Clooney tops Mideast filmfest headliners

ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates, Oct. 9 (UPI) -- George Clooney may be among the celebrities gracing the red carpet at this week's 3rd Middle East International Film Festival at Emirates Palace in Abu Dhabi.

Clooney's dark comedy "The Men Who Stare at Goats" is set for its Middle East premiere at the closing night gala Saturday, Oct. 17.

Festival Executive Director Peter Scarlet was mum on which celebrities would grace the red carpet, promising only "far more than the minimum daily requirement of big names in the cast or behind the camera."

"Goats," stars Clooney, who also co-produced, and casts Kevin Spacey, Ewan McGregor and Jeff Bridges in a quirky turn inspired by the Jon Ronson non-fiction bestseller about U.S. military efforts to harness the power of the paranormal for warfare.

Michael Moore's sardonic take on corporate dominance in "Capitalism: A Love Story" and Steven Soderbergh's whistle-blowing black comedy "The Informant!" starring Matt Damon also get Middle East premieres.

Bollywood director Anthony D'Souza's "Blue," a remake of underwater thriller "The Deep," and "Oceans," a high-definition trip across world oceans by Jacques Perrin and Jacques Cluzaud of "Winged Migration" fame are world premieres.

The Middle East International Film Festival runs through Oct. 17.