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Tron: Legacy, a 3D high-tech adventure set in a digital universe and boasting some of the most spectacular visuals in recent cinema, will be the closing gala film of the Dubai International Film Festival 2010.

Disney’s long-awaited, stand-alone follow-up to its 1982 classic Tron will screen at DIFF on December 18, 2010, a day after its release in the United States and Canada. Tron: Legacy continues DIFF’s practice of integrating major 3D films into the Festival and its tradition of closing with major international films including Slumdog Millionaire in 2008 and Avatar in 2009.

The film reunites many of the original cast and crew, including Academy Award-winning actor Jeff Bridges, Bruce Boxleitner and producer Steven Lisberger. Bridges returns as Kevin Flynn, the world’s leading video game designer who was digitized into a computer grid where programmes living on pure energy take on human form. In Tron: Legacy, Flynn’s son Sam (Garrett Hedlund) looks into his father’s disappearance and finds himself pulled into the same grid where his father has been living for 25 years.

Other cast members include Olivia Wilde (House, Year One, The Black Donnellys) as Quorra, the digital warrior who tries to help Sam find and save his father; Michael Sheen (Frost/Nixon, Underworld, Blood Diamond) and TV star James Frain.

The 1982 Tron was the first motion picture to make extensive use of computer imagery, and snippets unveiled by Disney last week suggest Tron: Legacy will wow audiences with its cutting-edge, state-of-the-art visuals.

DIFF Artistic Director Masoud Amralla Al Ali said the selection of Tron as the closing gala demonstrates the eclectic range of films being screened at the Festival and its offer of cinema for all.

“Just as DIFF places emphasis on bringing the finest arthouse movies from around the world, we also incorporate the most modern trends in filmmaking to provide a total cinema experience for film enthusiasts. Tron: Legacy, presented in 3D, will be a revelation for filmgoers at DIFF.”

Sheila Whitaker, Director – International Programme, DIFF, said: “Tron set benchmarks in computer-generated imagery back in 1982, and was a film ahead of its time, pushing the frontiers of visual effects. Since its release, the film industry has witnessed revolutionary changes, especially in special effects. Tron: Legacy is expected to set another milestone in computer-generated filmmaking,” he said.

The seventh edition of Dubai International Film Festival 2010 will be held from December 12 to 19. DIFF 2010 is held in association with Dubai Studio City and supported by the Dubai Culture & Arts Authority. Dubai Duty Free, Dubai International Financial Centre, Dubai Pearl, Emirates Airline and Madinat Jumeirah, the home of the Dubai International Film Festival, are the principal sponsors of DIFF. Accreditation for DIFF 2010 is now open at www.dubaifilmfest.com.