Egyptian Actor Mahmoud Abdul Aziz. Satish Kumar / The National
Dubai, December 14, 2012 -- English actor Colin Firth arrives on the red carpet during the Dubai Cares and Oxfam Charity Gala at Armani Hotel in Dubai, December 14, 2012. (Photo by: Sarah Dea/The National)
A regional Bond would work to, in part, counter the decades of stereotypical roles Arab actors have had to wade through, and also Egyptian actor Amr Waked is just plain cool. He has a beautiful booming voice - and speaks in an international, perfectly enunciated English; he is handsome (those eyes!), but looks like he's been punched in the nose in a tussle or two (as a realistic spy should). Plus, he was suitably dapper alongside Scarlett Johansson in Lucy. Sarah Dea / The National
Maha and husband Ali Mostafa, Emirati director, arrive on the red carpet during the Dubai Cares and Oxfam Charity Gala at the Armani Hotel. Sarah Dea / The National
Indian actress Malaika Arora Khan. Sarah Dea / The National
Academy Award Winner Cate Blanchett. Satish Kumar / The National
Tennis player Anna Ivanovic. Satish Kumar / The National
Adil Hussain, Shravanthi and Suraj Sharma, the lead actors of Ang Lee's Life of PI. Satish Kumar / The National
Freida Pinto. Satish Kumar / The National
Waad Mohammed and AbdulRahman Al Guhani who acted in movie Wadjda pose with the director Haifaa Al Mansour. Satish Kumar / The National
Kristin Davis. Sarah Dea / The National
Youssef El Deeb, Directot and Producer with actors Darine Hikhaib, and Carol Ho pose during the interview at the Dubai International Film Festival in Dubai. Satish Kumar / The Nationa
Egyptian Actor Mahmoud Abdul Aziz. Satish Kumar / The National
Dubai, December 14, 2012 -- English actor Colin Firth arrives on the red carpet during the Dubai Cares and Oxfam Charity Gala at Armani Hotel in Dubai, December 14, 2012. (Photo by: Sarah Dea/The National)
A regional Bond would work to, in part, counter the decades of stereotypical roles Arab actors have had to wade through, and also Egyptian actor Amr Waked is just plain cool. He has a beautiful booming voice - and speaks in an international, perfectly enunciated English; he is handsome (those eyes!), but looks like he's been punched in the nose in a tussle or two (as a realistic spy should). Plus, he was suitably dapper alongside Scarlett Johansson in Lucy. Sarah Dea / The National
Maha and husband Ali Mostafa, Emirati director, arrive on the red carpet during the Dubai Cares and Oxfam Charity Gala at the Armani Hotel. Sarah Dea / The National
Indian actress Malaika Arora Khan. Sarah Dea / The National
Academy Award Winner Cate Blanchett. Satish Kumar / The National
Tennis player Anna Ivanovic. Satish Kumar / The National
Adil Hussain, Shravanthi and Suraj Sharma, the lead actors of Ang Lee's Life of PI. Satish Kumar / The National
Freida Pinto. Satish Kumar / The National
Waad Mohammed and AbdulRahman Al Guhani who acted in movie Wadjda pose with the director Haifaa Al Mansour. Satish Kumar / The National
Kristin Davis. Sarah Dea / The National
Youssef El Deeb, Directot and Producer with actors Darine Hikhaib, and Carol Ho pose during the interview at the Dubai International Film Festival in Dubai. Satish Kumar / The Nationa
Egyptian Actor Mahmoud Abdul Aziz. Satish Kumar / The National
In pictures: Dubai International Film Festival 2012
