Glover To Receive DIFF's Lifetime Achievement Award

Dubai, December 11, 2007: The Dubai International Film Festival (DIFF) recognizes outstanding contributions to world cinema with its yearly Lifetime Achievement Awards, which honour a cinema figure from the Arab world, Asia and the West. This year the award will be presented to actor, producer and humanitarian Danny Glover.

Glover has been a commanding presence on screen, stage and television for more than 25 years. His acting credits range from the blockbuster Lethal Weapon franchise to smaller independent features, some of which Glover also produced. DIFF will screen one of these, the acclaimed To Sleep with Anger (1990), along with the 2007 film Honeydripper.

In To Sleep with Anger, Glover plays Garry, a drifter who lands on old friend Gideon's doorstep in Los Angeles. At first, charming Garry reminds Gideon and his wife of their Southern roots, but he also drinks and invites shady characters into the home. When Gideon suffers a stroke, Garry takes over as head of the household, with disastrous results.

The second film in DIFF's honourary screening series will be Honeydripper, by independent writer-director John Sayles, about the advent of rock n' roll, in the form of the electric guitar. Glover plays a blues musician who has invested his savings in a bar in a small Alabama town. When the famous guitar player he has contracted for an important show fails to arrive, he must take a chance on the young drifter Sonny Blake (played by charismatic newcomer Gary Clark Jr.) and his strange instrument: a very loud guitar that plugs into the wall.

Off-screen, Glover has gained respect for his activism and philanthropic efforts. He served as a Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations Development Program from 1998-2004 and currently serves as UNICEF Ambassador. He has been a long-standing member of the NAACP and has received five NAACP Image Awards for his achievements as an actor of colour.

As a producer Glover has been able to integrate his political views with his cinema career, co-founding the New York-based Louverture Films to produce films of historical and social relevance. The company was behind Bamako, which showed at DIFF 2006, and is currently developing a biopic of Toussaint Louverture, the leader of the Haitian slave uprisings that established Haiti as the first independent black Republic.

The Lifetime Achievement Awards screenings will take place at DIFF 2007, which runs from December 9 to 16. DIFF's Presenting Sponsors are Dubai Duty Free, Dubai Pearl, Emirates and Jumeirah.

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About DIFF: 
The Dubai International Film Festival (DIFF) was launched in December 2004 under the theme: Bridging Cultures. Meeting Minds.

DIFF is held under the honorary Chairmanship of His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum. DIFF is a not-for-profit cultural event, presented and organised by the Dubai Technology and Media Free Zone Authority.

As the previous editions of DIFF have demonstrated, the Festival not only presents cinematic excellence from around the world, but is also an important high-profile platform for aspiring home-grown talent.

"Bridging Cultures. Meeting Minds," has been hailed by all as a unique and relevant theme to promote better understanding and mutual respect between different communities and countries.

Since its inception, DIFF has become an important meeting point for international and regional filmmakers and industry professionals setting the foundation for potential future collaborations.

The past three editions of DIFF have presented more than 250 films, documentaries and shorts from more than 48 countries.

DIFF 2006
In 2006 the festival took place at the magnificent Madinat Jumeirah resort. As a further commitment of DIFF's endeavours to facilitate greater opportunities for regional Arab talent, the Muhr Awards was launched. Another first for DIFF in 2006 was the setting up of the Industry Office, which was established with a view to exclusively assist the needs of all registered delegates.

DIFF 2007
The fourth edition of the Dubai International Film Festival will take place from December 9-16 and will present the best of Arab and international cinema in the feature film, shorts and documentary formats. Building on the success of last year, DIFF 2007 will also host the Muhr Awards and the Industry Office with new features.

For any further information and regular updates on DIFF 2007 please log on to www.dubaifilmfest.com

For further information, please contact:
Majid Wasi
Senior Account Manager
Jiwin
Tel:  +9714 361 3333
Fax: +9714 368 8001
Email: majid.wasi@jiwin.ae

© Press Release 2007