BUNRAKU: MIDDLE EAST PREMIERE SLATED FOR DUBAI FILM FESTIVAL 2010

From twisted tales of the mind, ghosts of unforgivable pasts, and stories about the effect of fear on the state of one’s mind, this year’s Dubai International Film Festival is features a new segment that will thrill lovers of horror and spine-tingling films.

The fesitval’s Midnight Mayhem programme features will run every day from December 16 to 18 at Mall of the Emirates, with screenings including an international and Middle East premiere starting at 11.59pm.

“For the first time, DIFF is introducing a new genre to its programming. The selection of horror films and the special timings in Midnight Mayhem is sure to appeal to UAE lovers of suspense, mystery and thrillers. The films, drawn from across the world, also offer the opportunity to see how filmmakers from different parts of the world approach this hugely popular genre,” said Sheila Whitaker, Director of DIFF’s International Programming.

Marking its international premiere on December 17 is Nick Simon’s “Removal”, which narrates the story of Cole Hindin, who is plagued by horrific hallucinations having witnessed a murder-suicide. An overworked and over-medicated floor cleaning service employee faced with the daunting task of single-handedly servicing a sprawling mansion, Cole loses the last string of reality he could hang on to. The film stars Kelly Brook and Emma Caulfield - both of whom will be attending DIFF – as well as Billy Burke, Mark Kelly and Oz Perkins.

Guy Moshe’s “BUNRAKU”¸ starring Josh Hartnett, Woody Harrelson, and Demi Moore, makes its Middle East premiere at DIFF on December 17, 2010. The martial arts-live action/animation hybrid is a wild, futuristic tale of obsessive revenge, set in a dazzlingly-rendered future world ruled by the sword and combines Western and samurai, Japanese puppet theatre and killer clowns.

The Scandinavian twisted tale “Isolerad” (Corridor) by Johan Storm and Johan Lundborg, also premieres in the Middle East at DIFF on December 18. The dark, psycho-horror begins with a geeky student moving into a new apartment to prep himself for exams at medical college. Little does Frank know that this would be followed by a chain of disturbing, unsettling events, involving Lotte, the strange girl living upstairs.

Tickets can be purchased at DIFF 2010 box offices in Mall of the Emirates, Souk Madinat Jumeirah and the CNN Building in Dubai Media City, or through www.dubaifilmfest.com.

source: Emirates Entertainment