Inaugural Festival
The first festival debuted with 152 movies and 186 screenings shown in five Abu Dhabi venues. A total of 76 feature films and 34 short films from over 35 countries competed for the Black Pearl Awards. Well-known celebrities who showed up for the awards were: Michael Gaston, the British actor Joseph Fiennes, and well known French actress, and Eva Green. Some of the Arabic personalities who attended were:Muna Wassef, Yousra, Elham Shaeen, Mostafa Shaban, and Abdulaiziz Al Jazem. The initial MEIFF was produced by Egyptian celebrity host Nashwa Al-Ruwaini. After the 2008 festival, Al-Ruwaini was removed and now serves on the advisory board, and Peter Scarlet, formerly of the Tribeca Film Festival, assumed duties in 2009.
Read more about this topic: Abu Dhabi Film Festival
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—Laurence Stallings (1894–1968)