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[Luciano]

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Dubai, UAE, United Arab Emirates, 09/12/2006 - The third annual Dubai International Film Festival (DIFF) will play host to a pantheon of Hollywood celebrities, from top actors to major industry figures, making VIP attendance at this year’s festival the highest yet.

Opening night, December 10, will be an extravaganza of stars: Bobby, directed by Emilio Estevez, will open the festival, with cast members Joshua Jackson and Laurence Fishburne presiding, as well as Joy Bryant, whose Get Rich or Die Tryin’ (2005) co-star Terence Howard will be at DIFF later in the week.

Joy will not be the only gorgeous actress to attend DIFF’s opening--- Diane Kruger, who played Helen in Troy (2004), is also slated to shine on December 10.

After the gala screening, the VIPs will descend on the opening party at the Madinat Jumeirah, where with 1000 other guests, they will be feted by hip-hop pioneer Mos Def.

Opening night will not be the only star-gazing opportunity; on Friday, December 15 at 7:00 pm in the Madinat Theatre, American actor and activist Richard Gere will participate in a panel discussion with filmmaker Oliver Stone, among others, where they will debate such questions as the artist’s responsibility to society and violence in the media.

Harold and Kumar star Kal Penn will visit the emirate for the first time to promote Mira Nair’s new crossover hit The Namesake, and stunning Italian actress/producer Maria Cucinotta will appear with omnibus film All the Invisible Children.

The DIFF celebrity guest list is not limited to the silver screen; fans of popular TV show Desperate Housewives will be pleased to see Jesse Metcalfe, who plays John Rowland in the show, along with his girlfriend Nadine Coyle, of the British hit group Girls Aloud.
A host of industry figures will also visit DIFF this year, such as Lord of the Rings producer Barrie M. Osborne, attracted by the prospect of networking opportunities with industry counterparts from other regions. Mr. Osborne will share his wisdom with the public in a panel entitled A Conversation with Barrie. M. Osborne, on Wednesday, December 13 at 11 am in the Madinat Theatre.

DIFF’s Managing Director Shivani Pandya stated, “Our goal is for industry figures from Bollywood, Hollywood and the Arab world to convene, engendering interesting co-productions and promising new creative partnerships. With our new Industry Office, we have increased the likelihood of this fruitful networking, and we are confident we will draw more industry guests in the years to come.�

The third annual Dubai International Film Festival runs from December 10 to 17, 2006.

Credit: News Wire