THE 5th ABU DHABI FILM FESTIVAL ANNOUNCES COMPLETE LINEUP

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Philippe Falardeau’s Monsieur Lazhar Opens The Festival Which Includes Four Feature Competitions and Exciting Special Programs

September 21, 2011, New York, NY – Celebrating its 5th year, the Abu Dhabi Film Festival (October 13 – 22) will screen more than 200 feature and short films by established and emerging filmmakers representing 43 countries. Among the feature films 8 will have their World Premieres and 6 will celebrate their International Premieres. 5 of the features were co-produced with SANAD, the Festival’s fund that provides development and post-production support for films from the Arab world. The Festival opens October 13 with the critically acclaimed Monsieur Lazhar, directed by Philippe Falardeau and starring Fellag, Sophie Nélisse, Émilien Néron, Danielle Proulx, and Brigitte Poupart. The Festival will close with the Black Pearl Awards ceremony on October 22.

Executive Director Peter Scarlet remarked, “A film festival like ours – in fact any film festival worthy of the name – exists for very different reasons. We are showing the films in our program simply because, at one point or another, one of us here on the programming team fell in love with it. We travel the world all year, we explore, we are detectives, we try to find the most wonderful work made everywhere, and we bring it back to Abu Dhabi to help to open windows to what’s happening in the rest of the world for the people here. One of the first reasons people come to festivals is to find out what some of the great filmmakers been doing lately. We are happy to present an especially strong line-up this year. Going almost at random: Andrey Zvyagintsev, one of Russia’s great filmmakers has a new film; David Cronenberg, one of Canada’s major filmmakers; Nanni Moretti from Italy; Steven Soderbergh, Martin Scorsese and George Clooney from the US; Michael Winterbottom from the UK, Werner Herzog and Wim Wenders from Germany; James Marsh, who won an Oscar a couple of years ago with a film called Man on Wire, is back here with his latest documentary; Arturo Ripstein, maybe Mexico’s greatest filmmaker; Hirokazu Kore-Edafrom Japan; Asghar Farhadi from Iran, Chen Kaige from China. These are some of the top names in world cinema and we are proud to have been able to bring their latest films here.”

The 8 World feature premieres in the Festival are Absolutely Tame As A Horse by Abdolreza Kahani (Iran), Almost in Loveby Sam Neave (USA), Asma’a by Amr Salama (Egypt), The Double by Michael Brandt (USA, United Arab Emirates), El Gusto by Safinez Bousbia (Algeria, Ireland, France, UAE), Sea Shadow by Nawaf Al-Janahi (United Arab Emirates), Skeemby Timothy Greene (South Africa), and Wilaya by Pedro P. Rosado (Spain). The 6 International feature premieres are Alms For A Blind Horse by Gurvinder Singh (India), Bobby Fischer Against The World by Liz Garbus (USA, UK, Iceland), The Endby Hicham Lasri (Morocco), Fightville by Michael Tucker and Petra Epperlein (USA), Girl Model by Ashley Sabin and David Redmon (USA), and This Narrow Place by Sooney Kadouh (Lebanon, USA, Egypt).

The Festival has four competitions for features that offer cash awards totaling 1 million USD; The Narrative, New Horizons and Documentary Competitions and the renamed environmental program, Our World Competition. The Festival also includes Showcase, an international selection of outstanding films eligible for the $30,000 Audience Award.

The Festival’s highly anticipated special programs include Tributes to two Nobel Prize-Winners for Literature; Naguib Mahfouz, Man Of Cinema (1911 – 2006) and Remembering Rabindranath Tagore (1861 – 1941); Georges Melies’s historic film A Trip To The Moon, which will be screened in its original hand-colored version as part of Family Day; several films from the series “Mapping Subjectivity: Experimentation in Arab Cinema” presented in partnership with The Museum of Modern Art and ArteEast; and a special Spotlight on Sweden, nine films that highlight the diversity and energy of the country’s contemporary filmmaking, presented in collaboration with the Swedish Institute and the Embassy of Sweden in Abu Dhabi. This year also marks the debut of Waterfront Films, a series of open-air screenings shown each evening during the Festival.

The Festival’s short film programs include the Emirates Film Competition, films from the UAE and the Gulf Cooperative Council countries, featuring work from established directors and talented new discoveries and the Short Film Competition, an international selection of narrative and documentary films.

For a complete list of films visit http://www.abudhabifilmfestival.ae

COMPLETE LIST OF FEATURE FILMS

Narrative Feature Competition

The Awards

Films in this section compete for Black Pearl Awards in these categories:
–       Best Narrative Film ($100,000), shared equally between the director and
the production company
–       Special Jury Award ($50,000)
–       Best Director from the Arab World ($50,000)
–       Best Producer from the Arab World ($25,000)
–       Best Actor ($20,000)
–       Best Actress ($20,000)

Absolutely Tame as a Horse (Asb Heyvan-e Najibist) directed by Abdolreza Kahani
Iran – 90 min.
With: Reza Attaran, Habib Rezai, Parsa Piroozfar, Mahtab Keramati, Karen Homayoonfar, Baran Kosari, Mehran Ahmadi, Babak Hamidian
World Premiere

Always Brando (Dima Brando) directed by Ridha Behi
Tunisia – 84 min.
With: Anis Raache, Christian Erickson, Lotfi Al Abdelli, Soufiene Chaari, Souhir Ben Amara

Chicken with Plums (Poulet aux prunes) directed by Marjane Satrapi, Vincent Paronnaud
France, Germany, Belgium – 91 min.
Screenplay by Marjane Satrapi and Vincent Paronnaud, based on Satrapi’s graphic novel of the same name.
With: Mathieu Amalric, Maria De Medeiros, Edouard Baer, Isabella Rossellini, Golshifteh Farahani, Eric Caravaca, Chiara Mastroianni, Jamel Debouze

A Dangerous Method directed by David Cronenberg
United Kingdom, Germany, Canada, France, Ireland – 93 min.
Screenplay by Christopher Hampton based on his stage play, “The Talking Cure,” and on the book
“A Most Dangerous Method” by John Kerr.
With: Michael Fassbender, Keira Knightley, Viggo Mortensen, Sarah Gadon, Vincent Cassel

Dark Horse directed by Todd Solondz
USA – 86 min.
With: Jordan Gelber, Justin Bartha, Selma Blair, Mia Farrow, Donna Murphy, Christopher Walken

Death for Sale (Maut lil baya) directed by Faouzi Bensaïdi
Morocco, Belgium, France, United Arab Emirates – 117 min.
With: Fehd Benchemsi, Fouad Labiad, Mouhcine Malzi, Imane Elmechrafi, Nezha Rahil, Faouzi Bensaïdi, Mohamed Choubi
SANAD Grantee

Elena directed by Andrey Zvyagintsev
Russia – 109 min.
With: Andrey Smirnov, Nadezhda Markina, Elena Lyadova, Alexey Rozin

Free Men (Les Hommes libres) directed by Ismaël Ferroukhi
France, Morocco – 99 min.
With: Tahar Rahim, Michael Lonsdale, Mahmoud Shalaby, Lubna Azabal, Christopher Buchholz

I Wish (Kiseki) directed by Hirokazu Kore-Eda
Japan – 128 min.
With: Maeda Koki, Maeda Ohshiro, Joe Odagiri, Nene Ohtsuka, Kiki Kirin, Isao Hashizume

Lucky directed by Avie Luthra
South Africa – 100 min.
With: Sihle Dlamini, Jayashree Basavaraj, Vusi Kunene, James Ngcobo, Brenda Ngxoli, Mary Twala

The Moth Diaries directed by Mary Harron
Canada, Ireland – 85 min.
With: Lily Cole, Sarah Bolger, Sarah Gadon, Judy Parfitt, Scott Speedman

On the Edge (Ala Al Hafa) directed by Leïla Kilani
Morocco, France, United Arab Emirates, Germany – 110 min.
With: Soufia Issami, Mouna Bahmad, Nouzha Akel, Sara Betioui
SANAD Grantee

Rampart directed by Oren Moverman
USA – 105 min.
Screenplay by James Ellroy and Owen Moverman.
With: Woody Harrelson, Steve Buscemi, Sigourney Weaver, Robin Wright, Ned Beatty, Ben Foster, Ice Cube, Anne Heche, Cynthia Nixon

The Reasons of the Heart (Las razones del corazón) directed by Arturo Ripstein
Mexico, Spain – 119 min.
With: Arcelia Ramírez, Vladimir Cruz, Plutarco Haza

A Separation (Jodaeiye Nader az Simin) directed by Asghar Farhadi
Iran – 123 min.
With: Leila Hatami, Peyman Moadi, Shahab Hosseini, Sareh Bayat, Sarina Farhadi, Babak Karimi

Trishna directed by Michael Winterbottom
United Kingdom, Sweden – 117 min.
With: Freida Pinto, Riz Ahmed, Roshan Seth
This film is also part of the Spotlight on Sweden.

We Need to Talk About Kevin directed by Lynne Ramsay
United Kingdom – 112 min.
With: Tilda Swinton, John C. Reilly, Ezra Miller, Alex Manette
New Horizons (Afaq Jadida) Competition

The Awards

Films in this section compete for Black Pearl Awards in these categories:
–       Best New Horizons Film ($100,000), shared equally between the
director and the production company
–       Special Jury Award ($50,000)
–       Best Director from the Arab World ($50,000)
–       Best Producer from the Arab World ($25,000)
–       Best Actor ($20,000)
–       Best Actress ($20,000)

Almost in Love directed by Sam Neave
USA – 83 min.
With: Alan Cumming, Alex Karpovsky, Gary Wilmes, Marjan Neshat, Adam Rapp, Katherine Waterston
World Premiere

Alms for a Blind Horse (Anhey Ghohrey da Daan) directed by Gurvinder Singh
India – 113 min. In Punjabi
With: Samuel John, Mal Singh, Sarbjeet Kaur, Dharminder Kaur, Emmanuel Singh, Kulwinder Kaur
International Premiere

Asma’a directed by Amr Salama
Egypt – 96 min.
With: Hend Sabry, Maged El Kedwani, Hani Adel, Ahmad Kamal, Sayed Ragab, Botros Ghali
World Premiere

Best Intentions (Din dragoste cu cele mai bune intentii) directed by Adrian Sitaru
Romania – 105 min.
With: Bogdan Dumitrache, Alina Grigore, Natasha Raab, Marian Râlea

The End directed by Hicham Lasri
Morocco – 105 min.
With: Sam Kanater, Saleh Ben Saleh, Hanane Zouhi, Nadia Niazi
International Premiere

This Narrow Place directed by Sooney Kadouh
Lebanon, USA, Egypt – 97 min.
With: Sammy Sheik, Jonathan Stanley, Sayed Badreya, Anthony Azizi, Lonette McKee, Val Howard
International Premiere

Rough Hands (Ayadin Khachina) directed by Mohamed Asli
Morocco – 97 min.
With: Mohamed Bastaoui, Houda Rihani, Abdessamad  Mifta Lkhair, Amina Rachid

Sea Shadow (Dhil al Bahr) directed by Nawaf Al-Janahi
United Arab Emirates – 98 min.
With: Omar Al Mulla, Neven Madi, Abrar Al Hamad, Khadeeja Al Taie, Aisha Abdulrahman, Ahmad Iraj
World Premiere
Local Distributor: Empire International (Gulf) LLC, Dubai.

She Monkeys (Apflickorna) directed by Lisa Aschan
Sweden – 84 min.
With: Mathilda Paradesire, Linda Molin, Isabella Lindquist, Sergej Merkusjev, Adam Lundgren
This film is also part of the Spotlight on Sweden.

Stories Only Exist When Remembered (Histórias que só existem quando lembradas)
by Julia Murat
Brazil, Argentina, France – 98 min.
With: Sonia Guedes, Lisa Fávero, Luis Serra, Ricardo Merkin, Antônio dos Santos

Troll Hunter (Trolljegeren) directed by André Øvredal
Norway – 103 min.
With: Otto Jespersen, Glenn Erland Tosterud, Johanna Mørck, Tomas Alf Larsen
This film is also part of the Our World competition.

Wilaya directed by Pedro P. Rosado
Spain – 90 min. In Hassaniya.
With: Nadhira Mohamed, Memona, Mohamed Said Salem, Jatra, Aziza Brahim
World Premiere

Documentary Feature Competition

The Awards

Films in this section compete for Black Pearl Awards in these categories:
–       Best Documentary Film ($100,000), shared equally between the director and
the production company
–       Special Jury Award ($50,000)
–       Best New Director ($50,000)
–       Best Director from the Arab World ($50,000)
–       Best Producer from the Arab World ($25,000)

Beijing Besieged by Waste directed by Wang Jiu-liang
China – 86 min.
This film is also part of the Our World competition.

The Black Power Mixtape 1967-1975 directed by Göran Hugo Olsson
Sweden, USA – 93 min.
With: Stokely Carmichael, Eldridge Cleaver, Bobby Seale, Angela Davis, Huey P. Newton, Erykah Badu
This film is also part of the Spotlight on Sweden.

Diaries (Yawmyat) directed by May Odeh
Norway, Palestine – 53 min.

El Gusto directed by Safinez Bousbia
Algeria, Ireland, France, United Arab Emirates – 88 min.
World Premiere
SANAD Grantee

Fightville directed by Michael Tucker, Petra Epperlein
USA – 85 min.
International Premiere

Girl Model directed by Ashley Sabin, David Redmon
USA – 78 min.
International Premiere

In My Mother’s Arms (Fi Ahdan Ummi) directed by Atia Al Daradji, Mohamed Al Daradji
Iraq, United Kingdom, Netherlands, United Arab Emirates – 85 min.
SANAD Grantee

Last Chapter – Goodbye Nicaragua (Sista kapitlet – Farväl Nicaragua)
directed by Peter Torbiörnsson
Sweden – 101 min.
This film is also part of the Spotlight on Sweden.

Marathon Boy directed by Gemma Atwal
India, United Kingdom, USA – 98 min. In Oriya

Position Among the Stars (Stand ven de Sterren) directed by Leonard Retel Helmrich
Netherlands – 111 min.

Tahrir 2011: The Good, the Bad & the Politician (Al Tahrir 2011: Al Tayib wa al Shariss wa al Siyassi) directed by Ayten Amin, Amr Salama, Tamer Ezzat
Egypt, United Arab Emirates – 95 min.
SANAD Grantee

The Tiniest Place (El lugar más pequeño) directed by Tatiana Huezo
Mexico – 104 min.

Our World Competition

The Awards

A prize of $15,000 will be awarded to the film in the Our World Competition that
shows the best potential to broaden public awareness of environmental issues.

MASDAR is the official Partner of the Our World Competition.

Beijing Besieged by Waste directed by Jiu-liang Wang
China – 86 min.
Feature Documentary
This film is also part of Documentary Feature Competition.

Buck directed by Cindy Meehl
USA – 88 min.
Feature Documentary

The City Dark directed by Ian Cheney
USA – 84 min.
Feature Documentary

Eco Pirate: The Story of Paul Watson directed by Trish Dolman
Canada – 110 min.
Feature Documentary

If a Tree Falls: A Story of the Earth Liberation Front directed by Marshall Curry, Sam Cullman
USA – 85 min.
Feature Documentary

The Last Mountain directed by Bill Haney
USA – 95 min.
Feature Documentary

Project Nim directed by James Marsh
United Kingdom – 93 min.
Feature Documentary
Local Distributor: Prime Pictures LLC, Dubai.

Taste the Waste directed by Valentin Thurn
Germany – 88 min.
Feature Documentary

Troll Hunter (Trolljegeren) directed by André Øvredal
Norway – 103 min.
Feature Narrative
With: Otto Jespersen, Glenn Erland Tosterud, Johanna Mørck, Tomas Alf Larsen
This film is also part of the New Horizons Competition.

Showcase

Films in this section are eligible for the Festival’s Audience Award ($50,000), to be shared between the producer ($30,000) and the world sales agent or local distributor ($20,000). Both feature-length narratives and documentaries are eligible for this award.

18 Days (Tamantashar yom) directed by Sherif Arafa, Kamla Abou Zikri, Marwan Hamed, Sherif
El Bendari, Khaled Marei, Ahmad Abdalla, Yousry Nasrallah, Ahmed Alaa
Egypt – 125 min.
With: Mohamed Abu Zekry, Ibrahim Shamel, Hani Adel, Amir Khalaf, Wael Badrawy
Narrative Feature

The Ages of Love (Manuale d’amore) directed by Giovanni Veronesi
Italy – 125 min.
With: Robert De Niro, Monica Bellucci, Carlo Verdone, Riccardo Scamarcio, Michele Placido
Narrative Feature

Albert Nobbs directed by Rodrigo Garcia
Ireland, United Kingdom – 114 min.
With: Glenn Close, Mia Wasikowska, Janet Mcteer, Brendan Gleeson, Jonathan Rhys Meyers
Narrative Feature

Bobby Fischer Against the World directed by Liz Garbus
USA, United Kingdom, Iceland – 93 min.
Documentary Feature
International Premiere

Cave of Forgotten Dreams (3D) directed by Werner Herzog
USA, France – 90 min.
Documentary Feature

Contagion directed by Steven Soderbergh
USA – 103 min.
With: Marion Cotillard, Matt Damon, Laurence Fishburne, Jude Law, Gwyneth Paltrow, Kate Winslet
Narrative Feature

The Double directed by Michael Brandt
USA, United Arab Emirates – 98 min.
With: Richard Gere, Topher Grace, Martin Sheen
Narrative Feature
WORLD PREMIERE

Flowers of Evil (Fleurs du mal) directed by David Dusa
France – 103 min.
With: Rachid Youcef, Alice Belaïdi
Feature Narrative

George Harrison: Living in the Material World directed by Martin Scorsese
USA – part I: 94 min., part II: 114 min.
With: Olivia Harrison, Eric Clapton, Terry Gilliam, Paul McCartney, Yoko Ono, Ringo Starr
Documentary Feature

God Save My Shoes directed by Julie Benasra
USA – 60 min.
With: Stacy Ferguson, Christian Louboutin, Manolo Blahnik, Dita Von Teese, Kelly Rowland
Documentary Feature

Habemus Papam directed by Nanni Moretti
Italy, France – 102 min.
With: Michel Piccoli, Nanni Moretti, Jerzy Stuhr, Renato Scarpa, Franco Graziosi, Margherita Buy
Narrative Feature

The Ides of March directed by George Clooney
USA – 98 min.
With: Ryan Gosling, George Clooney, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Jeffrey Wright, Evan Rachel Wood
Narrative Feature

Monsieur Lazhar (Bashir Lazhar) directed by Philippe Falardeau
Canada – 94 min.
With: Fellag, Sophie Nélisse, Émilien Néron, Danielle Proulx, Brigitte Poupart
Narrative Feature
OPENING FILM

Pina (3D) directed by Wim Wenders
Germany, France – 103 min.
With: Pina Bausch Ensemble des Tanztheaters Wuppertal
Documentary Feature

Poliss (Polisse) directed by Maïwenn
France, Italy, Romania – 127 min.
With: Karin Viard, Joeystarr, Marina Foïs, Nicolas Duvauchelle, Karole Rocher, Maïwenn
Narrative Feature

Sacrifice (Zhao Shi Gu Er) directed by Chen Kaige
China – 127 min.
With: Ge You, Wang Xue-Qi, Fan Bing-Bing, Huang Xiao-Ming, Hai Qing
Narrative Feature

Seated by the Fire (Sentados frente al fuego) directed by Alejandro Fernández Almendras
Chile, Germany – 95 min.
With: Daniel Muñoz, Alejandra Yañez
Narrative Feature

Skeem directed by Timothy Greene
South Africa – 112 min.
With: Kurt Schoonraad, Casey B. Dolan, Rapulana Seiphemo, Terence Bridgett, Zikhona Sodlaka
Narrative Feature
World Premiere

The Source (La Source des femmes) directed by Radu Mihaileanu
France, Morocco, Belgium, Italy – 136 min.
With: Leila Bekhti, Hiam Abbas, Hafsia Herzi, Biyouna, Saleh Bakri, Sabrina Ouazani
Narrative Feature

Stockholm East (Stockholm Östra) directed by Simon Kaijser da Silva
Sweden – 92 min.
With: Mikael Persbrandt, Iben Hjejle, Henrik Norlén, Liv Mjönes
Narrative Feature
This film is also part of the Spotlight on Sweden.

The Temple (Deool) directed by Umesh Vinayak Kulkarni
India – 135 min. In Marathi
With: Nana Patekar, Dilip Prabhawalkar, Girish Kulkarni, Sonali Kulkarni, Kishor Kadam, Shrikant Yadav
Narrative Feature

A Thousand Times Stronger (Tusen gånger starkare) directed by Peter Schildt
Sweden – 85 min.
With: Judit Weegar, Julia Sporre, Happy Jankell, Hjalmar Estrom
Narrative Feature
This film is also part of the Spotlight on Sweden.

Warrior directed by Gavin O’Connor
USA – 140 min.
With: Joel Edgerton, Tom Hardy, Nick Nolte, Jennifer Morrison, Frank Grillo, Kevin Dunn
Narrative Feature

The Wholly Family directed by Terry Gilliam
Italy 2011 – 20 min.
Narrative Short
With: Cristina Capotondi, Nicolas Connolly, Douglas Dean

The Yellow Sea (Hwang-hae) directed by Na Hong-jin
Korea – 140 min.
With: Kim Yun-seok, Ha Jung-woo, Cho Seong-ha
Narrative Feature

Special Programs

Tribute to two Nobel Prize Winners for Literature

Naguib Mahfouz, Man of Cinema (1911 – 2006)

To mark the 100th anniversary of the birth of this unique and enormously influential writer who in 1988 became the first Arab author to receive the Nobel Prize for Literature, the Festival presents screenings of eight major films – 6 from Egypt and 2 from Mexico – drawn from his work or for which he wrote original screenplays. Several will be presented in newly struck or newly subtitled copies. In addition, it will publish a monograph on Mahfouz and cinema, mount an exhibition of posters of films drawn from Mahfouz’s work, and present a roundtable discussion.

The Beginning and the End (Bidaya wa Nihaya) directed by Salah Abu Seif
Egypt 1961 – 130 min.
With: Farid Shawki, Omar Sharif, Amina Rizk, Sanaa Gamil, Kamal Hussein
Feature Narrative

The Beginning and the End (Principio y fin) directed by Arturo Ripstein
Mexico 1993 – 140 min.
With: Ernesto Laguardia, Julietta Egurrola, Bruno Bichir, Lucia Munoz, Alberto Estrella
Feature Narrative

Between Heaven and Earth (Bayn el Sama wa el Ard) directed by Salah Abu Seif
Egypt 1960 – 100 min.
With: Hind Rostom, Abdel Salam Al Nabulsi, Mahmoud El Meligi, Abdelmunim Ibrahim
Feature Narrative

Fools’ Alley (Darb al Mahabil) directed by Tawfik Saleh
Egypt 1955 – 95 min.
With: Berlanty Abdel Hamid, Shukry Sarhan, Hassan El Baroudi, Abdel Ghani Qamar
Feature Narrative

The Hunger (Al Go’a) directed by Ali Badrakhan
Egypt 1986 – 120 min.
With: Souad Hosny, Mahmoud Abdel Aziz, Yousra, Abdel Aziz Makhyoun, Sanaa Younis
Feature Narrative

Midaq Alley (El callejón de los milagros) directed by Jorge Fons
Mexico 1995 – 140 min.
With: Ernesto Gómez Cruz, Maria Rojo, Salma Hayek, Bruno Bichir, Delia Casanova, Daniel Gimenez
Feature Narrative

Palace Walk (Bayna al Qasrayan) directed by Hassan El Imam
Egypt 1964 – 140 min.
With: Yehia Chahine, Zizi Al Bedrawi, Maha Sabry, Abdelmunim Ibrahim, Salah Kabil
Feature Narrative

The Thief and the Dogs (Al Lis wa Al Kilab) directed by Kamal El Sheikh
Egypt 1962 – 125 min.
With: Shadia, Kamal Al Shennawi, Shoukry Sarhan, Fakher Fakher, Salwa Mahmoud
Feature Narrative

Remembering Rabindranath Tagore(1861 – 1941)

To mark the 150th anniversary of the birth of the great Bengali poet who in 1913 became the first non-Western author to receive the Nobel Prize for Literature, the Festival presents what is perhaps the greatest of the four films which Satyajit Ray, the first Indian filmmaker to achieve recognition throughout the rest of the world, based on his work. This 1964 masterwork stars Madhabi Mukherjee and Soumitra Chatterjee, and is based on Tagore’s novella, “The Broken Nest” (Nashtanir).

Charulata directed by Satyajit Ray
With: Soumitra Chatterjee, Shyamal Ghoshal, Bholanath Koyal, Madhabi Mukherjee
India 1964 – 117 min.
Feature Narrative

A TRIP TO THE MOON in color, and other travels through time, color and space
George Méliès’s historic touchstone film A TRIP TO THE MOON (1902) will be screened in its original hand-colored version direct from its re-premiere at the Cannes Film Festival this May. An original soundtrack to accompany this 16-minute masterpiece, perhaps the first science-fiction film ever made, was composed by the French band Air. Restoration of A TRIP TO THE MOON was carried out by Lobster Films, the Groupama Gan Foundation for Cinema, and the Technicolor Foundation for Cinema Heritage.

Serge Bromberg, internationally recognized as a film historian and a showman/entertainer in the tradition of Méliès himself, will present an accompanying program, the first appearance in the Middle East of his celebrated “Saved from the Flames” shows. Suitable for viewers of all ages, the entire program gives a glimpse of the many great movies which wouldn’t exist without the painstaking and costly efforts of those dedicated to film preservation. The films will include astonishing early silent rareties which he will accompany on the piano, including fantasy films, travel films, an early color film by the creator of Mickey Mouse, a film recorded in 1907 on a primitive system which permits us to hear Caruso as we watch him sing, and Buster Keaton’s long-lost final short, THE LOVE NEST (1923), in a beautifully restored and color-tinted copy. Plus a few surprises!

Mapping Subjectivity: Experimentation in Arab Cinema, Part II

Co-organized by The Museum of Modern Art and ArteEast. Curated by Jytte Jensen, Curator, Department of Film, MoMA, and Rasha Salti, Senior Director, ArteEast. Presented in association with the Abu Dhabi Film Festival.

The City (El Madina) directed by Yousry Nasrallah
Egypt, France 1999 – 108 min.
With: Bassem Koudsa

Oh The Days! (Alyam! Alyam!) directed by Ahmed El Maanouni
Morocco 1978 – 80 min.

Spotlight on Sweden

Sweden offers a compelling example of a small national film industry that has made its mark in the film world. Its rich and lengthy history includes some of the earliest films ever made, many celebrated films of the European art cinema and a significant contribution to films for children. The nine films ADFF is presenting in Spotlight on Sweden highlight the diversity and energy of the country’s contemporary filmmaking, as well as its history via three classics from the pre-eminent Swedish director Ingmar Bergman, a master of 20th century cinema. For local audiences and filmmakers alike, the program offers the opportunity to engage with and be inspired by a unique and powerful film tradition. Presented in collaboration with the Swedish Film Institute the Swedish Institute (Stockholm) and the Embassy of Sweden in Abu Dhabi.

Smiles Of A Summer Night (Sommarnattens leende) directed by Ingmar Bergman
Sweden 1955 – 108 min.
With: Ulla Jacobsson, Eva Dahlbeck, Harriet Andersson, Gunnar Björnstrand

Wild Strawberries (Smultronstället) directed by Ingmar Bergman
Sweden 1957 – 91 min.
With: Bibi Andersson, Victor Sjöström

Fanny And Alexander (Fanny och Alexander) directed by Ingmar Bergman
Sweden 1982 – 118 min.
With: Pernilla Allwin, Bertil Guve

In the Feature Competition:
Trishna directed by Michael Winterbottom

In the New Horizons (Afaq Jadida) Competition:
She Monkeys (Apflickorna) directed by Lisa Aschan

In the Documentary Competition:
The Black Power Mixtape 1967-1975 directed by Göran Hugo Olsson
Last Chapter – Goodbye Nicaragua (Sista kapitlet – Farväl Nicaragua)
directed by Peter Torbiörnsson

In Showcase:
Stockholm East (Stockholm Östra) directed by Simon Kaijser da Silva
A Thousand Times Stronger (Tusen gånger starkare) directed by Peter Schildt

Waterfront Films

New for 2011, ADFF introduces open-air screenings at the Fairmont Bab Al Bahr each evening (except October 21) during the Festival. This new waterfront theater offers audiences the chance to enjoy a diverse range of world cinema and family-friendly films while taking in the spectacular view of landmarks like the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque against the night sky.

The Films:

Thursday, October 13 (Opening Film, by invitation only)
Monsieur Lazhar (Bashir Lazhar) directed by Philippe Falardeau; Canada – 94 min.
Showcase

Friday, October 14
Palace Walk (Bayna al Qasrayan) directed by Hassan El Imam; Egypt 1964 – 140 min.
Tribute to Naguib Mahfouz, Man of Cinema (1911 – 2006)

Saturday, October 15
Rough Hands (Ayadin Khachina) directed by Mohamed Asli; Morocco – 97 min.
New Horizons (Afaq Jadida) Competition

Sunday, October 16
Lucky directed by Avie Luthra; South Africa – 100 min.
Narrative Feature Competition

Monday, October 17
The Double directed by Michael Brandt; USA, United Arab Emirates – 98 min.
Showcase

Tuesday, October 18
Between Heaven and Earth (Bayn el Sama wa el Ard) directed by Salah Abu Seif
Egypt 1960 – 100 min.
Tribute to Naguib Mahfouz, Man of Cinema (1911 – 2006)

Wednesday, October 19
The Temple (Deool) directed by Umesh Vinayak Kulkarni; India – 135 min. In Marathi
Showcase

Thursday, October 20
Habemus Papam directed by Nanni Moretti; Italy, France – 102 min.
Showcase

Prededed by
The Wholly Family directed by Terry Gilliam
Italy 2011 – 20 min.

ABOUT THE FESTIVAL

The Abu Dhabi Film Festival (formerly the Middle East International Film Festival) was established in 2007, with the aim of helping to create a vibrant film culture throughout the region. Presented each October by the Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture and Heritage (ADACH) under the patronage of H.E. Sheikh Sultan Bin Tahnoon Al Nahyan, Chairman of Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture and Heritage, the event is committed to curating exceptional programs to engage and educate the local community, inspire filmmakers and nurture the growth of the regional film industry.

With its commitment to presenting works by Arab filmmakers in competition alongside those by major talents of world cinema, the Festival offers Abu Dhabi’s diverse and enthusiastic audiences a means of engaging with their own and others’ cultures through the art of cinema. At the same time, a strong focus on the bold new voices of Arab cinema connects with Abu Dhabi’s role as a burgeoning cultural capital in the region and marks the Festival as a place for the world to discover and gauge the pulse of recent Arab filmmaking.

# # #