Lee Daniels heads Muhr feature jury at DIFF 2014

Oscar-nominated producer, writer and director Lee Daniels will head the jury for the 11^th Dubai International Film Festival’s (DIFF) Muhr Feature Competition. This year’s edition of the festival will run from December 10 to 17, 2014.

Daniels’s most recent production was the box-office hit The Butler (2013), which starred Forrest Whittaker, Oprah Winfrey and Mariah Carey. Prior to The Butler he produced and directed the critically acclaimed Oscar winning drama Precious, which won numerous awards including two Oscars for Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role for Monique, and Best Writing, Adapted Screenplay for Geoffrey Fletcher and made Daniels the first African-American to have directed a film nominated for the Best Picture Oscar.

The multi-talented Daniels has not followed a traditional role in film; he started in the industry as a casting director, and subsequently managed talent for a number of years before producing and, finally, directing and writing films which have received international acclaim.

Masoud Amralla Al Ali, Artistic Director, Dubai International Film Festival, said: “Lee Daniels is one of the most distinguished American filmmakers today, who has built his illustrious career on embracing the dynamics and diversities of life’s challenging situations, he is uniquely poised to understand filmmakers from the Arab world, their aspirations, and their unique viewpoints.”

“It is exciting to welcome an artist as unconventional, yet commercially minded; a compassionate and honest artist who has created a niche for himself within Hollywood. We look forward to understanding the motivation behind Mr. Daniels work further when we welcome him to the UAE.”

Daniels will head a jury of four members, who will weigh each of the formidable entries in the hopes of garlanding a winner. The Muhr competition has become the region’s foremost platform for launching new works by Arab filmmakers, regularly welcoming cinematic giants such as Egypt’s Mohamed Khan, Palestinian Oscar nominee Hany Abu Assad, and Saudi Arabia’s Haifaa Al Mansour.

Speaking ahead of his visit to DIFF Lee Daniels commented, “I’m thrilled to be visiting the Emirates for the first time and to have the privilege of being part of the Dubai International Film Festival’s jury. This festival is truly a host to international cinema, it’s an exciting time for me to join the festival and experience everything that it has to offer.”