French actress Catherine Deneuve also received the award.
The stars shared the podium with the likes of Egyptian actor Ezzat Al Alayli, award-winning French-Tunisian actor Sami Bouajila at the gala Wednesday night opening.
The 12th edition of the festival opened with the screening of Lenny Abrahamson's suspenseful and heartrending drama "Room" based on Emma Donoghue's 2010 best-selling novel of the same name.
Actor Michael B Jordan, Deepa Mehta and Anu Menon, Jacob Tremblay, the young star of "Room" walked the red carpet.
Hollywood actor Jake Gyllenhaal is also expected to attend the festival.