Movie lovers, film makers, critics and spectators in the Arab world are experiencing a wave of eye-catching treats. From Abu Dhabi to Dubai to Cairo, Arab and international movies are sharing the spotlight. Yes it's film festival season and Arab cinema is experiencing its well deserved moment in the limelight.
Among the various Arab endeavors to support low-budget, independent art house cinema is the Abu Dhabi Film Festival which took place at the Emirates Palace Hotel from 23 October to 1 November, 2014. During the 10 days of the festival’s 8 th edition, a total of 197 films were screened from over 60 countries, in addition to the world premieres of nine feature films and 48 shorts.
“This is one of the most successful editions of the festival in all these years. This magical nine days went by in the twinkle of an eye and the magic of the cinema surprised us every time. We’ve had films conveying tragedy and joy, and they’ve opened our eyes and addressed our hearts and minds,” expressed Ali Al Jabri, festival director. “I am excited about the broad variety in terms of topics and genres we can present at the festival. We have important films here, films of pure entertainment and joy, films that raise relevant social questions and some that stretch the boundaries of cinema itself.”
In addition to the annual competitions in certain categories (Narrative, New Horizons, Documentary and Short Film), this year’s festival was spiced up with new special programs. To honor the Arab directors who emigrated from their homelands, “The Arab Diaspora” category featured their work and constituted a space where they can express their heritage and culture through their films. Another noteworthy addition was the “Emirates Film Competition (EFC)” dedicated solely to showcasing contributions from the Gulf region. The festival also hosted the Child Protection Award for the second time, in collaboration with the Ministry of Interior's Child Protection Centre, to raise awareness about child abuse and promote precautionary measures.
Al Jabri also added, “At ADFF, we provide a platform for Arab films to compete alongside international films – a reason why the main competition segments evaluate Arab films and international productions on the same criteria. This focus comes out of our commitment of bringing the best of world cinema to the UAE while projecting the best of Arab cinema to the world."
From the 197 participating films, 35 Arabic films were screened, in addition to the 52 competing films for the EFC. When the winners were announced on 1 November, eight of the Arabic films triumphed.
“With the proliferation of funding institutions in the region such as ADFF’s development and post-production fund SANAD, Enjazz, Doha Film Institute Grants Programme and AFAC, projects have been successful in attracting adequate funding and resources to fully develop their ideas from concept to celluloid,” said Al Jabri.
In the spirit of supporting Arab and Gulf film productions, the festival opened with an Emirati production for the first time: Ali F Mostafa’s From A to B . And that wasn’t the only first. Big Hero 6 was screened as the closing film before it even opened in the US.
Be part of the action by watching the closing night's highlights:
And don't miss the cool moments from the 9 days of cinematic delights: