The 10th Dubai International Film Festival opens here on Friday under the topic of "Bridging Cultures, Meeting Minds."

The nine-day film festival will show 174 films, whereas 70 movies are world premieres and around 100 films shown are Arab productions.

A renowned Palestinian filmmaker whose newest production "Omar" was show in the inaugural gala night.

As a coincidence, the film festival will also screen recently released film "Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom," a biographical film about South Africa's former president. The anti-apartheid hero passed away Thursday night at the age of 95 in Johannesburg following a prolonged battle with a lung infection.

Abdulhamid Juma, the festival chairman, called the film fest's 10th anniversary edition the most diverse set of screenings since its inception in 2004.

"The festival's international presentations from 57 countries and in 43 languages enhance the Arabian scene," said Masoum Amralla All-Ali, the film fest's artistic director.

Established in Dec. 2004, the Dubai International Film Festival gained international recognition through providing the Arab and Asian-African cinema a new platform.

This year, the Dubai International Film Festival will award 90 films, its biggest lineup ever, with prizes worth over half a million dollar. Around 3,500 films from 143 countries were submitted for the awards.