DUBAI, 25 November 2006 — Renowned film stars Shah Rukh Khan, Oliver Stone and Nabil El-Maleh will be honored at the Dubai International Film Festival’s (DIFF) Salutes program. DIFF Salutes is a retrospective tribute that celebrates the work of distinguished filmmakers from Asia, the Arab world, and Hollywood.
Abdulhamid Juma, chairman of DIFF said: “The presence of these legends will confirm the festival as a forum that celebrates milestone cinema. Retrospective screenings of their acclaimed work will provide further momentum to DIFF’s objective of inspiring an emerging generation of filmmakers, who we think will take the industry to new levels of growth.”
Oliver Stone is well known for his trademark cinematic style of branding American history. A three-time Academy Award-winning director, producer and screenwriter, Stone is a veteran of the Vietnam conflict. His service awards include the Bronze Star for “extraordinary acts of courage under fire”, and the Purple Heart.
Representing Asian cinema in DIFF Salutes, Bollywood heartthrob Shah Rukh Khan is one of the most famous actors in India, having appeared in over 55 films. Popularly known as “King Khan,” he is India’s quintessential leading man, but has often challenged perceptions by accepting anti-hero roles. Two of Shah Rukh’s films were India’s official entries in the Oscars: Paheli (2006) and Devdas (2002).
Nabil El-Maleh, the Syrian trailbreaker, filmmaker, poet and painter will accept the DIFF Salutes tribute on behalf of the Arab world. A pioneer in contemporary Syrian cinema, El-Maleh was one of the first Arab filmmakers to use experimental techniques, which paved the way for a new cinematographic language, His 90 second film Napalm (1970), a political piece in response to the wars raging in Palestine, Vietnam and the world at that time, had a significant impact on audiences in Syria and worldwide.
DIFF will run from Dec. 10-17 at the Madinat Jumeirah.
