The highly anticipated Star Wars spinoff ‘Rogue One: A Star Wars Story' from Lucasfilm was chosen as the closing film of the Dubai International Film Festival (DIFF) on 14 November, marking its Middle East premiere. DIFF announced that fans are invited to attend the screening in Star Wars costumes, with the best outfit earning priceless surprise awards, and exclusive photo opportunities, making the screening an epic celebration of the Star Wars saga. The closing screening will be among DIFF's special gala screenings to be held at the luxurious Madinat Arena, a state of the art screening venue seating 1,800 audience members. Madinat Arena was specially built in Dubai's Madinat Jumeirah to host DIFF's lavish Red Carpet Galas and provide the luxury of a VIP experience. Movie goers can get tickets for these screenings, at a higher price than DIFF's regular screenings, and share the screening hall with A-list stars. Rogue One is the first of Star Wars standalone films from Lucasfilm, and is directed by Gareth Edwards. The story is set some time after the events of Star Wars: Episode III, following a group of unlikely heroes who go on a mission to steal the plans of the Death Star, the Empire's ultimate weapon of destruction which we see in Star Wars: Episode IV. According to DIFF's synopsis of the film, “This key event in the Star Wars timeline brings together ordinary people who choose to do extraordinary things, and in doing so, become part of something greater than themselves.” The film stars Felicity Jones, Diego Luna, Ben Mendelsohn, and Forest Whitaker. The ‘Star Wars' universe remains as popular as ever capturing the imaginations of millions of people over the generations. It will be released in UAE cinemas on 15 December and in Egypt on 14 December. For more arts and culture news and updates, follow Ahram Online Arts and Culture on Twitter at @AhramOnlineArts and on Facebook at Ahram Online: Arts & Culture
