The 12th Dubai Intl. Film Festival kicked off Wednesday on an intensely emotional note with Lenny Abrahamson’s drama “Room,” accompanied by the film’s young star Jacob Tremblay on the red carpet packed with Arab celebs including Egyptian comic Basem Youssef and Palestinian director Hany Abu-Assad, plus Western screen icons Catherine Deneuve, pictured, who is being honored with a lifetime achievement award, and Richard Dreyfuss.

The 9-year-old Tremblay spoke on the Madinat Arena stage just hours after being nominated by the Screen Actors Guild for his supporting role in “Room,” in which he plays a spunky 5-year-old protected by his loving mother (Brie Larson) while they are both held captive by a kidnapper.

“This is a very exciting time for me because this is a very fun place, Dubai. Lots of people here are nice and it’s super warm,” Tremblay told the audience with consummate ease. Details