Heading to Emirates Palace tonight to gawk at some international stars? Check out our guide to some of the bright lights from Indian, Arab and western cinema who, in addition to Richard Gere, are expected to walk the red carpet mere hours from now at Emirates Palace. <strong>Shabana Azmi:</strong> since she made her acting debut in 1974, the Indian actress has gone on to appear in more than 120 Hindi films. Along the way, she's gathered a record five wins in the National Film Award Best Actress category. In 1998, she was appointed a Goodwill Ambassador for India by the United Nations. She will be chairing the Narrative Feature Competition at ADFF, the first woman to be selected for the prestigious post. Bassem Samra, right. AP Photo/Lionel Cironneau <strong>Bassem Samra:</strong> the veteran Egyptian actor is here to promote his latest release <em>After the Battle</em>, being screened on Friday in the Narrative Competition. The 46-year-old has starred in more than 20 Egyptian movies over the years. Menna Shalabi. Marwan Naamani. AFP <strong>Menna Shalabi:</strong> after serving as a juror at ADFF in 2009, the respected Egyptian actress revisits the UAE as another star of <em>After the Battle,</em> which tells the story of an impoverished horseman who's coerced into attacking protesters in Cairo's Tahrir Square during the 2010 uprising. Shalabi is the daughter of the famous dancer and actress Zizi Mustafa. Mammootty. Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images <strong>Mammootty:</strong> a true giant of Malayalam cinema. During a career spanning more than three decades, Mammootty has starred in more than 360 films. He has been nominated for the Indian National Film Award for Best Actor three times. He is a guest at the film festival's opening gala. Niki Karimi at Cannes Film Festival in 2007. Francois Durand/Getty Images <strong>Niki Karimi:</strong> the Iranian actress and director will be serving on the Narrative Feature Competition jury at ADFF. Her most recent film, <em>Final Whistle</em>, was highly acclaimed, winning three awards at the 2011 Vesoul Film Festival of Asian Cinema in France. Nate Parker. Roger Kisby/Getty Images/AFP <strong>Nate Parker:</strong> with a CV that includes starring roles in the likes of George Lucas's Second World War epic <em>Red Tails </em>and Denzel Washington's <em>The Great Debaters, </em>Parker is tipped as one of Hollywood's stars of the future. He's here in Abu Dhabi to walk the red carpet at the opening night gala as one of Richard Gere's co-stars in the featured film, <em>Arbitrage.</em> Elham Shaheen. Jeff Topping/ The National <strong>Elham Shahin:</strong> a veteran Egyptian actress who started her movie career in 1981 in the movie <em>Omahat Fee Al Manfa. </em>Perhaps her heyday was in the 1980s, when she starred in more than 30 films. Her movies <em>Ya Dounia Ya Gharami</em> and <em>Al Gentle</em> scooped numerous film awards in Egypt and across the Arab world. Carmen Lebbos. Sean Gallup/Getty Images for Doha Film Institute <strong>Carmen Lebbos:</strong> one of Lebanon's most enduring actresses, Lebbos has been a major star in her home country since the late 1970s. Memorable films of hers include the Lebanese Civil War drama <em>West Beyrouth </em>and the award-winning children's movie <em>Zozo.</em>
