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DUBAI Dubai International Film Festival chairman Abdulhamid Juma has since 2006 steered the Middle Eastern event into the mainstream using Hollywood glitz and glamor to bolster its global profile while putting Arab filmmaking at its heart.

He has navigated the festival through tough times and political upheaval in the region, while facing down questions of interference and outside pressures created by mounting an uncensored event in an Islamic state.

"We are proud we dont have any censorship at this festival,"Juma told The Hollywood Reporter. "You have to make sure you respect the audience and, as long as you dont surprise them, that is okay."

Juma said the festival introduced a system of content warnings for each film a more detailed descriptive version of the MPAA ratings system to help people make their own judgment call.

"People here don't necessarily understand the age ratings that they have in America,"Juma explained. "So we have extra ratings. We have a 15 + category and we will tell the audience that the film contains violence or bad language. Or [films] for [people] over 18 would say 'contains nudity or scenes of a sexual nature'."

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Dubai Fest Chair Talks Censorship, Balancing Arab Cinema and Hollywood Glitz