Emily Blunt joins judging panel for $100,000 DIFF Arab film award

British actress joins the judging panel for the third annual IWC Film Maker Award at the Dubai International Film Festival, a $100,000 prize for Middle East filmmakers.

Emily Blunt. Fred Thornhill / Reuters

Actress Emily Blunt, the star of films such as The Devil Wears Prada and The Adjustment Bureau, has joined the judging panel for the third annual IWC Film Maker Award at the Dubai International Film Festival.

The award, a collaboration between the festival and the Swiss watchmaker IWC Schaffhausen, offers a cash prize of US$100,000 (Dh367,000) to help filmmakers from the Middle East transfer their vision from script to screen.

This year’s winning project will be selected from three shortlisted scripts, which will assessed by a jury of international film-industry experts, including Golden Globe-winner Blunt.

“I’m truly excited about visiting Dubai, and it’s a great honour for me to be a part of the IWC Filmmaker Award jury and support a valuable initiative that promotes the art of film in the Gulf,” the British actress says. “It will be fascinating to see the scripts and discover forthcoming films that will undoubtedly touch the hearts and minds of audiences in the region and internationally.”

“We are proud to partner with the Dubai International Film Festival to bring the IWC Filmmaker Award to the Gulf filmmaking industry for a third year,” says Georges Kern, the chief executive of IWC Schaffhausen. “Our journey throughout the past two editions of the award has been incredible, and we have been privileged to witness Arab storytelling at its best.

“Through the Award, we provide a platform for both up-and-coming and established filmmakers in the Gulf, offering the funding that helps them to realize their visions.”