The III Dominican Global Film Festivalhas the honor of hosting a world famous film icon who will be honored by President Leonel Fernández and who will offer a press conference in the Cap Cana tourism complex, one of the Festival’s screening  venues. 

(Santo Domingo, November 10, 2009) - Film icon Omar Sharif, protagonist of the classic movie “Doctor Zhivago” and recipient of the Best Actor Award in the Golden Globes will visit the Caribbean for the first time to participate as a stellar guest in the III Dominican Global Film Festival.

Throughout his ten-day visit, the renowned Egyptian actor will have a full schedule that will include a press conference on Sunday, November 15th in the Cap Cana tourism complex. Other activities include an homage on the opening night of the Festival, Wednesday November 18th, and a formal event wherein President Leonel Fernández will bestow a special honor upon Mr. Sharif. The latter will take place on Sunday the 19th at the National Palace.  

Traveling from his home in Cairo, Egypt, Mr. Sharif will be accompanied by his son Tarek Omar el Sharif, Tarek’s wife Mariana Zherdeva and his grandson Omar.

The group accompanying Sharif and his family from Egypt includes Dominican archeologist Kathleen Martínez who has been involved in an exploratory excavation at the tombs of Cleopatra and Mark Anthony since 2005. Dr. Zahi Hawass, Director of the Supreme Council of Antiquities in Egypt will also be traveling with the group.  

Sharif will be received by a committee made up of Omar de la Cruz, Technical Director of the Festival; Marco Herrera, Executive Director of FUNGLODE; Yamile Eusebio, Director of Marketing for the Festival and  Gabriela Bonetti, Dominican Ambassador in Egypt.

On Sunday November 15th, Sharif will participate in a press conference with national and international media in Cap Cana. The organizing committee of the III Dominican Global Film Festival will accompany him at the press conference.

At 7:00 pm on Wednesday the 18th, Sharif will walk down the red carpet prior to the official inauguration of the III Dominican Global Film Festival at the National Palace. 

The following day at 12:00 noon, Mr. Sharif will be honored at the National Palace followed by a lunch for him and his group being offered by President Fernández, First Lady Margarita Cedeño de Fernández and the organizing committee of the Film Festival.

BIOGRAPHY
Omar Sharif was born in Alexandria, Egypt on April 10, 1932. His given name is Michel Demitri Shalhoub. At 22, Sharif made his debut in Egypt with the maestro Youssef Chahine under whose direction he went on to star in 18 films in a row.  
Sharif made his English-language debut with British Director David Lean in “Lawrence of Arabia” (1962).   His role as Sherif Ali in that film won him an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor.
Sharif won first prize for Best Actor in the Golden Globes for his role in “Doctor Zhivago,” a film based on the book by the same title by Boris Pasternak (Nobel Laureate for Literature in 1958). In addition to his Oscar nomination for “Lawrence of Arabia,” Sharif won 3 Golden Globes including the New Star of the Year Award in 1963 for his role in this film classic.

Definitively established in Hollywood, Sharif was sought out by such renowned film directors as John Frankenheimer, Richard Fleischer, Fred Zinemann, Francesco Rosi, Anatole Litvak, Blake Edwards, William Wyler and Anthony Mann.
Omar Sharif’s film career, which includes nearly one hundred films, recently experienced a comeback with the film “Monsieur Ibrahim and the Flowers of the Koran” (2003) directed by François Dupeyron. Sharif won various awards for his role in this film.   

SPONSORS

The III Dominican Global Film Festival is made possible with the generous support of CapCana, Abastos & Services, SERIGRAF, Digital 15, Punta Perla, Radio Cadena Comercial, Ruíz Centro Stereo, Telemicro, Telemicro Internacional, La 91, Zol, Radio Disney, Odebrecht, CTN, Hotel Santo Domingo, New World Films, Ram Engineering, WindTelecom, Tech Films Solutions 3, Thrifty, Amhsa Marina, Aquí y Allá, Tiendas Corripio, Dominicana Radio Dispacher, Induban, Cinema Palace  and MADE.

In addition, the Festival also has support from UASD, the National Theater, Cinemateca Dominicana, Mauricio Báez Club, León Center, Air Ocean, Memoria de Nación Foundation, LVT Subtitlings, RNN, Ministry of Education (SEE), Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Technology (SEESCyT), Sousa Sistemas, Telecentro and Vinópolis.

The Spanish Embassy, Spanish Aid Agency (AECI), United States Embassy through the Franklin Center and the Embassies of Israel and Mexico have also contributed to the success of the Festival.