Peter Weir to head Dubai jury

WeirLONDON -- Helmer-scribe Peter Weir will head the jury for the Muhr Arab Features competition at this year's Dubai fest. His fellow jury members include thesp Amr Waked, German filmmaker Emily Atef, Lebanese filmmaker Ghassan Salhab and Moroccan film critic Hamid Aidouni. Fest is home to three competitions: Muhr Arab, Muhr Asia Africa and Muhr Emirati, which will single out the best shorts, docus and feature pics from each domain. Juries will evaluate more than 90 entries, shortlisted from more than 1,000 submissions, to receive 36 awards across all categories for $600,000 of prize money. Additionally, the fest has announced its line up for its Arabian Nights section, which represents pics about the Arab world by Arab and international filmmakers. The section will screen five world preems, two international preems and 13 Middle Eastern preems including Wissam Charaf's "It's All in Lebanon," Christina Foerch Saab's "Che Guevara Died in Lebanon," "Nice to Meet You," from Rodrigue Sleiman and Tarek El Bacha and Aurel and Florence Corre's "October 1961." The eighth edition of DIFF is held from Dec. 7-14. Contact Diana Lodderhose at diana.lodderhose@variety.com