The Dubai International Film Festival (DIFF) has announced 11 new titles from around the globe for its Cinema of the World category.

 Held during the 14th Festival between December 6 and 13, the new titles join a stellar line-up that will take DIFF audiences on a storytelling journey from the idyllic English countryside to the horse lords of Kyrgyzstan and the revolutionary sixties, and beyond, a statement said.

The first addition in the vibrant line-up is critically appraised film ‘Darkest Hour’, from festival heavyweight Joe Wright. Having premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) and already an anticipated entrant into this year’s Oscar race, ‘Darkest Hour’ takes place during a tense six-month window in 1940 as the fall of France appears imminent.

From British director Dominic Cooke and based on the novel by Ian McEwan comes a unique incisive film on relationships in the early 1960s.‘On Chesil Beach’ follows Florence, played by actress Saoirse Ronan, and Edward, played by Billy Howle, on their honeymoon in the tranquil English countryside.

Academy Award winner and legendary screenwriter Aaron Sorkin presents ‘Molly’s Game’. Starring Jessica Chastain, Idris Elba and Kevin Costner, Sorkin’s writing prowess turns to the world of poker.

Seven years after his international breakthrough with ‘The Light Thief’, acclaimed Kyrgyzstani filmmaker Aktan Arym Kubat comes to DIFF with his latest film, ‘Centaur’. Recipient of the prestigious CICAE Art Cinema prize at the Berlin International Film Festival, ‘Centaur’ is a quiet, modest man, a loving father of a little boy that has never spoken a word and the husband of young, deaf-mute Maripa.

Fresh out of the London Film Festival and the Venice Film Festival, where it premiered to an eight-minute standing ovation, is the British documentary ‘My Generation’. Directed by David Batty and produced and narrated by Michael Caine, the documentary is pieced together during the height of 1960s British pop culture.

From one of Iran's most prominent filmmakers, Mohammad Rasoulof, comes ‘A Man of Integrity’, the winner of the Un Certain Regard competition at Cannes earlier this year.

Award winning German-Turkish director Fatih Akin brings his latest feature film ‘In the Fade’. Winning Best Actress Award at Cannes Film Festival for Diane Kruger’s leading performance as Katja, the film watches as her life is shattered by the shocking death of her husband, Nuri, and young son in a bombing.

Acclaimed Australian filmmaker Warwick Thornton presents his latest feature, ‘Sweet Country’ which won the Special Jury Prize at the Venice Film Festival and was named as the Toronto Film Festival's Platform winner, a prize championing directors from around the world.

Thirteen years after ‘Super Size Me’ hit the big screens to shock and awe, documentary filmmaker Morgan Spurlock is back with his sequel, ‘Super Size Me 2: Holy Chicken!’. Spurlock’s latest documentary heads to battle once again against the fast food industry, but this time from behind the counter as he decides to open up his own fast food restaurant.

From Academy Award winning director Alexander Payne comes the much anticipated ‘Downsizing’. When scientists discover how to shrink humans to five inches tall as a solution to overpopulation, Paul (celebrated actor Matt Damon) and his wife Audrey (comedic legend Kristen Wiig), decide to abandon their stressed lives in order to get small and move to a new downsized community.

From award winning writers and directors Agnès Varda and JR, comes the enchanting travelogue/road documentary ‘Faces Places’ which has already accrued a bevy of festival awards, including the Golden Eye for Best Documentary at Cannes and the People’s Choice Award for documentary at TIFF.

DIFF’s artistic director Masoud Amralla Al Ali said:  “Every year bring DIFF audiences a global-spanning slate of intriguing cinema. The 14th edition will be no different, as the diverse Cinema of the World category continues our commitment to share unique perspectives and bridge cultures through the varied medium of film.”

Cinema of The World director Nashen Moodley added: “DIFF’s Cinema of the World section is a selection of the very best and most anticipated international cinema and has the scope to introduce audiences to locations, people and viewpoints they may not otherwise experience. We look forward to sharing this rich line-up with the UAE in December.” – TradeArabia News Service