World-famous adrenaline, ambitions and first-rate stars gathered in one of the fastest growing cities in the world - Dubai in December 2011 during the opening of the 8th Dubai International Film Festival (DIFF), which hosted the world premiere of the long-awaited blockbuster with participation of Tom Cruise - "Mission Impossible. Protocol" Phantom "." The film, directed by Oscar winner Brad Bird, and starring Tom Cruise, Jeremy Renner, Simon Pegg, Paula Patton, Michael Nyquist, Russian actor Vladimir Mashkov, Josh Holloway, Anil Kapoor and Leah Seydoux, is the fourth part of the adventure action movie "Mission: Impossible", which first appeared on the screens in 1996.
On the day of the opening ceremony of the festival, which took place at the Madinat Jumeirah resort, The Arabian Resort, Brad Bird, Tom Cruise and other Hollywood stars who participated in the filming shared the “red carpet” with the DIFF organizers. Recall that in Dubai at the beginning of 2011, the final shootings of the Hollywood blockbuster took place, which had previously been held in Prague, Moscow, Mumbai and Vancouver.
Traditionally, the Dubai International Film Festival is held under the patronage of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, vice president and prime minister of the UAE, and ruler of Dubai. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, ruler of Dubai, and Hollywood star, Tom Cruise, appeared together on the red carpet during the opening of DIFF.
Speaking on the eve of the opening of the festival with representatives of the local and international press, Tom Cruise shared his memories of his conquest last year of the tallest building in the world - the skyscraper Burj Khalifa. “Fear of falling was my first thought when I looked down, finding myself on the outside of the Burj Khalifa building for the first time, preparing for the shoot,” said Cruz, recalling how he hung at the cellular floor of a skyscraper. “I really hoped I wouldn’t fall "Before risking the stunts at Burj Khalifa, I trained for several months on a four-story building. But even after months of training, I had no idea that there were things like crosswind at a 100-meter height." Tom Cruise was greatly impressed not only by filming episodes on the world's tallest building, but also by the hospitality with which he and all members of the crew were surrounded. “I would like to once again thank Sheikh Mohammed for the hospitality that was provided to all of us. I am amazed how Dubai has become such a beautiful modern city in just a few years. The stories in Dubai about Hollywood are phenomenal and full of excitement. I predict that there will be shoot a lot of films. I myself will be happy to be here again, if I have the opportunity, "said the actor.
"I was very afraid that I would get a reputation in Hollywood for the director who killed his leading actor," said director Brad Bird. - “I remember that on the first day of filming, when Cruise first climbed out to get used to the height, I was so busy with what was happening inside on the set that I completely forgot about him. Suddenly, we saw someone the body flies through the air outside, disappears from sight, and heard the sound of a blow on the glass. And then I thought: “I just killed Tom Cruise.” Bird also claims that Cruise's wife, Katie Holmes, and his daughter Suri, simply could not watch as the head of their family hangs over the city at a great height, and after two takes they quickly left mochno site.
To date, DIFF has already firmly established a reputation as one of the most prestigious "launching sites" in the world for representatives of Arab, Asian and African cinema. “Dubai and the UAE are an example of how a mission can be accomplished, so the connection between the film and our country is obvious,” said Abdulhamid Juma, chairman of DIFF. “On behalf of the people of Dubai and the UAE, I would like to thank the Paramount Pictures film company and the producers of the film, which promises to be one of the sensations of 2011, for the opportunity to tell the world about our country. I also thank Four Star and Gulf Film for the premiere of the blockbuster at the festival. "
“We look forward to the opportunity to demonstrate the film for the first time in Dubai,” said Rob Moore, vice chairman of Paramount Pictures, before the premiere. “Together with the producers, we are extremely grateful to the Dubai authorities, as well as the residents of the city who made their valuable contribution to the success This includes Dubai Studio City, the Dubai Police Department, the Department of Civil Defense, the Committee on Roads and Transport, Dubai Air Wing, the Dubai Health Authority, the municipality of Dubai, the Dubai Customs Administration, Emaar Properties, and many others ogie other. "
As part of the festival program in Dubai, a large number of premieres were shown, including 46 world, 25 international, 78 Middle Eastern regions and 7 countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). All premieres were shot in 32 languages of the world, from Cantonese to Catalan. In addition, the DIFF organizing committee selected a large number of films for contemporary Arabic cinema, including 70 biographical films, comedies, dramas and love stories of the Arabian Peninsula, the Levant and North Africa. 37 of these tapes were first shown in Dubai, 9 became international premieres.
During the festival, premieres such as George Clooney’s Descendants drama, the Disney movie comedy The Muppets, the British drama My Week with Marilyn, the German drama comedy Three Quarters of the Moon, and the Italian immigrant drama were also shown. Terraferma, Egyptian love story "One."
Among the world-famous stars who took part in the film festival were actors Tom Cruise, Simon Pegg, Paula Patton, Anil Kapoor, Leah Seydou, director Brad Bird, producer Brian Burke, screenwriter and director Alexander Payne, actress Shailene Woodley, director and screenwriter James Bobin , supermodel and photographer Helena Christensen, directors Peter Weir and Volker Schlöndorf, actor, producer and television host Shah Rukh Khan, model and actress Priyanka Chopra, screenwriter and director Farhan Akhtar, producer Ritesh Sidhwani, rising Bollywood stars - Ranvir Singh and Anushka Sharma, re director Manish Sharma and many others.
Among the stars of cinema of the GCC countries were Fakhriya Khamis and Buteyna Alreisi from Oman, Daud Hussein, Ibrahim Al Harbi, Huda Hussein and Muhammad Bushehri from Kuwait, Zahra Arafat from Bahrain and Abdul Mohsen M. Alnemer from Saudi Arabia.
From other countries of the Arab world, the film festival was honored by Amr Waked, Izzat Abu Uf, Liblib and Yussra from Egypt, Ahmed El Zane and Youssef Al Hal from Lebanon, Ismail Al Adjayli and Iman Al Rabti from Libya, Mohammed Mift from Morocco, Mozna Al Atrash from Syria, Dorra Shihawi and Ahlam Bu Affur from Tunisia.
During the festival, Lifetime Achievement Awards were awarded to Egyptian cinema veteran Gamil Ratib, Oscar and Grammy awards, Indian composer A. R. Rahman and German director, screenwriter and actor Werner Herzog. As in previous years, DIFF continued its charitable initiatives. So in 2011, the famous watch manufacturer IWC Schaffhausen held a charity gala dinner, all of which was donated to the Dubai Cares charity (“Dubai cares”) and Oxfam, the international humanitarian aid agency. The One Night to Change Lives gala dinner took place on December 10 at Armani Hotel Dubai, located within the walls of the tallest building in the world, Burj Khalifa.
Finally, as part of the international film festival, the organizers also held a number of educational and developmental events, free concerts and film screenings at The Walk Boardwalk in Dubai's Jumeirah Beach Residence.
If in 2004 the first DIFF attracted the attention of 13 thousand professionals and film industry lovers, then in its eighth “release” 50 thousand people working in the film industry took part. Five years ago, UAE cinemas sold a total of approximately 3 million tickets per year. In 2010, this figure exceeded 10 million, and in 2011 the profit from the sale of tickets to cinemas here reached the level of US $ 350 million.
The 8th Dubai International Film Festival was held December 7-14, 2011 in conjunction with Dubai Studio City. The main sponsors of DIFF were Dubai Duty Free, Dubai Pearl, Emirates Airline and Madinat Jumeirah. Support provided by the Dubai Office of Culture and the Arts.
The YouTube service, which provides free video hosting services, conducted live broadcasts from the grand opening and closing ceremonies of the eighth Dubai International Film Festival.
