Dubai to play host to never before seen photographs from the world of cinema

Dubai, United Arab Emirates. (SANEPR.com) December 3, 2007 -- World renowned Magnum Photos agency will organize an exhibition of photographs titled, ‘The Magic of Cinema’ in Dubai, documenting the world of cinema, from 11 to 16 December 2007. The event is being organized in association with the 4th Dubai International Film Festival and is being presented by the French Embassy in the UAE and Alliance Française de Doubaï.

“The magic of cinema holds sway over millions of people around the world and its appeal has never been documented more keenly than by the photographers of the renowned Magnum Agency,” said Mr Philippe Nicaise, Director, Alliance Française de Doubaï.

He pointed out that 2007 has been an exceptional year for bilateral relations between France and the UAE which included the opening of the Paris-Sorbonne University Abu Dhabi, and other educational projects, including cooperation between Sharjah University and French universities, in addition to the progress in implementing the Louvre Museum project in Abu Dhabi.

Mr Nicaise stated: “Through the staging of exhibitions such as ‘The Magic off Cinema’ we hope to promote dialogue and cooperation between the two countries using the universal language of cinema.”

Magnum photographers have been involved in the documenting of world of cinema, working on film sets, photographing film directors, actors and actresses on and off the camera and documenting their lives. They have collectively covered the modern history of cinema.

From these archives, the exhibition, ‘The Magic of Cinema’, was created to celebrate cinema in all its forms, in conjunction with the 4th Dubai International Film Festival (DIFF). It is an exhibition of 81 photographic works in colour and black and white by over 40 of the world’s most famous photographers such as Marc Riboud, Guy Le Querrec, Bruno Barbey, Martine Franck, Raymond Depardon, René Burri, Philippe Halsman, Eve Arnold, Elliott Erwitt, Abbas, Robert Capa and Dennis Stock to name a few.

Photographs in the exhibition include legendary names such as those of directors from America, France, Great Britain, Italy, India, and Egypt including Orson Welles, Jean Renoir, Francois Truffaut, Jean-Luc Godard, Alain Resnais, Alfred Hitchcock, Roberto Rossellini, Satyajit Ray and Youssef Chahine.

A large part of the glamour and charisma of cinema is owed to the actors and actresses who appear in the films. A handful of them from the 1950s and 1960s, have captured our hearts and minds and live on to become more than stars of the silver screen; Brigitte Bardot, Sophia Loren, James Dean, Marilyn Monroe, Elizabeth Taylor. Portraits of these stars will also be part of the exhibition.

‘The Magic of Cinema’ is presented by the French Embassy in the UAE and the Alliance Française de Doubaï in association with the 4th Dubai International Film Festival with co-sponsors, BNP Paribas and Baume & Mercier and Official Prints Sponsor, HP. The exhibition will be open to the public from 11 to 16 December 2007 at Dubai Media City. Exhibition opening hours are from 12 to 10pm except Sunday, 16 December, when the exhibition will be open from 12 to 5pm. Admission to the exhibition is free.

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