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Post by Dianne on Dec 7, 2009 5:10:22 GMT -5
Actor Gerard Butler is among a galaxy of film stars who are to attend the sixth Dubai International Film Festival (DIFF), which kicks off on Wednesday.
Hollywood stars Matt Dillon, Christina Ricci and Mandy Moore are also set to grace the nine-day festival which will open with the film ‘Nine’.
Bollywood will be represented by legendary actor Amitabh Bachchan, his son Abhishek Bachchan, Ranbir Kapoor, Mammootty, Boman Irani and Manisha Koirala, while Omar Sharif, titan of the Arab film world will lead the Arab contingent of celebrities.
Abdulhamid Juma, the chairman of the festival, said yesterday that the celebrity attendance at DIFF reflects the increasing global appeal of the festival.
“These celebrities are not making a nominal appearance but most of them are integral part of movies that are being screened at DIFF, making their presence even more relevant,” he said.
Overall 168 films from 55 countries will be screened as part of the festival, with James Cameron’s ‘Avatar’ closing the festival on December 15.
New releases from established directors and actors including Spain’s Pedro Almodovar, Jim Sheridan, Annette Bening, Samuel Jackson, Drew Barrymore, Juliette Lewis, Geoffrey Rush, comedian Chris Rock and musician Jack White will also make their Dubai debuts.
Meanwhile, Experience Media Studios in Abu Dhabi has announced it is developing the first UAE action-adventure movie - ‘Abdulla Omar and the Lost Sand City’.
The fictional film follows renowned Emirati archeologist and adventurer Abdulla Omar as he uses his expertise and Bedouin instincts to find an ancient sand city which is buried deep under the Al Gharbia desert.
Producers have said they aim to use the movie to enhance the country’s national identity by creating the first Emirati action hero.
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Post by I'm in Oklahoma Gerard! on Dec 10, 2009 15:45:48 GMT -5
Look who might be crossing paths in Dubai:
priyankachopra hey guys..in transit in dubai..totally woozy and sooooo sleepy..looking forward to the 8 hour flight ahead...aaah! sleep! sounds nice! zzzzz
posted on Twitter at about 2 am CST Dec 10
priyankachopra I'm on my way to the airport..Flying off to joberg to judge the Miss World 2009 pageant!Soooo excited to be on the other side of the stage!
posted on Twitter at about 7 pm CST Dec 9
And then she's on to the Miss World pageant in South Africa. Think he's going to want to tag along? Let's think....beautiful young women from all over the world and he knows one of the judges?.....um, yeah, I can see him showing up in Johannesburg.
BTW, I've never felt so stalkerish in my whole life. I don't like it.
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Post by Dianne on Dec 11, 2009 15:31:37 GMT -5
Still nothing. I wonder if Gerry went?  |
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Post by Dianne on Dec 11, 2009 18:20:24 GMT -5
Still nothing. I wonder if Gerry went? Dubai Film Festival unveils lineup LONDON -- Dubai fest organizers aren’t letting the financial crisis in the once booming emirate get in the way of announcing their lineup. Opening night pic will be Rob Marshall’s musical “Nine,” starring Daniel Day-Lewis, Penelope Cruz and Nicole Kidman. It is still unclear if any of the film talent, which also includes Sophie Loren and Marion Cotillard, will be attending the gala screening. Other galas include animated pic “Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel,” while fest will close with a bang with the regional preem of James Cameron’s “Avatar.” Fest’s Muhr prize for Arab cinema -- originally launched in 2006 with the ambition to become the premier showcase in the world for Arab filmmakers -- has managed to bring together a stellar lineup. Among the competish contenders are Egyptian helmer Kamla Zekry’s “One-Zero,” Arab-American filmmaker Cherien Dabis’ “Amreeka” and French-Arab director Nassim Amaouche’s “Adieu Gary.” Palestinian helmer Michel Khleifi’s “Zindeeq” receives its world preem at the fest as does Emirati filmmaker Ali Mostafa’s “City of Life.” Organizers are rolling out the red carpet for Mostafa, who has previously won the Emirati Filmmaker prize at the fest and has long been seen as the Emirati helmer most likely to break out internationally. Mostafa’s film, which finished principal photography in mid-March, takes its name from the English translation of Dubai’s oldest nickname. The multi-lingual, multi-stranded character-driven drama follows the intersecting lives of a privileged young Emirati, an Indian taxi driver and Romanian flight attendant all living in the bustling emirate. Elsewhere, Indian acting icon Amitabh Bachchan will receive a lifetime achievement award for his contribution to cinema as part of the fest’s honoree program. Previous recipients have included Morgan Freeman, Egyptian superstar Adel Imam as well as Indian uber-producer Yash Chopra. Fest is also hosting a sidebar of French pics in its In Focus section. Among the pics selected are helmer Laurent Vinas-Raymond’s “I Forgot to Tell You,” starring Omar Sharif, and Francois Ozon’s “Le Refuge” Gerard Butler will fly in to Dubai to receive Variety’s International Star of the Year award. |
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Post by kyriem on Dec 12, 2009 4:29:00 GMT -5
Still nothing. I wonder if Gerry went? |
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Post by Dianne on Dec 12, 2009 20:35:41 GMT -5
Just got definite confirmation that Gerry is in Dubai right now... still waiting for pictures.
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Post by kyriem on Dec 12, 2009 20:43:02 GMT -5
Just got definite confirmation that Gerry is in Dubai right now... still waiting for pictures.  |
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Post by Dianne on Dec 12, 2009 20:53:46 GMT -5
Just got definite confirmation that Gerry is in Dubai right now... still waiting for pictures. I twittered Gerry's personal assistant and she twittered me back. She's a very nice girl.  |
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Post by princetongal on Dec 15, 2009 8:53:13 GMT -5
Finally! He looks so rested and fit and just handsome!!!! I love his longer hair and his eye is all cleared up. Tonight is the gala! Sorry these have watermarks - they are from Getty Images: www.gettyimages.com/Search/Search.aspx?contractUrl=2&language=en-US&family=editorial&p=Gerard%20Butler&assetType=image#1Also, he had this to say about Paprika!!!! JUST FRIENDS!!!!! (Yeah, of course, but they do have benefits!!!!) Dubai 12/15/09: Scottish hottie Gerard Butler attended a press conference at DIFF today, as part of his whirlwind trip to the region. Flying in to the UAE for just 36 hours to attend the film fest, the 40-year says he cleared his busy schedule just to be here. “I first came to Dubai for the Atlantis opening last year,” he said. “And I loved it! This time, I’ve only got a day and a half – but that’s how much I love Dubai.” The Ugly Truth actor – who has been romantically linked to a series of A-list actresses recently, including Jennifer Aniston and Bollywood star Priyanka Chopra – was keen to clear up a few rumours about his private life. “Priyanka is just a good friend,” he says of the actress he was reported to have proposed to earlier this year. “We met when I was travelling with friends in India and she threw a party for me.” Adding, “The gossip [about my love life] does annoy me, but I try not to let it get to one.”
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Post by Joy on Dec 15, 2009 9:01:12 GMT -5
He looks so rested and so yummy
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Post by I'm in Oklahoma Gerard! on Dec 15, 2009 9:05:40 GMT -5
Awwww....so scrumptious! I love the gray on him. Thank you for making my day, Gerry! And you too, Princeton, for posting the pics.
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Post by dawne27 on Dec 15, 2009 9:24:32 GMT -5
shucks prince....you beat me! okay, back in the saddle agin....here's a little bit...thus far  'Ahlan' online gossip wrote: Scottish hottie Gerard Butler attended a press conference at DIFF today, as part of his whirlwind trip to the region. Flying in to the UAE for just 36 hours to attend the film fest, the 40-year says he cleared his busy schedule just to be here. “I first came to Dubai for the Atlantis opening last year,” he said. “And I loved it! This time, I’ve only got a day and a half – but that’s how much I love Dubai.” The Ugly Truth actor – who has been romantically linked to a series of A-list actresses recently, including Jennifer Aniston and Bollywood star Priyanka Chopra – was keen to clear up a few rumours about his private life. “Priyanka is just a good friend,” he says of the actress he was reported to have proposed to earlier this year. “We met when I was travelling with friends in India and she threw a party for me.” Adding, “The gossip [about my love life] does annoy me, but I try not to let it get to one.” Yes! gerry does look rested and well! dubai is a beautiful city...doing what it must to keep moving forward....which is a good thing! i'm personally, starting to get sick n'tired of the 'gossip' rhetoric surrounding this man...i'd like to have a little more substance per se'...just read on twitter from cinematical...golden globe nominations....gerry or f. gary gray not mentioned? disappointed...i'd like to know exactly how these things are elected? hollywood foreign press screened pre-release? anybody know? |
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Post by Dena on Dec 15, 2009 15:52:53 GMT -5
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Post by engchickie on Dec 15, 2009 19:34:22 GMT -5
 Yea for gray! I love his natural hair color, and  the added length is nice. Of course, I'm a sucker for stubble. He has to know what he does to us.
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Post by Dianne on Dec 15, 2009 19:57:47 GMT -5
Butler Serves up his Special Brand of Humour at DIFF Adam Zacharias
16 December 2009 DUBAI — “I came all the way from LA…to sit up here and be blamed!” wept Gerard Butler, his jokey response to difficult questions over his acting capabilities and Hollywood’s demonisation of the Arab world.
The 300 actor charmed his way through a press conference at the Dubai International Film Festival (DIFF) on Tuesday, where he was presented with Variety’s International Star of the Year award.
Faced with excitable hordes of female admirers, the Scotsman proved himself a consummate showman with his silly and self-deprecating humour.
The English to Arabic interpreter proved his comic foil throughout, with Butler speeding up his answers to see if she could keep up, and asking her to translate his mock-weeping and a bout of thick Scottish into Arabic.
“Trust me, if it were up to me I’d stick to the Scottish accent,” he said about regularly portraying American characters on screen. “That’s actually one of the few downsides of acting: I feel like I’ve lost a lot of my accent.”
When asked about widespread press speculation of a relationship with Priyanka Chopra, sparked on his recent trip to India, Butler responded: “It’s because they kept seeing us naked together!” before hastily adding that he was joking. “This is why I’m a media person’s nightmare. I’m going to get sent back for my tenth media training course,” he said. The actor, who this year starred in rom-com The Ugly Truth opposite Katherine Heigl and sci-fi flick Gamer, spoke of his admiration for the country.
“India is definitely one of my top two or three places on the planet,” he said. “I went to Delhi, Agra, Jaipur, the backwaters of Kerala and the Himalayas on a motorbike. In Bombay, Priyanka threw a party for me and my friends, then two days later Shah Rukh Khan threw us a party. I’ve never felt so loved!”
Elsewhere during his whistlestop trip to Dubai, the 40-year-old spoke about getting fired a week before qualifying to become a lawyer in his 20s (“it left me open to the universe to have its wicked way with me”) and attracting the gossipmongers, who besides Chopra have also linked him to Jennifer Aniston on the sets of their new movie The Bounty Hunter.
“It goes with the territory,” sighed a resigned Butler. “It really bores me, and it’s a shame because I guess when you get to a certain level, people take that energy and use it in a toxic way.”
The A-lister admitted the only film he would get to see at this year’s DIFF would be James Cameron’s Avatar — screened at the Madinat Jumeirah last night — which he referenced when asked about people who claimed he couldn’t act.
“I didn’t know they said that!” he bantered. “Some people will think ‘Avatar’ is the best movie they’ve ever seen, other people will hate it. In ‘Reign of Fire’, one review would say ‘there were too many dragons in the movie’, then the next review would say ‘there weren’t enough dragons, we hated it’! You can’t win — I do my best and I think I do a good job.”
Butler revealed he is set to star in a Shakespeare film next year, which he will film in Serbia opposite Ralph Fiennes, although he refused to give further details.
“My career has moved ahead very quickly,” said Butler. “I can say I work all these different genres, but it’s still pretty much Hollywood-based. Offer me something! I’m always up for trying out something new.
“I have a multitude of criteria when considering taking a movie — the role, the story, the director, the cast and where you’re going to film. But for me, one of the main things is the underlying or prevailing messages. I feel a big responsibility.”
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