It's a star-studded affair at this year's DIFF event

Dubai: Acclaimed director Oliver Stone will walk the red carpet at Dubai International Film Festival (DIFF) for the gala screening and regional premiere of his latest movie W.

Some of the biggest names in cinema will arrive in Dubai for the fifth instalment of Diff including Nicolas Cage, Brendon Fraser, Danny Glover, Salma Hayek, Goldie Hawn, Laura Linney and child actress Eliza Bennett.

Taking place from December 11-18, DIFF brings 181 films from 66 countries and will showcase 16 world premieres, mostly from the Arab region.

Bollywood heavyweights Abhishek Bachchan, Sonam Kapoor and Nandita Das will also make star appearances as well as legendary producer Charles Roven, who brought films including The Dark Knight, Batman Begins and the Brothers Grimm.

Arab stars include Yasmina Khadra, Carmen Lebbos, Sameer Ganem, Sameer Sabri, Hicham Saleem and Saeed Saleh.

Staff are working round the clock at the Madinat Jumeirah to transform the venue ready for the star-studded event.

Bigger and better each year is something organisers promised and bigger and better it always is.

In 2004 the festival screened 76 films from 27 countries and had just one world premiere against this year's 181 films and 16 premieres.

Rhythm and Reels, a three-day event, which showcased the world of music and film as one, will also feature this year at Dubai Media City Amphitheatre with Cadillac Records, a film which follows the rise and fall of Chess Records and their artists in the 1950s.

The AmFar gala dinner, which last year raised more than $3 million (Dh11.01 million), will also make a welcome return and is sure to bring celebrities from around the world to the red carpet.

One of the world's leading Aids charities, AmFar ambassadors Goldie Hawn and Salma Hayek will head up this year's proceedings.

Tickets for all screenings and events went on sale today at www.dubaifilmfest.com and will be available for purchase in person at Mall of the Emirates and Dubai Festival City cinemas, as well as the Madinat Theatre Box Office, from November 27.