MUMBAI: The annual Dubai International Film Festival, which is touted as one of the premier film festivals in the world will commence on the 9 th of December 2007 and run until 16 December.

Aimed at acting as a platform to showcase quality Arab cinema, the festival will also showcase an eclectic mix of cinema from various countries including India and USA. As always a wide selection of features, shorts and documentaries are scheduled to be exhibited.

While last year alone over 114 films were showcased, this year around the numbers is expected to surpass over 130. While tons of Bollywood stars are expected to grace the festival with their presence, Hollywood A-list guests are expected to include actress Sharon Stone, who will host the prestigious AmFar gala.

The submission for various categories is in some cases still being accepted. Arab Filmmakers may submit their entries for the Muhr Awards by, latest the 31 st of august. These competitive awards near a cumulative prize money of over USD 325,000 alone.

In the past the DIFF red carpet sightings have included the likes of Orlando Bloom, Yash Chopra, Richard Gere, Shah Rukh Khan, Oliver Stone and Morgan Freeman amongst others.