This 14th edition of the Dubai International Film Festival (DIFF) will close with the much-anticipated latest installement of the Star Wars franchise, ‘Star Wars: The Last Jedi’, which will be screened in the emirate 48 hours before it premieres in the United States.

This year’s DIFF will open with Christian Bale-starrer and possible Oscar contender ‘Hostiles’, while other Hollywood films include Guillermo del Toro’s ‘The Shape of Water’, and the biographical comedy-drama ‘The Disaster Artist’, which was produced and directed by James Franco.

The festival, which runs from December 6 to 13, 2017, will show a total of 140 films from 51 countries, spanning feature, non-fiction and short films, including 50 world premieres and 81 MENA premieres.

This year, DIFF will present thre DIFF Honourary Awards to three key figures in cinema: renowned Egyptian screenwriter Wahid Hamed, legendary British actor Sir Patrick Stewart and celebrated Bollywood actor Irrfan Khan.

ARN News spoke to managing director Shivani Pandya, who explained DIFF’s choices of winners.

Other celebrities to grace the festival are Sonam Kapoor, Sarah Jessica Parker, Vanessa Williams and David Harbour.

Madinat Jumeirah is still the official host of the festival, supported by other venues which will also screen film including The Beach and Galleria.

ARN News also spoke to Masoud Amralla Al Ali, Artistic Director of the festival.

He said that in choosing the films to be showcased, they want to push boundaries and inspire social awareness.

Other activities and events include The Dubai Film Connection, which will hold talks, panel discussions and masterclasses; DIFFerent Reality, which will showcase the latest virtual reality films; and the DIFF Young Journalist Award.

DIFF has also partnered with UK organisations to end the UK/UAE Year of Culture, as Shivani Pandya explained.