Dubai International Film Festival 2013 opens. Filmmakers and international actors descend on Dubia during the opening night of the Dubai International Film Festival and share their thoughts on the growth of Arab Cinema. See more at: http://gulfnews.com/gntv
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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.
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