A star-studded week of red carpet glamour, inspiring conferences and not forgetting great film wrapped up on Sunday night at the Dubai International Film Festival closing ceremony.
The seventh annual event has seen A-listers including Colin Firth, Colin Farrell, Ed Harris, Jim Sturgess, Beau Garrett, Kelly Brook, Emma Caulfield, Carey Mulligan and Peter Weir grace the red carpet.
The festival, held at the Madinat Arena, confirmed its credentials as the leading festival of the Arab world, Africa and Asia, with a line-up of 157 films from 57 countries, and didn’t disappoint. With 41 world premieres, 13 international premieres, 58 Middle East premieres and 32 Gulf premieres, the options were endless.
This year the Muhr Awards – with categories for Arab, Emirati, Asian and African cinema – handed out a total prize fund of $575,000.
Introduced in 2006 the Muhr Awards has so far honoured 65 filmmakers, producers and actors as well as facilitated in raising the profile of the winners at an international level.
The in-competition Muhr Awards scooped a record 848 entries this year, with the Muhr Arab segment drawing 62 feature films, 228 short films, and 113 documentary films. The Muhr AsiaAfrica competition, dedicated for filmmakers from Asia and Africa, similarly received 445 entries, encompassing 136 feature films, 199 short films, and 110 documentary films.
The Festival’s new Muhr Emirati competition, introduced to further strengthen and recognise rising Emirati talent, received 25 feature films, short films, and documentaries.