Mumbai: Nicholas Jarecki's Arbitrage, that stars Richard Gere and Nate Parker, will open this year's Abu Dhabi Film Festival that runs from 11 to 20 October. The film, brought to the screen by Saudi film producer Mohammed Al Turki, is a thriller set against the backdrop of hedge fund manipulation.

Al Turki, Jarecki, Gere and Parker are all expected to be on hand for the red carpet event to herald the start of the festival, organizers said.

Now in its sixth year, the Abu Dhabi Film Festival will be staged at the Emirates Palace Hotel, one of Abu Dhabi's landmarks.?The festival aims to position the emirate event as a showcase for Arab cinema and a way of supporting emerging and established Arabic filmmakers.

"Abu Dhabi will once again be the center of attention for filmmakers and cinema lovers in the region and for followers of Arab cinema around the world," said festival director Ali Al Jabri.

This is the first year the Abu Dhabi Film Festival will be presented under the management of twofour54 as part of the plan to strategically align the festival alongside Abu Dhabi's other media initiatives and related events that will reinforce Abu Dhabi as a creative hub for the region.

This year's festival includes a special program of Algerian films to mark the 50th anniversary of Algerian independence.