What’s On has details that Emily Blunt joins Dubai Film Festival as part of the judging panel for IWC Film Maker Award.

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British actress Emily Blunt, the star of films including Edge of Tomorrow and The Adjustment Bureau, has joined the jury for the third annual IWC Film Maker Award at the Dubai International Film Festival taking place from December 10-17.

The award, a collaboration between the festival and the Swiss watchmaker IWC Schaffhausen, offers a cash prize of US$100,000 (Dh367,000) to help filmmakers from the Middle East transfer their vision from script to screen and will be presented to the winning filmmaker at a gala on December 11.

Australian actress and Academy award winner Cate Blanchett had been on the jury for the award’s past two editions, but the british superstar will take over this year as one of the deciding jurors.

“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,” says Blunt. “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.”

This year’s winning project will be selected from three shortlisted scripts, which will assessed by a jury of international film-industry experts, including Blunt.

Last year, Emirati director Waleed Al Shehhi walked away with the grand prize for his script, Dolphins.

Dubai International Film Festival takes place from December 10 and 17, 2014. The IWC Filmmaker Award will be awarded on December 11. dubaifilmfest.com