Veteran Indian actor Naseeruddin Shah was honoured with the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 12th edition of Dubai International Film Festival (DIFF)here. The actor walked the red carpet of the gala alongside Oscar-winning actor Richard Dreyfuss.

Besides Naseerudin, the festival also honoured Egyptian actor Ezzat Al Alayli, award-winning French-Tunisian actor Sami Bouajila and French actress Catherine Deneuve with a Lifetime Achievement Award on its opening night on Wednesday, according to the official website of the gala.

Others present on the opening night included Laila Elwi, Elham Shahin, Hend Sabry, Possy, Hany Abu-Assad, Michael B. Jordan, Deepa Mehta and Anu Menon.

Irish filmmaker Lenny Abrahamson's suspenseful and heartrending drama "Room" based on Emma Donoghue's 2010 best-selling novel of the same name, opened the film festival.


"Room" tells the extraordinary tale of a young mother and her five-year-old son living out their lives in the confines of a tiny windowless room.

Naseerudin's yet-to-be released film "Waiting" will be screened at the festival on Friday. Directed by Anu Menon, the film also stars Kalki Koechlin.