Dubai, Nov 29 (IANS): It's been 40 years since Steven Spielberg's "Jaws" first gave the audience a chill down their spine. To celebrate its journey, the forthcoming edition of the Dubai International Film Festival (DIFF) will honour the Academy Award winning aquatic thriller.

The 12th edition of the film gala will be held from December 9-16 at Madinat Jumeirah here. “Jaws” will be screened on December 12.

A post on the official Facebook page of the film fest read: “Delighted to announce that we'll be paying tribute to Academy Award winning director Steven Spielberg’s 'Jaws', one of the truly great and lasting classics of American cinema as it marks its 40th year anniversary."

In "Jaws", Spielberg weaved a terrorising tale with a monstrous shark striking a beach and gulping down tourists. The blood, gore and the thrilling storyline captivated the audience.

The 1975 film, featuring a white shark terrorising Amity Island, as well as actors Roy Scheider, Robert Shaw and Richard Dreyfuss, was released on June 20.

Dreyfuss will attend the special complimentary presentation screening.

According to variety.com, in the first three days since its release in 1975, the film earned $7 million, jumping to $14 million in its first week. In its 59th day of release, the Universal movie passed the $100 million mark.

Meanwhile, the 12th Dubai International Film Festival will showcase over 120 features, film shorts and documentaries from around the world which will include a plethora of world premieres.