Aiming to establish itself as the crossroads between Hollywood and Bollywood, the bustling Gulf emirate of Dubai is kicking off its first international film festival this year, with ambitions to eventually rank among the world's leading cinema showcases.
"We hope we can fill what we see as a global opening on the film festival map," Neil Stephenson, festival director, told a news conference Tuesday to unveil the project.
Dubai already prides itself on being a prime holiday destination, with its top-notch leisure facilities, hotels and restaurants, and now wants to promote itself as a cultural capital.
The festival will run from December 6 to December 11 and will be held mainly at Dubai's newly-built luxurious Madinat Jumeirah Arabian Resort.
The inaugural festival will feature 80 contemporary and classic films in seven main programmes, such as "Arabian Nights", "Hi-Tech Cinema", "Contemporary World Cinema: From London to Tehran to Manila" and "Operation Cultural Bridge".