DUBAI // Dubai International Film Festival 2016 drew to an intergalactic close on Wednesday night as the red carpet was flooded with storm troopers, imperial guards, and even an ewok for the regional premiere of Rogue One: A Star Wars story, the festival’s closing film.
The closing night movie was preceded by this year’s Muhr awards, which saw Abdullah Alkaabi pick up the award for Best Emirati feature, for his controversial film Only Men Go to the Grave, a film tackling issues including gender and sexuality in the wake of the Iran/Iraq war.
The big stars of the red carpet were, in fact, not the celebrities in attendance, but Dubai’s dedicated Star Wars fans, who arrived en masse in full costume brandishing light sabers and blasters. Lenny Abrahamson, director of last year’s opening film, the Oscar-winning Room, joked “I’m easy to spot - I’m the one not dressed as a storm trooper.”
Rogue one director Garth Edwards said via video message “I’m sorry I can’t be there with you tonight, but I want to say what an honour it is to be the closing film of the Dubai film festival. I hope you enjoy watching it as much as we enjoyed making it. May the force be with you.”
cnewbould@thenational.ae
