A DIFFerent take by Sarah Dea and Jaime Puebla

Make up session in progress. Jaime Puebla / The National

A worker leads the way during red carpet cable installation. Jaime Puebla / The National

An Emirati man admires the view. Jaime Puebla / The National

Workers prepare the red carpet ahead of the opening night premiere. Sarah Dea / The National

An Emirati TV producer tests her audio. Jaime Puebla / The National

Dubai One host Marwan 'DJ Bliss' Parham records a segment on the red carpet. Sarah Dea / The National

Sara, a festival worker, takes a break. Jaime Puebla / The National

TV hosts from Dubai One television channel record a segment on the red carpet. Jaime Puebla / The National

Japanese director Takashi Miike is snapped during an interview with a National reporter. Sarah Dea / The National

Ready, aim, fire! A snapshot of life behind the red carpet during the Dubai International Film Festival. Sarah Dea / The National

Iraqi director Kamiran Betasi takes a break in between events. Sarah Dea / The National

Cirque de Soleil: Worlds Away director Andrew Adamson becomes the focus of attention. Sarah Dea / The National

English actor Colin Firth watches as his wife Livia is interviewed on the red carpet. Sarah Dea / The National

People collect their festival badges at the registration office. Sarah Dea / The National

Festival employees make last minute adjustments before opening night. Jaime Puebla / The National

Chauffeurs kill time outside the Madinat Jumeirah ahead of their busy schedule. Jaime Puebla / The National

Don't move! A Ken Takakura movie poster is displayed at the Madinat arena. Jaime Puebla / The National

Friendships are forged on the red carpet during a DIFF gala night. Sarah Dea / The National

A Sama Dubai TV camera man tests his equipment at the Madinat Arena. Jaime Puebla / The National

Joel awaits festival goers in need of a caffeine fix during the Dubai International Film Festival. Sarah Dea / The National

A 'Life of Pi' film poster is displayed in the media center at Mina A ’Salam hotel. Jaime Puebla / The National

Preparations begin for the DIFF gala night held on behalf of Oxfam and Dubai Cares. Sarah Dea / The National

A pedestrian sign reading 'A film for everyone' directs the way at the Dubai International Film Festival. Jaime Puebla / The National

As well as snapping the stars, staff photographers Jaime Puebla and Sarah Dea kept an open eye for any off-beat photo opportunities in between shoots at this year's Dubai International Film Festival. Equiped with their iphones, and the immensely popular photo sharing application instagram, you can see they were never short of moments to capture.

Sarah describes her experience;

"Using Instagram to cover this year's Dubai International Film Festival was an interesting exercise. The instant nature of the photos allowed viewers to watch the festival unfold live, as though they were VIP ticketholders themselves. It was also a fun way to blend amongst the crowd since I was only armed with a tiny camera that was unobtrusive. The results were quirky and candid moments undisturbed by the sometimes disruptive shutter of a regular DSLR camera. I enjoyed wandering around, searching for moments to preserve with my iPhone. Even though the photos were processed with the obligatory filters and the resolution left much to be desired, it was a good reminder that any photographer worth their salt should be able to produce quality content on any platform. After all, as photographer Chase Jarvis said, "the best camera is the one that's with you."

* Sarah Dea, staff photographer

Photo edit and sequencing by photo editor James O'Hara