Arab stars shine on red carpet

(8 Dec 2016) LEAD IN: Arab, international, and Bollywood stars took to the red carpet on the opening night of the Dubai Film Festival. STORY-LINE: A star-studded red carpet with the iconic Burj Al Arab as a backdrop - it's where Arab, international, and Bollywood celebrities walk on the opening night of the Dubai International Film Festival. This year, 156 films, shorts, and documentaries from 55 countries will be shown, including world premieres of films such as John Madden's Miss Sloane, and Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. Arab and Emirati film competitions however remain one of the biggest features of the festival, especially with the highly contested Muhr competition for films from the United Arab Emirates and the Arab world. The winners will be announced on the last day of the festival. The event is seen in the region as a platform for the growing film culture in the Middle East. "We call ourselves an international festival with an Arab heart. Look at the numbers; we have 156 films, out of which 73 are Arab films. Those movies are then showcased in other festivals and other platforms. We invite people from all over the world to see Arab films and to then showcase them internationally," says Abdulhamid Juma, Chairman of Dubai International Film Festival. Arab stars including renowned Egyptian actresses Elham Shahin, Nelly Karim, and Yousra attended the opening of the festival and praised Dubai for its work in supporting Arab cinema. "In the Arab region, Dubai brings us all together. And to be honest, I love it here because I feel like you can find people from all over the Arab world gathered here together," Egyptian actress Yousra said. Emirati talents such as director Ali Mostafa and singer Abdullah Balkhair also attended. Balkhair recently acted in his first film. "It was short but it was wonderful. The director made me play many different characters, they changed the way I looked, the way I dressed, and they moved me to many different locations. It was such a nice experience, I loved it and especially that we have a festival here that competes with international film festivals," Balkhair said on the red carpet. International star Samuel L. Jackson, who is receiving an achievement award at the event, also walked the red carpet. You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/youtube/67ec5284ef76c43ac535526620948fe4 Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork