Golden Globe winner Emily Blunt will be joining the jury for the third annual IWC Filmmaker Award at the 11th Dubai International Film Festival (DIFF).  The IWC Filmmaker Award, launched in 2012 as a collaboration between IWC Schaffhausen and DIFF, offers a cash prize of USD 100,000 to help a talented filmmaker from the Middle East transfer his or her vision from script to screen.  The award will be presented to the winning filmmaker at a star-studded gala on 11 December 2014 

This year’s winning project will be selected from three shortlisted scripts, which will be assessed by a jury of international film industry experts including Golden Globe winner Emily Blunt. “I’m truly excited about visiting Dubai, and it’s a great honour for me to be a part of the IWC Filmmaker Award jury and support a valuable initiative that promotes the art of film in the Gulf. It will be fascinating to see the scripts and discover forthcoming films that will undoubtedly touch the hearts and minds of audiences in the region and internationally,” commented the British actress. 

Emily Blunt, who burst into the limelight in 2006 with her brilliant performance in “The Devil Wears Prada”, has played leading roles in “The Young Victoria”, the 2009 period drama about the early life and reign of the iconic British queen, the 2011 thriller “The Adjustment Bureau” and “Salmon Fishing in the Yemen”, a romantic British comedy-drama. Emily Blunt most recently starred alongside Tom Cruise in the 2014 science-fiction blockbuster “Edge of Tomorrow”, while her upcoming musical fantasy “Into the Woods” is scheduled for release in December. 

During the 10th edition of DIFF, the second IWC Filmmaker Award was presented to Emirati director Waleed Al Shehhi for his work “Dolphins”, written by UAE author and poet Ahmed Salmeen. The ninth edition of DIFF saw Iraqi-Emirati director Maysoon Pachachi become the first filmmaker to receive the IWC Filmmaker Award for “Nothing Doing in Baghdad”.