Richard Gere dazzles fans at opening of Abu Dhabi Film Festival

The Abu Dhabi Film Festival opened with the sound of screaming fans as one of Hollywood's top stars treads the red carpet at Emirates Palace hotel.

South Indian film star "Mammootty", with his wife Sulfath, at the opening of Abu Dhabi Film Festival 2012.

ABU DHABI // As dapper as ever, Richard Gere dazzled screaming fans as he walked the red carpet on the first night of the Abu Dhabi Film Festival.

Gere, 63, who stars in the ADFF's opening film Arbitrage, said he was impressed with support in the Middle East for local film talent.

"Young filmmakers all over the world help us see ourselves and help us change," he said. "They give us new ideas and new energy. That the Arab world is encouraging them is extraordinarily good."

Gere, on his first trip to Abu Dhabi, said he hoped to explore the desert while here. "I've only seen the inside of my hotel room so far."

In the film, the Hollywood veteran plays Robert Miller, a crooked New York hedge-fund magnate trying to sell his troubled empire to a bank.

His life changes when he is involved in a car crash that kills his mistress, played by the French actress and model Laetetia Casta.

The psychological thriller has grossed more than US$5 million (Dh18.3m) at the US box office in the past two weeks.

Susan Sarandon stars as Gere's wife - the second time the two have appeared opposite each other - the first being in the 2004 romantic comedy, Shall We Dance.

"[Susan] is one of my best friends but we keep saying that [in the next film] she shouldn't be my wife. Then we'll have an even better relationship," joked the heart-throb actor best known for his Hollywood films, Pretty Woman and An Officer and a Gentleman.

The red carpet event, which was held at the Emirates Palace hotel, was also attended by the film's director, Nicholas Jarecki, and Gere's co-star, Nate Parker.

Jarecki, 33, said the financial crisis inspired him to write the script.

"I saw the world collapsing around me in 2008 and thought it was a great topic," he said. "A man in jeopardy is always a good subject in a film."

The American writer and director is best-known for his 2009 film adaptation of Bret Easton Ellis's best-selling novel, The Informers, which starred Kim Basinger, Winona Ryder, Billy Bob Thornton and Mickey Rourke.

He also produced the documentary, Tyson, which won a Special Jury Prize at the 2008 Cannes International Film Festival.

Jarecki said Arbitrage was an attempt to gain insight into how the crisis happened.

"It's easy to point a finger and assign blame, but it's harder to understand and empathise," he said.

His first meeting with Gere in the actor's New York restaurant, Bedford Post Inn, sealed the deal.

"We started rehearsing right there and I played his mistress," Jarecki said. "He threw me up against the wall and stared deeply into my eyes, and that's when we decided to make the film together."

The film's executive producer, Mohammed Al Turki, also made an appearance at the film's Middle East premiere.

Al Turki said the film reflected the fact that "the world is not as perfect as it seems".

"In the film everything seems perfect on the outside, but you never know what's going on behind closed doors," she said.

Others seen on the carpet include Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak, the Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research, and an array of Arab cinema stars.

More than 3,000 movies from 45 countries were submitted to this year's festival, which will include 39 films produced in the UAE.

The festival, which has returned to Emirates Palace hotel after a stint last year at the Fairmont Bab Al Bahr, will have eight world premieres, 81 feature films, 62 narrative films and 19 documentaries.

This is the sixth edition of the ADFF, which has undergone various structural changes to its management including the appointment of the Emirati actor Ali Al Jabri as its new director.

It is also the first year the festival will be managed by Abu Dhabi's entertainment free zone, twofour54.

Today the cast and crew members of Arbitrage will hold a one-hour "intimate conversation" at Emirates Palace from 2.30 to 3.30, which is open to the public.

ADFF is also offering two free masterclasses at the hotel at 5pm and 8pm.

For more information visit www.abudhabifilmfestival.com.