The Circuit

by Stephen Garrett
Money-larded Middle Easterners boogied under disco balls to the sound of the Rolling Stones' "Start Me Up," as the Dubai International Film Festival kicked off its fourth year on the beach facing the neon- bathed, skyline-signature Burj Al Arab. Sunday's opening night party, a black-tie bacchanal where champagne flutes overflowed with Moet and revelers crowded the foie gras food stations, spared no expense in its attempt to rival the opulence of Cannes' sexy soirees.

Matching the Rivera's tony nightlife? No problem. But its cinematic heritage - that's a luxury money still can't buy. Hollywood wattage is noticeably lower on the Arabian peninsula, with Cannes vets George Clooney and Sharon Stone among the few celebrities here for the offering.

Making good on his promise to return to the Emirate where he shot part of "Syriana" back in 2005, Clooney promoted the opening night film "Michael Clayton," his apolitical character study set in the world of unscrupulous lawyers and heartless corporations - a not-unfamiliar milieu in a wealthy city that's aggressively courted many of the world's largest conglomerates. Not surprisingly, the film's humanist message earned muted applause at the film's end. "That was a disappointing reception," whispered a British spectator after the lights came up.

Local enthusiasm for DIFF is nonetheless growing-there are 700 volunteers currently, as compared with 215 in its first year-and the regional press couldn't be more breathless in their adoration for Clooney. During a SRO press conference, the actor was peppered with questions about his long road to stardom ("What would you have done without E.R.?") and his imagined aspirations for public office ("We smell political ambition").

But the public still hasn't been adequately trained in celebrity worship. A reader's poll in Dubai's English-language newspaper Gulf News asked if George Clooney's getting better with age, to which 76% said they do not care. (Asked about red carpet arrivals, 73% said they never watch them.) Looks like E! needs to come to the desert for some serious missionary work.

Monday night was Sharon Stone's time to shine, as she brought amfAR's HIV/AIDS charity work here for the organization's inaugural benefit auction. While not as raucous and freewheeling as the notoriously star-studded Cannes shindig, Stone's Dubai edition at the Jumeirah Bab Al Shams Desert Resort and Spa still kicked off the Arabian money drive in style, bringing in $3 million. Stone sweetly brow-beat the swanky Emirati, shaking them down for overpayment on everything from a Louis Vuitton vanity case she personally designed ($55,000) to her own mint-condition 1961 Lincoln Continental ($400,000).

Kenneth Cole, amfAR's chairman of the board, was also on hand, graciously thanking all those in attendance for their generosity but stretching DIFF's stature on the festival circuit a bit too far. "The skiing here is better than Sundance," he said, referring to the city's indoor sub-zero slope, "And the beaches are better than Cannes." Dubai is full of treasures, Kenneth, but let's not get too carried away.

Photos by Wireimage.com