Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum inaugurated the 8th Dubai International Film Festival (DIFF) on Wednesday night. Sheikh Mohammed was given a warm reception as he walked the red carpet surrounded by top international figures from the film industry, including movie star Tom Cruise. The actor's latest film  “Mission Impossible 4: Ghost Protocol" made its world premiere at the event.The film was sreened at Dubai's Arena Hall. The film is the first of many to be screened at the festival. 

Read More at Emirates24/7

YouTube is set to live-stream the 2011 Dubai International Film Festival. The free live-stream will feature  the red carpet opening on December 7 and the closing award ceremonies a week later. The festival's opening ceremony will be the first entertainment event to be live-streamed on Youtube in the MENA region."We are thrilled to partner with Google to bring the Dubai International Film Festival to YouTube's  global audience thanks to the power of video and the internet" said Abdulhamid Juma, chairman of the Dubai International Film Festival. 

Read More at ArabianBusiness.com

Dubai International Film Festival organizers have announced a total of 171 films that will be screened at the event. The festival, which runs from December 7 to December 14th, will showcase movies from 56 countries including feature films, documentaries, and short films. The festival will include numerous film premieres, starting with the worldwide premiere of Tom Cruise's 'Mission Impossible 4: Ghost Protocol'. 

The festival's red carpet gala screenings will feature several highly anticipated films including Bollywood comedy 'Ladies vs Ricky Bahl', George Clooney's 'The Descendants' and Disney's 'The Muppets'. 

"This eighth edition, more than any other before it, crystallizes our standing as a complete cinema ecosystem...This year, our harvest is abundant", said Abdulhamid Juma, chairman of Dubai International Film Festival. 

Read more at ArabianBusiness.com

Nine documentaries have been shortlisted as candidates for the Muhr Arab Documentary Award. The documentaries are among the 15 contending for the top honours at the eighth Dubai International Film Festival in December. The documentaries that have been selected thus far have been submitted by filmmakers from Egypt, Algeria, Syria, Iraq, Germany, France, Lebanon, Tunisia, Sudan and Jordan. The six additional films in the Muhr Arab Documentary competition will be announced next week.

Read more at Khaleejtimes.com