DUBAI/JEDDAH — Dubai International Film Festival (DIFF) will be awarding its prestigious Lifetime Achievement Awards to beloved Egyptian actor Mahmoud Abdel Aziz and prolific British director Michael Apted at the festival's opening ceremony. Ahead of the gala screening of “Life of Pi,” both recipients — who will be in attendance throughout the festival — will be presented with their awards. Both men have made commendable contributions to the world of cinema and inspired countless people through their body of work, said DIFF Chairman Abdulhamid Juma. “The Lifetime Achievement Award is an opportunity to savor and truly commend an eminent career. It is not about the latest blockbuster or the most-hyped director of the year, but recognizes continuous, applied determination and consistent, creative output which push the boundaries of the industry. “Our two recipients have pledged decades of their lives to bring audiences uplifting, quality entertainment. It is an honor to offer them our sincere thanks and appreciation and we are also delighted to have Michael Apted fulfill the role of Arab Muhr Documentary Jury President.” Award-winning actor Mahmoud Abdel Aziz shot to stardom in the 1970s, but once his celebrity status was established, he deliberately chose more challenging roles, starting with 1982's “Al Ar” (Shame). Audiences embraced his heroic characters — men who turned tragedy into comedy in order to keep living — a signature ethos from Egyptian films of the 1980s. Director Michael Apted has worked across documentary, television and feature film genres throughout his illustrious career. His famed “Up” documentary is one of the longest-running series in the world. It started in 1964 with a group of seven-year-olds, and revisited the group every seven years. Apted is perhaps better known to audiences as the man behind blockbusters such as “The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader” (2010) and the James Bond title “The World is Not Enough” (1999). The festival will host an “In Conversation with” session with Apted on Dec. 16. The session will open discussions around the differing filmmaking strategies involved in his representation of Native American battles with the Nixon administration in the documentary “Incident at Ogala” and feature “Thunderheart” to profile the visceral power of documentary and structured power of fiction. Previous Lifetime Achievement honorees at DIFF include Omar Sharif, Faten Hamamah, Adel Imam, Jameel Rateb, Sabah, Morgan Freeman, Sean Penn, Amitabh Bachchan, Shah Rukh Khan, Daoud Abdel Sayed, Youssef Chahine, Rachid Bouchareb, Souleymane Cisse, Nabil El-Maleh, Oliver Stone, Danny Glover, Terry Gilliam, Yash Chopra, and Subhash Ghai. — SG
