First Dubai film festival kicks off
Hollywood star Orlando Bloom topped the list of celebrities walking the red carpet Monday at the first Dubai International Film Festival, which hopes to be a “cultural bridge” between East and West.
The 27-year-old English actor, who starred in “Troy” and the “Lord of the Rings” trilogy, mingled with Indian film luminaries and a host of Arab cinema names who deserted the simultaneous Cairo film festival for the glitz of the United Arab Emirates.
Organizers hope the festival, which has cost about $6 million to stage, will take center stage in Arab cinema. The event will feature a screening of Steven Soderbergh’s “Ocean’s 12” and 74 other films, mostly Arab and South Asian.
The movies will not face the censorship usually practiced by local authorities.
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