Jake Gyllenhaal will be the star of an “In Conversation” event on December 16.

The Oscar nominee's most recent credits include Nightcrawler, Southpaw, Everest and Demolition. As previously announced, he will also be presented with Variety's International Star of the Year Award, in recognition of his outstanding contribution to the industry.

French actress Catherine Deneuve, Egyptian actor Ezzat Al Alayli, French-Tunisian actor Sami Bouajila and Naseeruddin Shah will be getting Lifetime Achievement Awards.

Filmfare Middle East

Thanks to this year's partnership with Filmfare Middle East magazine, the regional offshoot of India's biggest movie mag, Shah Rukh Khan and Kajol, whose new film Dilwale opens in the UAE on December 17, will be felicitated during the Filmfare ME gala on December 12 alongside Pakistani actor Fawad Khan, South Indian superstar Nivin Pauly and Emirati director Ali F Mostafa. A Filmfare ME Lifetime Achievement Award will be given to musician Bappi Lahiri.

The festival also promises appearances from some of Bollywood's biggest stars, thanks to this year's partnership with Filmfare Middle East magazine, the regional offshoot of India's biggest movie mag, which celebrates five years in the region this year.

The judges

The Muhr Short and Gulf Short competition jury will be headed by Oscar-nominated Icelandic director and producer Fridrik Thor Fridriksson (Dancer in the Dark). He will be joined by Tunisian director Hinde Boujemaa and Emirati director and producer Ali F Mostafa.

The Muhr Emirati competition jury will be headed by double Oscar-winning Danish producer Kim Magnusson (Adam's Apples). He will be joined by renowned Egyptian journalist Abdul Sattar Naji and associate professor at UAE University, Hessa Lootah.

Golden Globe winner and Oscar nominee Hany Abu-Assad (Omar, The Idol) will be head of the jury for the fourth IWC Filmmaker Award. He will be joined by Tunisian actress Hend Sabry, Georges Kern, chief executive of IWC Schaffhausen, Diff chairman Abdulhamid Juma and Masoud Amralla Al Ali, Diff's artistic director. The award offers a US$100,000 (Dh367,300) cash prize to the winning filmmaker, which will be presented at an event hosted by official sponsor IWC Schaffhausen on December 10.

Last year, Abdullah Boushahri received the award from IWC Schaffhausen brand ambassador Emily Blunt for his project Water, which is in production.

The beach is back

You don't have to go to the cinema to be part of Diff – the outdoor cinema on JBR beach makes a very welcome return this year. On the opening night, film fans can watch all the red-carpet action live, followed by the world premiere of Halkawt Mustafa's captivating adventure El Clásico. The film follows the adventures of two brothers who set off on a risky road trip from Iraqi Kurdistan to Spain to meet Real Madrid footballer Cristiano Ronaldo.

The beach is the ideal location to catch a special screening of Steven Spielberg's classic Jaws, which celebrates its 40th anniversary on December 12, and will be introduced by star Richard Dreyfuss.

The free nightly screenings also include Maksim Fadeev's family fantasy-adventure Savva: Heart of the Warrior on December 10. The next day, Arab Idol winner Mohammed Assaf will perform at a screening of Hany Abu-Assad's The Idol, about the Palestinian- Arab singer's rise to fame.

The open-air screenings close on December 16 with Ella Lemhagen's romantic comedy All Roads Lead to Rome.

Industry discussions

Festivalgoers can attend more than 25 panel discussions and masterclasses in the Dubai Film Market. Highlights include a conversation with Netflix chief content officer, Ted Sarandos, and a day devoted to film finance, as well as an exploration of virtual reality. There are also networking sessions offering total script-to-screen support for emerging filmmakers, including talent development, co-production, post-production support and a trade platform.

Charity work

On December 12, Eva Longoria returns to Diff to present the Global Gift Gala in partnership with Dubai Cares, the fifth annual staging of the event. It is the official charity Gala of Diff in aid of: The Eva Longoria Foundation, which provides education and entrepreneurship opportunities to women; the Sunrise K Foundation, which raises awareness of childhood glaucoma; and the Global Gift Foundation, which aims to help families in need.

The details

Diff runs from December 9 to 16. Films will be screened at the Madinat Arena and Madinat Theatre in Souk Madinat Jumeirah, and VOX Cinemas in Mall of the Emirates.

Starting Friday, November 27, tickets will be available at www.dubaifilmfest.com and at the box office at VOX Cinemas, Mall of the Emirates. Starting December 9, tickets will also be available from the Souk Madinat Jumeirah venues.

Individual tickets cost from Dh30. Ticket bundles of 10 or 25 are available, along with four or eight-night travel packages, which include accommodation and a shuttle service to events. There is also a range of Friends of the Festival packages offering various degrees of exclusives, such as red-carpet tickets, party invitations and VIP parking. The most exclusive option, a Dh250,000 per couple Royal Package, comes with red carpet-ready make-up and hair service, plus business-class travel and five-star accommodation at next year’s Cannes Film Festival.

cnewbould@thenational.ae