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THURSDAY, DECEMBER 8 2016
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SCANDINAVIAN FILMS // DUBAI 2016
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THURSDAY, DECEMBER 8 2016
AT DUBAI INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL www.ScreenDaily.com
MAD goes crazy with recordbreaking slate
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FEATURE Arab idols
FEATURE Origin stories Festival line-up stretches from the first short films to cutting edge VR » Page 12
REVIEWS Miss Sloane A sleek depiction of how lobbyists have perverted US democracy » Page 14
FORUM EVENTS 11:00-12:30 A World of Differences: global entertainment and media outlook, 2016-20 (From left) Mariam Alferjani, Alaa Eddine Aljem, Samer Ismail, Amjad Al-Rasheed and Mounia Akl
Arab Stars of Tomorrow make debut in Dubai BY LIZ SHACKLETON
Screen International has unveiled its first ever Arab Stars of Tomorrow, spotlighting five of the hottest new talents from across the Middle East. A partnership with DIFF, the initiative flags actors and directors who are expected to make waves on the festival circuit in the coming years. The showcase is curated by Screen’s France and Middle East correspondent Melanie Goodfellow, who conducted research and interviews with industry figures who have in-depth knowledge of the region. “There is so much talent in this region that it was difficult selecting
just five names,” said Goodfellow. “In their different ways, each of them has something special that makes them worth watching.” The five selected talents include Lebanese director Mounia Akl, whose short film Submarine impressed audiences at Cannes Film Festival and is also playing in DIFF’s Muhr Short section. Tunisian artist and actress Mariam Alferjani is set to capture audience attention in Kaouther Ben Hania’s Beauty And The Dogs, which will hit the festival circuit next year. Jordanian director Amjad AlRasheed has been selected on the
strength of his short films and advertising work, including his latest work, The Parrot, which is also screening in DIFF Muhr Short. Syrian actor Samer Ismail, known across the Arab world for his TV roles, recently impressed in his feature debut The Worthy, which is screening in DIFF’s Muhr Emirati competition. Completing the selection, Moroccan film-maker Alaa Eddine Aljem has showed artistic promise in several shorts including Les Poissons Du Desert. The five talents will be profiled in depth in Screen’s DIFF dailies starting from tomorrow.
A warm welcome to the UAE and 13th DIFF
Sheikh Ahmed Bin Saeed Al Maktoum
Lumiere! Inventing Cinema, p12
How cinema talent is being developed across the Middle East » Page 8
Gareth Cattermole/Getty
BY MELANIE GOODFELLOW
Cairo-based pan-Arab distributor and promotional agency MAD Solutions touches down at DIFF this year with a record 15 festival titles, including five contenders in the Muhr Feature competition. “This is our busiest DIFF ever in terms of how many of the festival titles we have on our slate,” said MAD founder and CEO Alaa Karkouti. Competition titles recently acquired by the company for distribution in the region include Tunisia’s Hedi and Foreign Body, as well as documentary Egyptian Jeanne d’Arc from Egypt’s Iman Kamel. MAD is also working with Mohamed Hefzy’s Film ClinicIndie Film Distribution to release Ali, The Goat And Ibrahim, the debut feature of Egyptian filmmaker Sherif El Bendary, and Withered Green, which also screen in the Muhr Feature competition. The company has a strong presence in DIFF’s shorts selection. Aside from Mounia Akl’s Submarine, which premiered at Cannes this year, three of MAD’s shorts world premiere here: The Parrot, Five Boys And A Wheel and Ayny. MAD’s pan-Arab releases over the past year include Jordan’s Baftawinning drama Theeb, in 11 territories; Saudi comedy Barakah Meets Barakah in five countries; and football doc The Lights Of Rome, about the qualification of the UAE team for the 1990 World Cup, in the Gulf. MAD Solutions is also spearheading financing event Arab Cinema Lab on December 12, to showcase works in post-production.
TODAY
I am delighted to welcome all of our guests and delegates to the United Arab Emirates and the 13th Dubai International Film Festival (DIFF). The festival is a unique cultural event in Dubai’s calendar as it has promoted cultural understanding and tolerance.
Through DIFF, Dubai attracts talent and expertise from the industry and inspires innovation and new ideas. We look forward to another successful edition of celebrating the best of Arab and international cinema.
Sheikh Ahmed Bin Saeed Al Maktoum President, Dubai Civil Aviation Authority Chairman, Dubai Airports Chairman and CEO, Emirates Group Honorary Chairman, Dubai International Film Festival
Panellists Dana Adhami, head of MENA, Maker Studios; Kaswara Al-Khatib, chairman and CEO, UTURN Entertainment; Medea Nocentini, VP corporate development, OSN; Roque Manuel Solabarrieta Chelech, COO, eVision; Steve Plimsoll, chief digital and data officer, PwC Middle East Moderator Jayant Bhargava, partner, Media and Entertainment Leader, PwC
14:00-15:00 Immersive Stories, Alternate Worlds Panellists Lewis Smithingham, president and partner, 30 Ninjas; Darren Emerson, CCO, VR City; Michael Owen, principal, MediaCombo; Daniel Gonzalez Franco, co-founder, BeAnotherLab Moderator Karim Saad, founder, Giga Works
15:30-16:30 Is the Future Really Virtual? Panellists Lauren Selig, co-founder, Shake & Bake Productions; Sam Englebardt, chief strategy officer, The Void; Adam Brenner, VP, marketing and partnerships, OTOY Moderator Elizabeth M Daley, dean, USC School of Cinematic Arts
17:00-18:15 In the Director’s Chair: a conversation with Asif Kapadia Speaker Asif Kapadia, film-maker
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NEWS
DIFF VR offers a touch of the theatrical BY LIZ SHACKLETON
Virtual reality (VR) is shaping up to be a combination of cinema, theatre and gaming, according to Hassan Kiyany, Emirati VR filmmaker and programmer of DIFF sidebar DIFFerent Reality, which kicks off today. “It requires a different way of thinking — it looks like that in the future it will add elements of live theatre and gaming to the cinematic experience,” said Kiyany, whose VR work Flash is screening in DIFFerent Reality. “People who have made VR films say the experience is closer to directing theatre than traditional film-making.”
Kiyany worked with the festival to select 10 international VR works to screen in DIFFerent Reality. The line-up includes Indian director Faiza Ahmad Khan’s When All Land Is Lost, Will We Eat Coal?, about polluted land in the district of Korba; Italian director Haider Rashid’s No Borders, which tackles the refugee crisis; and UK director Darren Emson’s Invisible, about detention in the UK’s immigration system. Audiences will be taken to the depths of a Siberian lake in Lake Baikal: The Science And Spirituality Of Extreme Water and the Amazon rainforest and Virunga
Flash
National Park in Are You Listening?: Amazon & Congo. The programme also includes fiction stories from French direc-
tors Pierre Zandrowicz and Romain Levices, Canada’s Adam Cosco and US director Randal Kleiser, whose credits include the cult classic Grease. “We wanted to present the audience with a good mix of fiction and non-fiction, stereoscopic and monoscopic, and make sure they see all the different approaches of film-makers working in this area,” said Kiyany. Kiyany’s Flash, the UAE’s first auteur VR film, is a road trip filmed in Ras Al Khaimah using Kodak 4K cameras. It is backed by Image Nation Abu Dhabi and DIFF’s Enjaaz. “We built some solutions
ourselves and had to think about stabilisation, stillness and the many other challenges involved in VR filming,” said Kiyany. France’s Diversion Cinema worked with DIFF to create the VR cinema in the Madinat Jumeirah. An audience of 20 will don headsets to view each film as a collective experience. VR is also a focus of this year’s Dubai Film Market, with several companies including Sony PlayStation, DIVR and Giga Works also offering VR experiences, while two Forum sessions today will look at storytelling and investment in the VR space.
BY MELANIE GOODFELLOW
Cannes Film Festival chief Thierry Frémaux hits DIFF today with Lumiere! Inventing Cinema, celebrating the work of film pioneers Auguste and Louis Lumiere, on his first official visit to the Gulf. “I’m curious to see the reaction of people here, especially to the images of Egypt 120 years ago,” said Frémaux. “I hope young, local film-makers will come to the screening, to understand that cinema has a long history and that in turn they
can invent the images of the future, which will remain linked to the images of the past.” Double-hatted Frémaux produced the film to mark the 120th anniversary of cinema in 2015 under his role as managing director of the Institut Lumiere in Lyon. “Louis Lumiere and his operators shot nearly 1,500 films of 50 seconds. Apart from in the first five years, they’ve never been shown in theatres. The aim with Lumiere! was to make one single film out of all the films, so that
audiences could rediscover them,” Frémaux said. DIFF ’s ar tistic director Masoud Amralla Al Ali said it was an honour to have Frémaux at the festival: “Year after year he presents a beautiful selection of films, he has such a huge amount of responsibility on this shoulders as I believe Cannes is one of the most challenging film festival selections in the world. We both have a profound love of cinema and I look forward to welcoming him to Dubai.”
Neilson Barnard/Getty
Frémaux brings Lumiere brothers back to life
Samuel L Jackson and his wife, actress LaTanya Richardson, on the red carpet at DIFF’s opening ceremony last night. Other guests at the star-studded opening included director John Madden and actor Jake Lacy for the festival’s Oscar-tipped opening film Miss Sloane.
ONE ON ONE IMAN KAMEL, DIRECTOR, EGYPTIAN JEANNE D’ARC
The Egyptian film-maker talks to Melanie Goodfellow about her creative documentary, Egyptian Jeanne d’Arc, which chronicles her country’s revolution and premieres here today in the Muhr Feature competition
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he iconic French figure of Joan of Arc has inspired myriad artists as well as revolutionaries and politicians of all persuasions, ever since she was burned at the stake in 1431. In Egyptian film-maker Iman Kamel’s creative documentary Egyptian Jeanne d’Arc, exploring the unfolding legacy of Egypt’s revolution from a female perspective, her fate is tied with that of the women who took part in the uprising. “Jeanne d’Arc has been an empowering figure for me all my life so there is a personal, emotional aspect about it but here I also reference Dryer’s Jeanne d’Arc,” explains Kamel referring to Danish director Carl Theodor Dreyer’s 1928 silent classic The Passion Of Joan Of Arc. “Dryer’s film focused on her time in the prison, where she was questioning herself and
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her vision and was attacked by patriarchs. These are the aspects of Jeanne d’Arc that I used in the movie.” Her hybrid work revolves around the experiences of seven women, many of them connected to Cairo’s vibrant arts scenes, since the beginning of the popular uprising in 2011. They range from artist and jewellery maker Nahla Sebaei, to award-winning cartoon animator Salma El Tarzi and musician Dina El Wedidi, who will perform at the second screening of the film at DIFF’s open-air sidebar, The Beach, on December 11. “I wanted to look inside the revolution, to examine what is this rebellious process
that brings them back onto the streets year on year. How do they cope with the backlashes and the abuse and also carry on living their lives?” says Kamel. Their accounts are woven in with artwork, photography, dance works and songs, inspired by the revolution and its aftermath, some of which, says Kamel, will have special resonance for Egyptians. One of the darker sides of the revolutionary period was the wave of mob violence on women who joined the protests in Tahrir Square. The phenomenon added another unexpected gender politics dimension to
the revolt for the women who took to the streets. It is a theme woven into the film through the tale of Jehane, a fictional figure inspired by the 2011 viral video The Girl In The Blue Bra, showing images of a veiled female revolutionary being violently attacked by military police and left semi-naked in the streets close to Tahrir Square. The girl in the video disappeared shortly after. Kamel would kick off her conversations with the women in the film asking what they thought had happened to the girl. “Many of them could relate to Jehane, either through their own experiences or people they knew. Their stories are like the pieces of a jigsaw building up a multipart Jehane, this disappeared revolutionary girl, but also giving a bigger picture. Jehane is fictitious but in the end, after living with her for over six years, she became very real.”
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REVIEWS Reviews edited by Fionnuala Halligan finn.halligan@screendaily.com
Gaza Surf Club Reviewed by David D’Arcy
Miss Sloane Reviewed byTim Grierson Charting the journey of a ruthless lobbyist who develops a conscience, Miss Sloane is a shallow but lively thriller that ultimately becomes undermined by its makers’ misplaced belief in the profundity of their topical tale. The latest from director John Madden (Shakespeare In Love) has its fair share of wild twists and juicy political strategising, not to mention an entertainingly chilly performance from Jessica Chastain. But for all its superficial pleasures, Miss Sloane is too focused on its unconvincing air of insider-y intrigue, resulting only in pat lessons about the corrupting influence of money in government. Chastain plays Elizabeth Sloane, a feared lobbyist who is part of an influential Washington DC firm. When she is approached by a non-profit run by idealist Rodolfo Vittorio Schmidt (Mark Strong) to advocate for a law that imposes stricter gun-control measures, Sloane quits the firm to throw her weight behind a cause in which she believes. Reuniting with Madden, with whom she worked on The Debt, Chastain gives Sloane the same kind of steeliness she provided in Zero Dark Thirty and A Most Violent Year. As before, she proves adroit at playing a woman whose unapologetic ambition unnerves the men around her, signalling a sexism her character tackles head-on. No surprise, then, that Sloane is most captivating when she deftly outsmarts her opponents — particularly, the men of her old firm who are working to block the gun law. Emphasising tart dialogue and giddy one-upmanship as the two sides finagle to secure the necessary votes, Miss Sloane positions itself as a frank, sleek depiction of how lobbyists have perverted US democracy and allowed moneyed interests (such as gun manufacturers) to dominate the legislative agenda. The chief problem is that, although Miss Sloane establishes how unscrupulous is its anti-hero, the character is rarely so shocking in her behaviour that we are blindsided by her actions. In part, this is because viewers have become accustomed to Washington corruption in TV shows such as House Of Cards and Veep, which are populated with fascinatingly horrible characters. As tightly controlled and imposing as Chastain is, Sloane never seems unparalleled as a diabolical, unethical monster, even when she is fighting for the proverbial little guy.
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CINEMA OF THE WORLD US. 2016. 132mins Director John Madden Production companies EuropaCorp, Film Nation Entertainment, Archery Pictures, France 2 Cinema, Canal Plus, CinePlus, France Televisions Worldwide distribution EuropaCorp, europacorpcorporate.com Producers Ben Browning, Kris Thykier, Ariel Zeitoun Screenplay Jonathan Perera Cinematography Sebastian Blenkov Main cast Jessica Chastain, Mark Strong, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Alison Pill, Michael Stuhlbarg, Jake Lacy, Sam Waterston
In Gaza, locked away from the rest of the world, young people want to travel beyond their congested strip of land. In the meantime, a few have found another escape: surfing. This charming documentary follows them into the sea — another militarised zone — and rides high on its good-natured portrait of resilient athletes who accomplish something extraordinary in a city that has been bombed into ruins. The film’s opening shots seize on the special location. Waves crash in slow motion in the Palestinian city on the Mediterranean. As the water splashes into the air, it looks like the fire of incendiary bombs that have been part of life in Gaza for decades. The camera then moves through block after block of ruins, a grim reality check. The film returns to the sea, where a group of surfers ride the waves on boards that came from California, via Israel. They and the boards travel in makeshift taxis, they pray in their wetsuits, and no-one pays them much attention. Gaza Surf Club tells its stories through some appealing characters. Ibrahim Arafat, a young man in his twenties with two day jobs, would like to make surf boards in Gaza, but materials are scarce. He yearns to travel to the US. Mohammed Abu Jayab, now in his forties, hoped to leave Gaza one day, and sees young surfers living through dreams rather than their everyday reality. “My dreams are almost destroyed, but I’m still hoping to go abroad,” he says. One would-be surfer is Sabah Abu Ghanem, a girl of 15 who started the sport years before, but now avoids the beach because of religious disapproval. With support from her father, she practises discreetly from a boat, fully covered. Gaza Surf Club skirts a direct discussion of politics. It is not necessary. The landscape of rubble reflects the wider political context, and Sabah’s withdrawal from the sport is a reminder of the weight of the hardline doctrines of Hamas, which controls Gaza. Yet sequences of young men surfing tell another story, of moments of autonomy and escape, and of athletes working with the materials at hand to hone skills associated with places they are unlikely ever to see.
ARABIAN NIGHTS Ger. 2016 87mins Directors/screenplay Philip Gnadt, Mickey Yamine Production companies Little Bridge Pictures, Westdeutscher Rundfunk, Robert Bosch Stiftung International sales XYZ Films, info@xyzfilms.com Producers Benny Theisen, Mickey Yamine, Stephanie Yamine, Andreas Schaap Cinematography Niclas Reed Middleton Music Sary Hany
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SCREENINGS, PAGE 14
The War Show Reviewed by Sarah Ward
Foreign Body Reviewed by Allan Hunter The latest feature from Red Satin (Satin Rouge) director Raja Amari invites expectations of a conventional drama in which an illegal Tunisian immigrant struggles to create a new life for herself in France. The reality is a much more complex, ambiguous tale of determination, desire and the price of independence for the opportunistic central character, Samia (Sarra Hannachi), who is not always the most sympathetic of individuals. Even though Amari tries too hard to encompass many complex issues (identity, sexuality, power, patriarchy) and does not define clearly the motivations of some secondary characters, Foreign Body (Corps Etranger) is a poised and intriguing film, if not one that entirely satisfies. The opening images are among the most striking as migrants thrash around in treacherous seas like the slain soldiers in Saving Private Ryan. As shoes, personal possessions and cherished photos drift to the bottom of the ocean, only the strongest survive. Samia is among the lucky ones. The next time we see her she has reached Lyon and is being helped by café owner and fellow illegal Imed (Salim Kechiouche). She quickly — and conveniently — finds employment with wealthy widow Madame Berteau (Hiam Abbass), who is willing to overlook Samia’s lack of papers. The film veers into Pygmalion territory as the lonely Madame Berteau takes a shine to the girl and the boundaries between employer and employee begin to blur. Sapphic undercurrents are more explicit as the two women grow closer. Amari complicates matters further as Imed is drawn into their lives. He seems willing to pay court to Madame Berteau but also has a strict view of what he considers acceptable behaviour from the increasingly independent Samia. The film is strongest when it focuses on Samia and the moments when she feels most relaxed and able to taste a life far removed from the one she knew in Tunisia. When she drinks beer and dances in Imed’s cafe, it feels like a declaration of independence. Later developments underline just how ruthless she can be when it comes to protecting herself and getting what she wants. Hannachi is a charismatic, compelling presence and Amari tries to ensure that we are on Samia’s side, with handheld camerawork creating a sense of intimacy.
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MUHR FEATURE Fr-Tun. 2016. 92mins Director/screenplay Raja Amari Production companies Nomadis Images, Mon Voisin Productions International sales Urban Distribution, International, udi@urbangroup.biz Producer Lina Chaabane Cinematography Aurélien Devaux Main cast Hiam Abbass, Sarra Hannachi, Salim Kechiouche
Since the Arab Spring, footage of mass uprisings and violent reprisals has not been far from our screens. These scenes are peppered throughout The War Show but they are not the primary focus of narrator and codirector Obaidah Zytoon. Working with Andreas Dalsgaard, the broadcast journalist-turned-debut filmmaker tells the raw tales that lurk behind the visible signs of protest: the dreams chased and dashed, the everyday lives oppressed and transformed, the bodies battered and beaten, and the other individual prices paid. The project initially began with a group of friends in Syria attempting to document what was going on around them. The juxtaposition of street crowds chanting their dissatisfaction with the ruling regime — and the physical, emotional and sometimes fatal consequences — with ordinary moments and conversations ensures Zytoon’s journeying effort does not just hit home, but does so with devastating force. One by one, Zytoon introduces the fellow mobilised artists and activists she calls her chosen family, as well as an adopted dog she shampoos lovingly; one by one, their stories move from impassioned exuberance to sombre realisation or worse, and from striving to effect change to wearing the steep costs of those efforts. Most documentaries could only hope to include as many striking, lingering, moving moments; that The War Show’s frames are steeped in pain, suffering and tragedy remains inescapable. So too does the documentary’s constructed nature, and not only in the wearied tone with which Zytoon voices her poetic, thought-provoking narration as she ventures between Damascus, Homs and Zabadani. The frequent use of a shuttering effect, aping the act of taking a photograph complete with a momentary flash of darkness and corresponding sound, continues to emphasise the film’s status as a personal record. And yet, it is only one aspect of The War Show’s probing of its own existence. As their chosen title indicates, Zytoon and Dalsgaard remain cognisant of the show they are creating as much as the theatre of war they are chronicling. Whether detailing her own run-ins with ruling forces or turning the lens towards others, the camera cannot be ignored, and nor can its impact.
ARABIAN NIGHTS Den-Fin-Syr. 2016. 100mins Directors/screenplay Obaidah Zytoon, Andreas Dalsgaard Production companies Fridthjof Film, Oktober Oy, Dharma Film International sales DR TV International Sales, drsales@dr.dk Producers Miriam Norgaard, Alaa Hassan Cinematography Dana Bakdounes, Amr Kheito, Hisham Issa, Wasim Anonymous, Lars Skree Music Colin Stetson
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IN FOCUS ARAB TALENT
Stars rise in the east As Screen International unveils its inaugural Arab Stars of Tomorrow, Melanie Goodfellow looks at the development of professional talent networks across the region
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creen International and Dubai International Film Festival today launch the first edition of their joint venture, Arab Stars of Tomorrow. The initiative, a spin-off from Screen’s respected UK Stars of Tomorrow, spotlights five emerging cinema talents from across the Middle East and is a timely sign of how a film-making culture has taken root across the region over the past decade. The established film and TV industries of Egypt and Lebanon continue to dominate the Middle East but talent is increasingly emerging from territories such as the UAE, Jordan and Qatar; the latter had not produced a single featurelength film until less than a decade ago. Even Saudi Arabia — where cinemas are banned — had a presence on the festival circuit this year with Mahmoud Sabbagh’s romantic comedy Barakah Meets Barakah, its second Oscar submission after Wadjda in 2013. In the Maghreb, Tunisia has witnessed a surge in cinematic creativity since the 2011 popular uprising. Sadly, the same cannot be said of Syria, where once flourishing film and TV industries lie in tatters. In spite of that, there will be three Syrian titles at DIFF this year (The Boy And The Sea, Mare Nostrum and The War Show), albeit by film-makers now living outside the country. Talented region Against this backdrop, talent development in the region is at once similar to and very different from the mature cinema industries of Europe, Asia and the US. Like Europe, state and donorbacked bodies are key supporters of the independent film scene. Events like DIFF, with its industry initiatives such as the Enjaaz post-production fund and Dubai Film Connection (DFC) project market; and bodies like Qatar’s Doha Film Institute (DFI) and the Arab Fund For Arts And Culture (AFAC) have been instrumental in spot-
lighting and nurturing young cinema talent across the Arab world. “Aside from giving grants, these bodies play a big part in encouraging networking,” says Egyptian producer Mohamed Hefzy. “Young film-makers come to a place like this and meet experts and other filmmakers and then create little communities that really help each other.” Abu Dhabi-based entertainment company Image Nation also has a crucial role, developing talent through The Boy And The Sea is one of three Syrian workshops and internships as well as titles at DIFF — though the film-makers are supporting features such as the panall based outside the troubled country Arab road movie From A To B, the first Emirati genre thriller Rattle The Cage (Zinzana) and ground-breaking dystopian drama The Worthy, which has its ert Bosch Stiftung foundation, aimed at MENA premiere at DIFF. Image encouraging co-operation between ‘Actors in Nation’s reach is not confined to the young German and Arab film-makers. the Middle UAE, as the casts of its Arabic-language Joana Hadjithomas and Khalil JorEast either titles are drawn typically from across the eige’s project The Notebooks, which will region. Romania-shot The Worthy, for be presented at DFC, was invited to Intercome from example, features Palestinian actors national Film Festival Rotterdam’s Cintheatre Ruba Blal, Ali Suliman, Maisa Abd emart co-production market this year. Elhadi, Syria’s Samer Ismail [a Screen or have made their Commercial slant Star of Tomorrow this year] and Jorway up through TV’ In the wider world of commercial film dan’s Mahmoud Al Atrash in his first Rami Yasin, producer and TV, the situation diverges from that big-screen lead role. of more mature markets. The two key “The cast thought it was amazing to Producer Ali Jaafar, who moved to differences are the dominance of TV be shooting in Romania with actors Dubai to develop drama projects across across the Arab world and the fact the from across the region who they would never normally meet. We need more concept of the talent agent is relatively all windows for broadcaster MBC, says there is “a deep well” of talent in the new in the region. “In the Middle East, projects like this,” says The Worthy proTV drama is king rather than cinema. A region but much of it is locked up in local ducer Rami Yasin of UAE-based Breakstar in the cinema is OK, but a star on TV series that are not likely to gain attenout Films. TV is seen by millions,” says Amr tion outside the region, and sometimes In the background, internaKoura, founding chief of the not even in neighbouring territories. tional funds and co-production region’s first fully fledged talent “The route of a talent school, theatre, markets also play their part, agency Creative Arab Talent agent picks you up, work your selecting, supporting and con(see box). way up doesn’t really exist necting Arab projects with here… it’s more that a proEuropean partners or by simply ducer or broadcaster will spot you and providing direct finanyou’ll develop with them,” he says. cial support. JorThe Worthy’s Yasin notes that Arab d an ian sh o r t Parrot TV stars can be hesitant to cross over film The Parrot, into cinema because it is a less popuwhich premieres lar medium. “Actors in the Middle East at DIFF, was a recipient either come from theatre or have made of a $63,800 (¤60,000) Mahmoud Al Atrash in The Worthy their way up through TV. The theatrecash prize from the Rob-
8 Screen International at Dubai December 8, 2016
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Jordan’s The Parrot
agents from the US and Europe are starting to pay more attention to the region’s talent, especially its directors. UTA, for example, has Jord a n’s A c a d e m y Award nominee Naji Abu Nowar (Theeb), Saudi director Haifaa Al Mansour (Wadjda) Mare Nostrum a n d t h e UA E’s Majid Al Ansari and Ali F Mostafa on its books. “The quality of the films coming out of the region seems to get better trained ones find it easier to cross over into film. There were a number of actors we went after for Zinzana who turned us down because they were scared it was not high-profile enough and that it might lower their cachet in the market,” he says. In the absence of talent agents, producers cast their own films and Yasin expects things to continue that way for a few years to come. “When it comes to independent cinema, you really have to have your finger on the pulse. I have my network, I watch as many Arabic films as I can when I go to festivals,” he says. He also organises casting calls. The Worthy lead Al Atrash was scouted during one such initiative in Jordan, he reveals. Hefzy, who operates in Egypt’s more developed film and TV industry, worked with casting director Marwa Gabriel to pull together the ensemble cast of festival hit Clash, featuring Nelly Karim and Ahmed Dash. “Marwa is also an acting coach so she has quite a network,” says Hefzy. “We also go online to look at people who have done short films, sketches or maybe had smaller parts in films and TV shows.” In the background, there remains the question of whether Arab stars can break out of the region and into international markets, and there are signs that
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‘There is a deep well of talent in the region’ Ali Jaafar, producer
and better every year,” says UTA agent Keya Khayatian, who has scoped out talent across the region, including in the UAE. “Over the past 10 years, UTA has paid increasing attention to the region and managed to find incredible talent that has then emerged at festivals. It’s a s region that is set to grow.” ■
TALENT SEARCH AMR KOURA
The CAT that got the cream Creative Arab Talent agency’s Amr Koura talks to Melanie Goodfellow about the Ramadan rush for TV drama and attracting interest from US producers Amr Koura launched the Middle East’s first talent agency, Creative Arab Talent (CAT), out of Cairo in 2015 and has since opened offices in Los Angeles and Dubai. “There was a gap in the market that I saw through my work as a producer. Striking a deal is always difficult in the Middle East and there was really no-one doing this for the talents before,” says Koura. CAT represents some 25 stars, many hailing from his native Egypt, which is home to the region’s most powerful film and TV industry. One major coup for the agency has been placing a number of its clients — singer-actress Anouchka, Amina Khalil, Dina El Sherbiny and Mohamed Mamdouh — in the Arabic-language remake of big-budget Spanish period drama Grand Hotel. “That made us look good and gave us a big push in the market,” says Koura, who
adds that there was a post-Ramadan rush of people seeking representation by CAT. The agency is now in the throes of placing its clients in the next round of Ramadan series, which are currently being packaged for early 2017 shoots and then completion in time for the one-month fasting period, which starts at the end of May 2017. “November and December are the busiest months for us. This is when all the roles are cast for the upcoming Ramadan dramas. It gets crazy and then Amr Koura calms down,” says Koura. Outside the
‘There was a gap in the market that I saw through my work as a producer’ Amr Koura, CAT
region, he reports strong interest in the agency from the US. “We had a lot of enquiries from people — some quite well-known producers — looking to shoot in the region, or find co-production partners, or needing to cast Arab actors. It will take time to build but there is definitely potential.”
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SPOTLIGHT IWC FILMMAKER AWARD
Turning point Winning the IWC Filmmaker Award can be a life-changing event. Geoffrey Macnab looks at the three directors in the running this year
The 2013 winner Dolphins went on to travel the festival circuit
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IFF’s IWC Filmmaker Award is now into its fifth year and its impact is evident on film-making in the GCC region (encompassing Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates). The prize gives $100,000 to a director from these Gulf countries to develop a feature-length project. “When we started out with the award, there was nobody who was really focusing on the GCC film-makers,” says Shivani Pandya, managing director of DIFF. “The award has helped them get visibility and that has also helped them get further funding.” All the shortlisted directors benefit from their association with the prize. They attend the awards ceremony here at DIFF and can network with potential partners and financiers. Notable successes include UAE-based Ali F Mostafa, who won the first prize in 2012 for his second feature project, the road movie From A To B. He has since finished his third feature, dystopian action thriller The Worthy, which screened at the BFI London Film Festival in October. The following year the prize was awarded to Ras Al Khaimah-based
director Waleed Al Shehhi for his script Dolphins. The finished film went on to travel widely on the festival circuit. The IWC Award is open to any filmmakers from the GCC countries. The number of submissions varies from year to year but Pandya suggests around 30 projects tend to be in the running. The winner receives the money in instalments. “If they need the money early, we give them $50,000. As they go into production, we give them the balance,” says Pandya. Back in 2012, Switzerland-based watch manufacturer IWC Schaffhausen was a sponsor of the festival and looking for further ways to support film-makers from the region. “They were very open,” says Pandya. “It’s a measure of the success of the concept that IWC has gone on to establish similar prizes elsewhere, including at Tribeca and London.” The jury’s in This year, the jury includes Palestinian actor Ali Suliman (Lone Survivor), IWC CEO Georges Kern, DIFF artistic director Masoud Amralla Al Ali and DIFF chairman Abdulha-
‘When we started out with the award, there was nobody who was really focusing on the GCC film-makers’ Shivani Pandya, DIFF
mid Juma. Applicants have tended to come from Saudi Arabia and the UAE but Pandya says the dynamic is changing. This year, two of the three finalists are Emirati film-makers and the third is from Qatar. Nujoom Alghanem, a poet, scriptwriter and director of both fiction and documentary features, has been shortlisted for her third narrative feature Salem. The project revolves around two young people dealing with life in the booming, modern UAE. “I have always wanted to write a story that is related to our real obstacles here in the UAE,” says Alghanem. “A story that reflects the social impact on the new generation as they navigate their lives through cultural and traditional restrictions that still persist in their environment, even though they live in a very modern world that welcomes tolerance and personal freedoms when it comes to other nationalities.” Alghanem’s previous two features, Amal (2011) and Red Yellow Blue (2013) have both played at Dubai International Film Festival, with Amal winning a Muhr Emirati Award. The second Emirati contender is Abdullah Hassan Ahmed, with Sunrise. The project marks the director’s return to the festival, after winning the best short script prize at DIFF in 2007. Sunrise is a drama about a father who receives tragic news about his son, who is fighting in a distant war. Ahmed has already received backing for the project at DIFF, picking up the best societal screenplay award at last year’s festival. Ahmed is a well-established figure: his 2008 short Tenbak won the best short film award at Gulf Film Festival and he co-founded prolific production company Faradees Group. Also in contention is Hafiz Ali Ali’s animated feature The Search For The Star Pearl, the story of an adventurous group of teenage friends on the trail of a legendary pearl. The Qatari producer-director has enjoyed considerable festival success with his previous films, including The Oryx Return and Scents And Shadows. The Search For The Star Pearl is being co-produced by Spain’s La Fabrica Films, and the film-maker is developing the script with US writers Tom Abrams and David Abramowitz. “I wanted to open a new dimension filled with sea creatures and colonies on the edge s of the world,” says the film-maker. ■
IWC FILMMAKER AWARD THE CONTENDERS
Sunrise UAE
Salem UAE
Dir Abdullah Hassan Ahmed (right) Prod Khalid Al Mahmood Budget tbc
Dir Nujoom Alghanem (right) Prod Paul Baboudjian Budget $1.18m Finance in place $50,000
Contact Faradees Production faradees67@gmail.com
Contact Paul Baboudjian paul@tharwa productions.com
10 Screen International at Dubai December 8, 2016
The Search For The Star Pearl Qatar
Dir Hafiz Ali Ali (right) Prod Alvaro Hurtado Budget $10m Finance in place $40,000 Contact Hafiz Ali Ali film202@gmail.com
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WORK-IN-PROGRESS LAB SPOTLIGHT
Home advantage A fully fledged Work-in-Progress Lab is taking place at DIFF for the first time this year. Geoffrey Macnab showcases the four projects in the spotlight
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f the four features in DIFF’s inaugural Work-in-Progress Lab, three are by women directors: Leila Kilani (Joint Possession), Narjiss Nejjar (Stateless) and Yasmine Chouikh (Until The End Of Time). The fourth is by Raed Andoni (Ghost Hunting). DIFF has previously hosted works in progress within Dubai Film Connection but this is the first time it has launched a standalone lab structure to support them. The move is a natural progression following last year’s Dubai Film Market Goes To Cannes initiative, which showcased four different Arab films in post-production. “Taking the films to Cannes is amazing — the films are exposed to people who wouldn’t normally see them and it’s a giant market,” says Ayesha Chagla, manager of Dubai Film Market. “But having them at DIFF exposes them to people who wouldn’t normally go to Cannes.” An excerpt of up to 15 minutes from each of the four new films will be shown to an invited audience of sales agents, distributors and festival programmers, and the film-makers will have an opportunity to meet the industry experts. The aim is for the film-makers to complete their films. “We hope they have a robust career and get into good festivals, get picked up by sales agents and be distributed to wider audiences,” says Chagla. Stateless
DIFF WORK-IN-PROGRESS LAB 2016 THE PROJECTS
Ghost Hunting (Palestine)
Joint Possession (Morocco)
Stateless (Morocco)
Until The End Of Time
Dir Raed Andoni Prod Palmyre Badinier Lang Arabic
Dir Leila Kilani Prod Emmanuel Barrault Langs Arabic, Spanish, French
Dir Narjiss Nejjar Prod Lamia Chraibi Lang Arabic
(Algeria)
Playing in the grey zone between documentary and re-enactment, Ghost Hunting exposes issues around the interrogation or arrest by Israeli authorities of nearly half of all Palestinian men under the age of 25. Director Raed Andoni says he was compelled to tackle the subject after he saw the image of an 18-year-old boy sitting inside an Israeli prison yard, handcuffed and with a bag over his head. The project, produced by Palmyre Badinier of Francebased Les Films De Zayna, was pitched at the Netherlands’ IDFA Forum last year. “Showing scenes from the film at DIFF is a way for us to prepare its distribution, by raising expectations and gathering more supporters among the film industry,” says Badinier. The project is being supported by Arab, US and European sources including the CNC, Doha Film Institute, Sanad and Sundance.
This family drama follows three generations of a Moroccan family, living on a rural estate, who must decide whether selling the land on which they live is the right thing to do. As a young adult, director Leila Kilani says she often heard relatives and neighbours discussing the vexed issue of joint ownership, which will be explored in the film. “The same old stories of irrational bonding to a property and financial gain motivation, genuine affection and fake solidarity, intimacy and wheelings and dealings,” says Kilani of the subjects that will be raised. Joint Possession is being produced by Morocco’s Socco Chico Films, with France’s Emmanuel Barrault of DKB Productions. Kilani previously collaborated with both producers on her debut feature On The Edge in 2010.
Narjiss Nejjar’s latest feature is a “small story”, but one that reflects huge political upheaval. An Algerian woman, forcefully deported to Morocco in the mid 1970s, has an affair with a young man who has brought his elderly blind father back to the country. The young man rejects her because he has a wife back in France — and she eventually marries the father. Nejjar’s debut feature The Dry Eyes screened in Directors’ Fortnight at Cannes in 2003. Stateless is her fifth feature and is being produced by Lamia Chraibi, founder of Casablanca-based La Prod. “[The aim at DIFF] is to get additional partners on board to help complete the film,” says Chraibi.
Algerian film-maker Yasmine Chouikh’s feature directorial debut is a love story about two ‘elders’ who meet in a cemetery. One is a septuagenarian grave digger, the other a woman who has come to visit her sister’s grave. Until The End Of Time has already secured backing from Enjaaz, DIFF’s post-production fund, the Algerian Ministry of Culture Fund and the French Institute in Algiers. It was selected for Dubai Film Connection in 2013. Chouikh made her name as an actress, and has written and directed several shorts while working as a journalist. She comes from a film-making dynasty: her mother is film-maker Yamina Bachir, whose credits include Rachida (2002), and her father is director Mohamed Chouikh, whose most recent film is Hamlet Of Woman (2005). Chouikh’s sister, Karima Chouikh, is producing.
Contact Palmyre Badinier lms@zayna.fr
Contact Emmanuel Barrault eb@dkbproductions.com
www.screendaily.com
Contact Lamia Chraibi lamia@ laprod.ma (Right) Until The End Of Time
Dir Yasmine Chouikh Prod Karima Chouikh Lang Arabic
Contact Karima Chouikh s chouikhk@gmail.com ■
December 8, 2016 Screen International at Dubai 11
FESTIVAL FOCUS DUBAI
ubai International Film Festival enters it teens this week with a diverse selection that embraces cinema’s past and present. The 13th edition opens with John Madden’s Miss Sloane, starring Jessica Chastain, Gugu MbathaRaw and Jake Lacy. It will go on to screen 156 films from 55 territories and in 44 languages, 57 of which are world or international premieres. Alongside the long-running Arabian Nights, Cinema of the World and competitive selections devoted to Arab and Emirati features and shorts, the festival has added a virtual reality sidebar this year: DIFFerent Reality is showcasing 10 VR works. These include UK director Darren Emerson’s Invisible, which captures the experiences of people held in migrant detention centres in the UK; UAE filmmaker Hassan Kiyany’s road-trip tale Flash; and Pierre Zandrowicz’s I, Philip, France’s first piece of fictional VR work, which is inspired by the fate of a real-life android modelled on the late sci-fi writer Philip K Dick.
Dubai
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Collective experience “I’m very excited about the VR showcase,” says DIFF chairman Abdulhamid Juma. “VR adds a new dimension and the discussions around where it is all leading are very interesting.” DIFF is screening the VR works in a traditional setting; an audience of 20 will don headsets in the foyer of the conference centre and watch the films at the same time. “We thought it would be interesting to show VR as a collective audience experience,” says DIFF managing director Shivani Pandya. At the other end of cinema’s timeline, the festival is hosting a special screening of Thierry Frémaux’s Lumiere!, a compilation of some 100 short films shot by French cinema pioneers Auguste and Louis Lumiere from 1895 to 1905. Cannes Film Festival chief Frémaux made the feature under the auspices of his role as the managing director of France’s Institut Lumiere in Lyon, to celebrate the pioneering work of the Lumiere brothers and cinema heritage in general. Frémaux is in town to present his film. “One of the aspects I love about this year’s programme is the way in which it gives the audience an overview of cinema’s history, present and future,” says Juma. “We’ve got the Lumiere film, pictures in the vein of Miss Sloane talking about contemporary issues and then the VR line-up and the closing picture, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.” The festival is hosting an In Conversation event with Samuel L Jackson, who is among three recipients of life achievement awards this year, alongside Bollywood star Rekha and French-Lebanese composer Gabriel Yared. A masterclass with Andie MacDowell will also be held.
12 Screen International at Dubai December 9, 2016
Arabian heights The Lumiere brothers and virtual reality light up the DIFF programme, which brings together the best of Arab, US and world cinema. Melanie Goodfellow reports
In line with other festivals, DIFF is also paying attention to TV. It is screening the first episode of Westworld, season one, to be followed by a Q&A with stars Luke Hemsworth and Jeffrey Wright. There will also be In The Directors’ Chair conversations with Oscar and Baftawinning documentary film-maker Asif Kapadia (Amy) as well as Irish director Lenny Abrahamson, whose Oscar-winning Room opened DIFF in 2015. “Lenny really wanted to come last year but he couldn’t make it so he’s come this year instead,” says Juma. Louis Lumiere
Local heroes In line with the festival’s remit to support Arab cinema, half of all the titles in the main programme are by Arab filmmakers. Films in the non-competitive Arabian Nights selection include the world premiere of Lebanese director Philippe Aractingi’s forbidden-love story Listen, as well as festival hits The Challenge, Gaza Surf Club, Zaineb Hates The
‘This year’s programme gives the audience an overview of cinema’s history, present and future’ Abdulhamid Juma, DIFF
Snow, The War Show, A Day For Women and Brooks, Meadows And Lovely Faces. The latter is the new film from Egyptian director Yousry Nasrallah, who is also on the main jury. Eighteen titles, a combination of festival hits and world premieres, are competing in the Muhr Feature competition. These include Tunisian director Mohamed Ben Attia’s Hedi, which won the best first film prize at the Berlinale earlier this year, and Mohamed Hammad’s Withered Green, which premiered at Locarno in August. World premieres include buddy road movie Ali, The Goat And Ibrahim, the debut feature of Egypt’s Sherif El Bendary, Miss Sloane and Egyptian Jeanne d’Arc,
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Alamy
The red carpet at the Madinat Jumeirah complex
(From left) Lauren Selig, John Friedberg, David Grumbach and John Sloss
Big hitters The inaugural Dubai Investors Club aims to attract international financiers and producers to this year’s DFM. Melanie Goodfellow reports ome of the biggest names in the international independent film business are attending Dubai Film Market (DFM) this year. They include Los Angeles-based financier and producer Lauren Selig of Shake And Bake Productions, whose credits include Hacksaw Ridge and Everest; John Friedberg, head of international sales at STX Entertainment; John Sloss, founder of Cinetic Media; David Grumbach, the Paris-based CEO of Bac Films; Alex Walton, president of US international sales at financing company Bloom; and UTA agent Alex Brunner. The Nordic region is the subject of a co-production focus, with a panel discussing collaboration opportunities between the Arab and Nordic film industries. Speakers include Laufey Gudjonsdottir, head of the Icelandic Film Centre; Swedish producer Martin Persson, whose credits include The Hunt; and Noemi Ferrer Schwenk, head of international at the Danish Film Institute. There will also be a networking event for Arab and Nordic producers. The bustling DFM encompasses an exhibition space, industry talks, the Dubai Film Connection (DFC) co-production event and the inaugural edition of Dubai Investors Club, which runs the first two days of the festival. The latter is co-ordinated by producer Paul Miller, the former head of film financing at Doha Film Institute. “It’s a very bespoke, small event catering to people who might be interested in investing in film in this part of the world,” explains DIFF managing director Shivani Pandya. “There will be 15 to 20 speakers but it will be informal and very focused on networking.” The DFC is presenting 13 features by Arab film-makers, including Lebanon’s Hiam Abbass, Palestine’s Najwa Najjar and Morocco’s Daoud Aoulad Syad.
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Honey, Rain & Dust
an experimental documentary by Iman Kamel that examines the position of women in Egypt after the revolution. The Emirati competition includes Honey, Rain & Dust, the new documentary from Nujoom Alghanem, about the beekeeping tradition in the northern UAE, Ali F Mostafa’s post-apocalyptic drama The Worthy, featuring an ensemble pan-Arab cast, and Eman Alsayed’s The Choice, about a US girl who travels to the UAE to connect with her roots following the death of her Emirati father. “The quality of Emirati productions continues to develop and improve,” says DIFF artistic director Masoud Amralla Al Ali. “It’s wonderful to see Emirati film-makers presenting their work to audiences from around the world at DIFF.” As per DIFF tradition, given its December timing, a number of hotly tipped Oscar contenders also feature in the programme, including Jackie, La La Land and The Eagle Huntress, while this year’s international film-maker guests include Their Finest direcs tor Lone Scherfig and star Bill Nighy. ■
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Other industry initiatives include the post-production fund Enjaaz, the Dubai Distribution Programme and the fifth annual $100,000 IWC Filmmaker Award for Gulf film-makers. Organised by DIFF in partnership with Swiss luxury watch manufacturer IWC Schaffhausen, the three shortlisted directors for this year’s prize are Nujoom Alghanem and Abdullah Hassan Ahmed, both from the UAE, and Hafiz Ali Ali from Qatar.
‘Dubai Investors Club will be informal and very focused on networking’ Shivani Pandya, DIFF
DFM’s Forum programme of industry talks will kick off with PwC’s annual presentation on the global entertainment and media outlook for the Middle East. Further topics include the blooming of the documentary genre in the region, film finance and how Arab cinema can break out internationally. Cheryl Boone Isaacs, president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), is one of this year’s Forum speakers. It is the first time she has attended DIFF. As an organisation, DIFF has become increasingly involved in elevating the presence of Arab films in the end-of-year awards season. Since 2015, the winners of DIFF’s Muhr Shorts competition have qualified for consideration in the Academy Awards shorts category, while in September DIFF presented two films — Mohamed Diab’s Clash and Lebanese comedy Halal Love — to the Hollywood Foreign Press Association in Los Angeles for Golden Globes s consideration. ■
December 9, 2016 Screen International at Dubai 13
SCREENINGS Edited by Paul Lindsell
» Screening times and venues are
correct at the time of going to press but subject to alteration.
paullindsell@gmail.com
explores the transformation of her memory, her emigration from Lebanon to Brazil and stories of love, children and suspended time. ‘104 Wrinkles’ is a journey about ageing, memory and life.
11:00 ARE YOU LISTENING?: AMAZON & CONGO
(Brazil, Congo) StoryUP Studios. 9mins. Nonfiction, virtual reality. Dir: Sarah Hill. Step into the lives of the Virunga park rangers in eastern Congo and the Munduruku tribe in the Amazon rainforest to see how a lack of affordable power is threatening lives and sacred lands.
Muhr Feature Vox 14 PUBLIC
SAINT GEORGE (SAO JORGE)
DIFFerent Reality 01 The du VR Cinema by Samsung Public
13:00 WHEN ALL LAND IS LOST, WILL WE EAT COAL?
(India) 7mins. Nonfiction, virtual reality. Dir: Faiza Ahmad Khan. Decades of mining has ravaged Korba, a small district in central India. Its air and water are severely contaminated and the people’s lives have been blighted. This film is a telling commentary on the present-day development paradigm. DIFFerent Reality 02 The du VR Cinema by Samsung Public
13:30 THEIR FINEST
(UK) Front Row Filmed Entertainment. 110mins. Comedy, drama, romance. Dir: Lone Scherfig. Cast: Sam Claflin, Gemma Arterton, Bill Nighy. A British film crew attempts to boost morale during the Second World War by making a propaganda film after the Blitzkrieg. Cinema of the World Madinat Arena Press
15:00 LAKE BAIKAL: THE SCIENCE AND SPIRITUALITY OF EXTREME WATER — EPISODE 1: WINTER SPIRIT
(Russia, US) 7mins. Non-fiction, virtual reality. Dir: Georgy Molodtsov, Michael Owen. Five brief virtual-reality scenes introduce viewers to the icy winter landscape around Lake Baikal in Siberia and some of the
FESTIVAL 15:30 LIKE CRAZY (LA PAZZA GIOIA)
(France, Italy) Bac Films. 116mins. Comedy, drama. Dir: Paolo Virzi. Cast: Micaela Ramazzotti, Valeria Bruni Tedeschi. Donatella and Beatrice reside in a psychiatric
strong spiritual traditions that have evolved around the oldest, deepest and most voluminous body of fresh water on the planet. DIFFerent Reality 03 The du VR Cinema by Samsung Public
15:15 CERTAIN WOMEN
(US) Sony Pictures Releasing. 107mins. Drama. Dir: Kelly Reichardt. Cast: Kristen Stewart, Michelle Williams, Laura Dern, James Le Gros, Jared Harris, Lily Gladstone. The lives of three women intersect in small-town America, where each is imperfectly blazing a trail. Cinema of the World Vox 14 Public
NERUDA
(Chile, France, Spain, Argentina) Funny Balloons. 108mins. Biography, drama. Dir: Pablo Larrain. Cast: Luis
14 Screen International at Dubai December 8, 2016
facility in Tuscany. They have very different life stories but a chance to escape brings them together in an adventure that will change their lives forever and help them realise the beauty in imperfection. Cinema of the World Vox 17 Public
Gnecco, Gael Garcia Bernal, Mercedes Moran. An inspector hunts down Nobel Prize-winning Chilean poet Pablo Neruda, who in the late 1940s became a fugitive in his home country for joining the Communist Party. Cinema of the World Vox 03 Public
15:30 LIKE CRAZY (LA PAZZA GIOIA) See box, above
THE NET (GEUMUL)
(South Korea) Finecut. 114mins. Drama. Dir: Kim Ki-duk. Cast: Ryoo Seungbum, Kim Young-min, Lee Won-keun. A North Korean fisherman sees his boat’s engine break down, and he drifts to South Korea. After enduring many brutal investigations, he is eventually sent back to the North. But before leaving South Korea, he sees how
developed is the country and the contrasting dark sides of it. He realises that economic development does not spell happiness for all the people. Once he returns home, he receives similar treatment as experienced in the South, and feels great sadness as a human being trapped in the ideology between the two divided countries.
Urban Distribution International. 108mins. Drama. Dir: Midi Z. Cast: Ke-Xi Wu, Kai Ko. Two Burmese immigrants flee their country’s civil war in search of a new life in Thailand.
Cinema of the World Vox 05 Public
(France) 80mins. Creative documentary. Dir: Thierry Fremaux. Events during DIFF. Chronicles the work of the inventors of film.
15:45 PYROMANIAC (PYROMANEN)
(Norway) 96mins. Drama. Dir: Erik Skjoldbjaerg. Cast: Trond Hjort Nilsen, Per Frisch, Liv Bernhoft Osa, Henrik Rafaelsen. A pyromaniac ignites his first fire in a peaceful village. In the weeks to come a series of fires break out, spreading fear in the small community. An inferno lurks under the surface as a local policeman uncovers the unthinkable truth: the pyromaniac may have close links to the local fire brigade. An intimate portrait of the pyromaniac and the emergency services as they duel for control. Cinema of the World Vox 04 Public
THE ROAD TO MANDALAY
(Taiwan, France, Germany, Myanmar)
Cinema of the World Vox 06 Public
16:00 LUMIERE!
Souk Madinat Theatre Public
17:00
(Portugal, France) Celluloid Dreams. 112mins. Drama. Dir: Marco Martins. Cast: Nuno Lopes, Mariana Nunes, David Semedo. Suffocating in debt, unemployed boxer Jorge is on the verge of losing his young son and his Brazilian wife. Due to his intimidating physique, Jorge reluctantly accepts a job with a collection agency, which drags him into a world of violence and crime. Cinema of the World Vox 03 Public
18:15 BEZNESS AS USUAL
(Netherlands) Syndicado. 92mins. Non-fiction. Dir: Alex Pitstra. Cast: Alex Pitstra, Mohsen Ben Hassen, Anneke Pitstra. What is it like to be the child of a Tunisian playboy and a Dutch mother? Are expectations and cultures on both sides compatible? Arabian Nights Vox 05 Public
DEFROST
(US) Circle VR. 5mins. Sci-fi, virtual reality. Dir: Randal Kleiser. Cast: Bruce Davison, Harry Hamlin, Carl Weathers. After being cryogenically frozen for 30 years, Joan Garrison awakens to meet her aged family. DIFFerent Reality 04 The du VR Cinema by Samsung Public
18:00 104 WRINKLES (YA OMRI)
(Lebanon) 83mins. Biography, non-fiction. Dir: Hady Zaccak. Hady Zaccak follows his grandmother Henriette as she ages and crosses the centenarian milestone to reach 104 years. He
BROOKS, MEADOWS AND LOVELY FACES (AL MA’ WAL KHODRA WAL WAJH AL HASSAN)
(Egypt) Pyramide International. 110mins. Comedy, drama. Dir: Yousry Nasrallah. Cast: Laila Eloui, Menna Shalabi, Bassem Samra. A family in a small Egyptian village prepares for a big wedding celebration. Arabian Nights Souk Madinat Theatre Public
HONEY, RAIN & DUST (ASSAL WA MATAR WA GOUBAR)
(UAE) 86mins. Nonfiction. Dir: Nujoom Alghanem. Cast: Fatima www.screendaily.com
FURTHER DIFF COVERAGE, SEE SCREENDAILY.COM
Al Naqbi, Aisha Al Naqbi, Ghareeb Al Yammahi, Aisha Al Naqbi, Fatima Sanad, Ghareeb Al Yamahai. Bees have become integral to the lives of Aisha, Fatima and Ghareeb. But for how long and to what extent can the insects keep providing?
and mythology to examine women’s circumstances in present-day Egypt.
Muhr Emirati Vox 01 Public
(Chad, France, Senegal) Doc & Film International. 82mins. Non-fiction. Dir: Mahamat-Saleh Haroun. Cast: Clement Abaifouta. In 2013, former Chadian dictator Hissein Habre’s arrest in Senegal marked the end of a long struggle for the survivors of his regime. Director Mahamat-Saleh Haroun meets the survivors of this tragedy, who still bear the scars on their flesh and in their souls.
18:30 THE CHALLENGE
(France, Italy) Slingshot films. 70mins. Non-fiction. Dir: Yuri Ancarani. Falconry has a history that stretches back more than 40 centuries and it continues undiminished in contemporary Arab culture. Three years of observing this form of hunting in the field have made it possible to capture the spirit of a tradition that today allows its practitioners to keep a close rapport with the desert, despite their predominantly urban lifestyle. Arabian Nights Vox 06 Public
SWEAT RAIN
(Morocco) 126mins. Drama. Dir: Hakim Belabbes. Cast: Ayoub Khalfaoui, Fatima Ezzahra Bennasser, Amine Ennaji. M’Barek fights to hold on to his land. Ida, his wife, and the cornerstone of the family, struggles to carry her husband’s burden in silence. Ayoub grazes his father’s sheep and talks to the fairies. And his grandfather incessantly calls out his wife’s name: Rahma. Muhr Feature Vox 17 Public
18:45 EGYPTIAN JEANNE D’ARC (JEANNE D’ARC MASRIYA)
(Egypt, Germany, Kuwait, Qatar) Linked Productions. 85mins. Non-fiction, biography, creative documentary. Dir: Iman Kamel. Cast: Sara Hassan, Reem Hatem, Nahla Sebaei, Salma El Tarzi. A modern documentary fusing genres through dance, poetic narrative
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Muhr Feature Vox 04 Public
HISSEIN HABRE, A CHADIAN TRAGEDY (HISSEIN HABRE, UNE TRAGEDIE TCHADIENNE)
of a castaway on a deserted tropical island populated by crabs, birds — and a giant turtle. The Beach The Beach Public
21:15 LOVING
(US, UK) Wild Bunch. 123mins. Biography, drama. Dir: Jeff Nichols. Cast: Joel Edgerton, Ruth Negga, Michael Shannon. Loving celebrates the real-life courage of an interracial couple, Richard and Mildred Loving, who fell in love and were married in 1958. Their civil rights case, Loving v Virginia, reached the Supreme Court, which in 1967 reaffirmed the very foundation of the right to marry. Their love story has since become an inspiration.
Sabah Abu Ghanem, Mohammed Abu Jayab, Ibrahim Arafat. Wedged between Israel and Egypt and isolated from the rest of the world, very little enters Gaza and even less leaves it. Trapped in “the world’s largest openair prison” and ruled by war, a new generation is drawn to the beaches. Sick of occupation and political gridlock, they find their own personal freedom in the waves of the Mediterranean — they are the surfers of Gaza. Arabian Nights Vox 13 Public
21:45 A DAY FOR WOMEN (YOM LEL SETAT)
(India) Yash Raj Films International. 135mins. Romance. Dir: Aditya Chopra. Cast: Ranveer Singh, Elisa Bachir Bey, Vaani Kapoor. Set in Paris, this freespirited, contemporary love story sees Dharam and Shyra find love in an impulsive, engaging series of experiences.
SIERANEVADA
(Romania) Elle Driver. 173mins. Drama. Dir: Cristi Puiu. Cast: Mimi Branescu, Petra Kurtela, Sorin Medeleni, Dana Dogaru, Bogdan Dumitrache, Judith State. Centres around a family gathering on the anniversary of a patriarch’s recent death.
(Egypt) 110mins. Drama. Dir: Kamla Abu Zekry. Cast: Elham Shahin, Nelly Karim, Mahmoud Hemida, Farouk Al Fishawy, Ahmad Al Fishawy, Nahed El Sebai, Hala Sedqi, Eyad Nassar, Ahmed Dawood. A new swimming pool opens in a Cairo district, with the announcement that Sundays will be only for females. This causes ripples throughout the local community, while three women — Shamiya, Azza, and Lula — assess their varying lives.
Cinema of the World Madinat Arena Gala
Cinema of the World Vox 06 Public
Arabian Nights Souk Madinat Theatre Public
Cinema of the World Vox 13 Public
19:00
Cinema of the World Vox 01 Public
BEFIKRE
OBLIVIUS
(China) TCL Communication — Alcatel. 3mins. Music, non-fiction, virtual reality. Dir: Romain Levices. Cast: Kevin Pollak, Xi Ning. In the underworld, where time is precious, two souls meet. They dance to love and death. With love, they will find each other again. DIFFerent Reality 05 The du VR Cinema by Samsung Public
19:30 THE RED TURTLE (LA TORTUE ROUGE)
(France, Japan, Belgium) Wild Bunch. 80mins. Animation, drama. Dir: Michael Dudok De Wit. This dialogue-free animation follows the life
21:30
LISA
Muhr Feature Vox 14 Public
(UAE) 73mins. Comedy, drama. Dir: Ahmed Zain. Cast: Ayman Khadim, Nasser Al Dhanhani, Ali Al Shehhi, Laura. Lisa is a foreign student from the UK, who studies at New York University in Abu Dhabi. As she prepares for her senior project, her professor suggests that she film a documentary about an Emirati family in Al Ain. During the course of her work, she experiences the kindness and generosity of Emirati society through the family.
GAZA SURF CLUB
Muhr Emirati Vox 03 Public
THE DARK WIND (RESEBA)
(Iraq, Germany, Qatar) 92mins. Drama, social, war, fiction. Dir: Hussein Hassan. Cast: Rekesh Shehbaz, Diman Zandi, Maryam Boobani, Imad Lezgin. Radical Islamist militants attack a village in Iraq where a young Yazidi couple prepares for marriage. From that moment onwards, their lives are turned into a nightmare.
(Germany) Magnetfilm. 87mins. Non-fiction, sport. Dir: Philip Gnadt, Mickey Yamine. Cast:
thriller. Dir: Daouda Coulibaly. Cast: Ibrahim Koma, Inna Modja, Ismaïl N’Diaye. A young man trafficks cocaine and quickly becomes embroiled in a Malian drug ring. Cinema of the World Vox 04 Public
22:00 APPRENTICE
(Singapore, Germany, France, Hong Kong, Qatar) Luxbox. 96mins. Drama. Dir: Boo Junfeng. Cast: Wan Hanafi Su, Mastura Ahmad, Fir Rahman. Aiman, a young Malayan correctional officer, recently transferred to the territory’s top prison, lives with his sister Suhaila. At his new workplace, Aiman is acquainted with Rahim, the prison’s long-serving chief executioner. When Rahim’s assistant quits, he asks Aiman to take the job. Suhaila becomes upset when she learns of Aiman’s new role and the dark past of the family is revealed. Cinema of the World Vox 05 Public
THE TRAVELLER (LE VOYAGEUR)
(France, Lebanon) 100mins. Comedy, drama. Dir: Hadi Ghandour. Cast: Rodrigue Sleiman, Donia Eden, Aida Sabra. A travel agent who has never travelled is sent on a business trip to Paris and finds himself confronted by temptations he cannot handle. Arabian Nights Vox 17 Public
DIFF EDITORIAL OFFICE PRESS AND PUBLICITY OFFICE, MADINAT JUMEIRAH CONFERENCE CENTRE DIFF dailies editor and Asia editor Liz Shackleton, lizshackleton@gmail.com Reporter Melanie Goodfellow, melanie. goodfellow@btinternet.com Reviews editor Fionnuala Halligan, finn.halligan@screendaily.com Contributor Colin Brown, colinbrown1@earthlink.net Features editor Louise Tutt, tuttlouise@gmail.com Group head of production and art Mark Mowbray, mark. mowbray@screendaily.com Sub editors Paul Lindsell, Adam Richmond, Richard Young Publishing director Nadia Romdhani, nadia. romdhani@screendaily.com, +44 7540 100 315 Senior sales manager Scott Benfold, scott.benfold@ screendaily.com, +44 7765 257 260 Sales executives Pierre-Louis Manes, pierre-louis.manes@ screendaily.com Gunter Zerbich, gunter. zerbich@screendaily.com Ingrid Hammond, ingridhammond@mac.com Production manager Jonathon Cooke, jonathon. cooke@mb-insight.com Group commercial director, MBI Alison Pitchford, alison. pitchford@mb-insight.com Chief executive, MBI Conor Dignam Printer Atlas Group, Street 26, Al Quoz 4, PO Box 14833, Dubai, +971 4 340 9895, admin@atlasgroupme.com
22:30 BILLY LYNN’S LONG HALFTIME WALK
WULU
(UK, Taiwan, US) Gulf Film. 113mins. Drama, war. Dir: Ang Lee. Cast: Kristen Stewart, Joe Alwyn, Chris Tucker. Nineteen-year-old Billy Lynn is brought home for a victory tour after a harrowing battle in Iraq. Through flashbacks the film shows what really happened to his squad.
(France, Senegal) Indie Sales. 95mins. Drama,
Cinema of the World Madinat Arena Gala
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December 8, 2016 Screen International at Dubai 15
شاهد اليوم
اخلميس 8ديسمرب
املهر اإلماراتي
«عسل ومطر وغبار» 18:15
«لـــــيزا»
مول اإلمارات ،فوكس 1
21:45
مول اإلمارات ،فوكس 3
عائش��ة وفاطمة وغريب ،من بين األكثر ش��هرة في مجال البحث عن العسل ،وجمعه ،في المنطقة العسال ،كونه يختص بتربية النحل في محمية الشمالية من دولة اإلمارات .غير أن غريب يُعتبر هو ّ أسس��ها في أعالي الجبال لتمكّنه من الس��يطرة على البيئة المحيط��ة ،وكذلك حماية ممتلكاته من النح��ل .هذا جعله يتحول خبيرا ً في التواصل معه ،كما لو أنه س��احر يجي��د ترويض كائناته البرية. بالنس��بة لعائشة وفاطمة فهما تفضالن أسلوب التجوال الح ّر ،الذي يقوم على اقتفاء آثار النحل في الجبال الجرداء ،تماماً كما تعلّمن في صغرهن معتمدات على الحدس والحظ وشجاعتهن.
خالل تصوير الفيلم ،تكتش��ف الطالبة طيبة هذه األسرة ،وكرمها ،وأخالقها ،واحترامها لفكرة التعايش مع الجنسيات األخرى في اإلمارات ،ولكن ماذا كان تاثير الطالبة على األسرة؟.
إخراج :نجوم الغانم الفئة :غير روائي إنتاج :نجوم الغانم ،خالد البدور بطولة :فاطمة النقبي ،عائشة النقبي ،غريب اليماحي.
إخراج :أحمد زين الفئة :كوميديا ودراما إنتاج :أحمد زين بطولة :أيمن خديم ،وناصر الظنحاني ،وعلي الشحي ،ولورا.
سينما العامل
«بيفكر»
جلسات سوق دبي السينمائي احلوارية
75دقيقة يف كرسي اخملرج
«الشوط األول من جولة بيلي لني الطويلة»
19:00
22:30
مدرج املدينة
مدرج املدينة
إخراج :إديتيا شوبرا بطولة :رانفير ســنغ ،وفاني كابور ،وإليســا بشير باي ،وجولي أوردون
يرتك��ز الفيلم على رواية ب��ن فاونتن ،ويروي تفاصيل الجولة الترويجية لبيلي لين ،وزمالئه الجنود األميركيين ،الذين نُظر إليهم بوصفهم أبط��االً بعد نجاتهم من الم��وت بإعجوبة في معركة قاسية .تنتهي الرحلة في عرض ما بين الش��وطين ،في مباراة فريق «داالس كاوبويز» في مبارة يوم «عيد الشكر». إخراج :آنغ لي بطولة :جو ألوين ،وكريســتين ســتيوارت، وكريــس توكــر ،وغاريت هيدلونــد ،وفان ديزل ،وستيف مارتن
«حوار مع آصف كباديا» 17:00
قاعة منتدى املهرجان نشرة يومية تصدر باللغة العربية خالل فعاليات الدورة الـ 13من «مهرجان دبي السينمائي الدولي» رئيس التحرير
بشار إبراهيم
bashar62@gmail.com
08ديسمرب 2016
12/7/16 10:31 PM
بالعـــربية
يص��ل فت��ى دله��ي النموذج��ي ،المتفاخ��ر والمته��ور دهارام ،إلى باري��س بمهمة عمل، وبحثاً عن مغامرة .هناك يلتقي ش��ايرا الفتاة الهندي��ة الجامحة ،فرنس��ية المول��د ،ليعيش حب جارف ،عل��ى رغم االختالف معه��ا قصة ّ الكبير في ش��خصيتيهما .ولكنهما س��رعان ما يدركا أن الحب قفزة من اإليمان ،ال يمكن أن يقفزها إال من يجرؤ عليها.
لي��زا؛ طالب��ة بريطانية تدرس ف��ي جامعة نيوي��ورك أبوظبي تخصص إع��الم ،عرضت عليها المد ّرس��ة فكرة تصوير فيلم غير روائي عن أس��رة اماراتية تعيش في العين ،مك ّونة من أم وابنيها البدينين.
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أحمد شوقي
نظرة واحدة على جدول األفالم المش��اركة في الدورة الثالثة عشر ل�«مهرجان دبي السينمائي الدول��ي» ،كافية لمالحظة الحضور االس��تثنائي للس�ينما المص�ري�ة .عشرة أف��الم تش��ارك في برامج المهرجان المختلفة ،منها خمس��ة أفالم تتنافس داخل مس��ابقة «المهر الطويل» ،أكبر مس��ابقات المهرج��ان .أي أن النس��بة تقترب من ثلث األفالم المتنافس��ة في المس��ابقة، الت��ي تض��م ثمانية عش��ر فيلم��اً .من بين األفالم الخمس��ة يس��تضيف «مهرجان دبي السينمائي الدولي» ،العروض العالمية األولى ألربع��ة عناوين ،على رأس��ها يأت��ي «موالنا» لمجدي أحمد علي ،المأخوذ عن رواية الكاتب واإلعالمي إبراهيم عيس��ى ،التي تروي حكاية داعية إس��المي ش��اب (يجس��ده عمرو سعد) يصعد نجمه ليجد نفس��ه متورطاً في مشكالت وصراع��ات ترتب��ط ب��رأس الدول��ة المصرية، ونخبتها الحاكمة .جرأة النص تجعلنا نترقب ما ستسفر عنه النسخة السينمائية من الحكاية. «علي معزة وإبراهيم» ،ه��و عنوان الفيلم الروائ��ي الطويل األول لش��ريف البنداري، المخ��رج الذي تمكّن من وضع اس��مه على خريطة السينما العربية والعالمية عبر عدة أف��الم قصيرة ناجح��ة ،والفيل��م يبدو من بعي��د فانتازيا تميل للكوميديا ،حول ش��اب يحب معزة ،ويؤمن أنها خطيبته ،لكن مسار الحكاي��ة يبلور محتواها ،لما هو أعمق بكثير من تلك النظرة األولى. الع��روض العالمي��ة األولى لألف��الم المصرية الطويل��ة تكتم��ل بفيلمي��ن غي��ر روائيي��ن، يش��اركان في المس��ابقة هما« :ج��ان دارك بحس مصرية» ،إليمان كامل ،الذي ترصد فيه ّ تجريبي واضح تجارب ع��دة فتيات مصريات، تمكن��ت كل منهن أن تصير بش��كل م��ا تجلياً مصرياً لثورية جان دارك ،و«النسور الصغيرة»، لمحمد رش��اد ،الذي يغ��وص عميقاً في عالقته بوالده البس��يط ،ليعقد ف��ي الظاهر مقارنة بين الوال��د واآلباء المناضلين ألصدقائه اليس��اريين، يكمن في باطنها تش��ريحاً دقيقاً لمعضلة األبوة والتوقعات المتبادلة بين االبن وأبيه.
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تعرض من أفالم المشاركة المصرية اليوم الخميس 8ديسمبر فيلم «الماء ،الخضرة والوجه الحسن» عند الساعة 18:15في مسرح سوق المدينة، وفي المكان ذاته يعرض فيلم «يوم للستات» عند الساعة ،21:45فيما يعرض فيلم «جان دارك مصرية» عند الساعة 18:45في مول اإلمارات فوكس .4
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أفالم مصرية
تُشــكّ ل حضــــوراً اســـتثنائي ًا فـي «دبـي السينــمائي» الـ13 أما الفيلم المصري الخامس والوحيد في مسابقة «المهر الطويل» الذي سبق عرضه �،فهو «أخضر ياب��س» ،فيلم محمد ح ّماد ،الذي افتتح عروضه العالمية في مس��ابقة «صناع سينما الغد» ،في مهرج��ان لوكارنو ،وانطلق منها لعدة مهرجانات أوروبية ،قب��ل أن يحط الرحال ف��ي دبي ،التي تش��هد عرضه األول في الشرق األوسط ،والفيلم حكاية قاس��ية ع��ن التداعي ،ع��ن الذبول قبل األوان ،ممث��الً في ش��قيقتين يتيمتين تعيش��ان وتواجه��ان العالم معاً ،لتكتش��فان أن المواجهة تفوق قدراتهما المحدودة. خ��ارج المس��ابقة وبالتحديد في قس��م «ليال عربية» ،يش��ارك فيلم��ان مصريان أولهما «الماء والخضرة والوجه الحس��ن»، للمخ��رج يس��ري نصرالله ،ال��ذي يتعاون للم��رة األولى مع أحمد الس��بكي ،أش��هر منتجي السينما التجارية السائدة في مصر، ليقدم فيلماً ذا حس ش��عبي واضح ،يتغنى بالحياة ويحتفي بتفاصي��ل بهجتها :الطعام والحب والجنس ،وس��ط عالم ريفي صاخب وملون ،أج��اد المخ��رج المخض��رم تقديمه بص��ورة مغاي��رة لم��ا اعتدنا أن ن��رى الريف المصري عليه في األفالم. الفيلم الثاني هو «يوم للستات» ،فيلم المخرجة تقدممّم م��ع منتجة الفيلم كاملة أب��و ذكري التي تق ّد فيلمااً نس��و ّي المزاج ،ال وبطلته إلهام ش��اهين فيلم ينقصه البهجة ،عن حي شعبي تنقلب أوضاعه، عندما يخص��ص مركز الش��باب الموجود فيه يوم��اً أس��بوعياً خاص��ة تمارس فيه النس��اء السباحة .األمر الذي ينقلب من مجرد لعبة تمارسها النسوة ،إلى ممارسة لحرية لم يعرفنها طيلة أعمارهن. المشاركة المصرية تكتمل بثالثة أفالم قصيرة تتنافس في مسابقة «المهر عالميااً ُع��رض عالمي القصي��ر» ،كلها تُتع��رض ع��رض للمرة األولى .فيلم «أس��بوع ويومي��ن» ،درام��ا زوجية من إخ��راج م��روة زين، وبطولة ياسمين رئيس، فيل��م «البنان��وة» ،عن حادث يق��ع بين عمال بن��اء من إخ��راج ناجي إسماعيل ،و«بائع البطاطا ل» ،للمخ��رج أحمد المتج��ول»، المتج�� ّو رش��دي ،الذي يم��زج بين التصوير الحي والرسوم المتحركة ،في فيلمه ذي الصورة الخاصة الذي يلعب بطولته � بصورته المرسومة � النجم خالد أبو النجا.
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غربيال يارد موسيقي الشاشة الكبرية برز اسم الملحن اللبناني الفرنسي غبريال يارد من خالل موهبته النادرة التي أثرت الشاشة الكبيرة وساهمت بشكل ملحوظ في صناعة السينما ،عبر العديد من مؤلفاته الموسيقية المميزة ،لمجموعة كبيرة من األعمال السينمائية ،ابتداء من السينما الفرنسية مع فيلمي «بيتي بلو» ( ،)1986و«كاميل كلوديل» ( ،1988وصوالً إلى ما يزيد عن 100قطعة موسيقية تصويرية ،سجلت ضمن مجموعة واسعة ومهمة من األفالم العالمية، ت ّوجها بموسيقا فيلم «المريض اإلنجليزي»، الذي خ ّوله الفوز بجوائز «أوسكار» ،و«بافتا»، و«غولدن غلوب» ،و«غرامي» ،وصنع شهرته الواسعة. ّأسس يارد ،ويدير «أكاديمية بلِياد» التي تدعم الملحنين المبدعين الناشئين إلنتاج وتسويق أعمالهم الفنية .وهو يعمل حالياً على موسيقا فيلم «حياة ومون جون إف دونوفان» للمخرج إكزافييه دوالن.
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غبرييل يارد« :يشرفني أن أنال «جائزة تكريم إنجازات الفنانين»، من «مهرجان دبي السينمائي الدولي»، المميزة ،وجزيل الشكر لكل القيمين على تنظيم هذا المهرجان».
ةه
أربعة عقود قضتها النجمة الهندية ريكاه ممثلة في السينما الهندية ،هي أقل من سنوات عمرها بـ12عاماً ،قدمت خاللها أكثر من 180فيلماً ،ابتداء من العام ،1966حين بدأت حياتها المهنية ممثلة طفلة في أفالم تيلوغوية ،وتنقلت بين عدة أدوار قبل أن تحصل على أول دور بطولة لها في الفيلم البوليوودي «سوان بادون» ،وتصل إلى قمة شهرتها بين عقدي الثمانينيات والتسعينيات من القرن الفائت ،السيما في تلك األفالم التي شاركت بطولتها مع الممثل الهندي الشهير أميتاب باتشان. موهبة ريكاه ،التي نمت وسط عائلة فنية، حيث كان والداها يمتهنان التمثيل ،سرعان أهم الممثالت ما ك ّرست صاحبتها واحدة من ّ في السينما الهندية ،قبل أن تمتد إلى أنحاء العالم ،السيما في المنطقة العربية، وحصدت عدداً من الجوائز واألوسمة في بالدها والعالم ،أبرزها :ثالث جوائز «فيلم فير» ،وجائزتين ألفضل ممثلة عن الفيلمين
«خُوبسورات» ( ،)1980و«خون بهاري مانغ» ( ،1988وجائزة أفضل ممثلة مساعدة في فيلم «خيالديون كا خيالدي» ( ،)1996إضافة إلى الفوز بجائزة الفيلم الوطني ألفضل ممثلة عن تجسيدها لشخصية مؤثرة في فيلم «أُمراو جان» ( ،)1981وت ّوجت جوائزها في العام ،2010بتكريمها من قبل حكومة الهند بجائزة «بادما شري» ،وهي من أعلى األوسمة في الهند ،لمشاركاتها المه ّمة في عالم السينما الهندية.
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ريكاه« :أنا ممتنة لهذه اللفتة الكريمة من «مهرجان دبي السينمائي الدولي» .تمتلك دولة اإلمارات مكانة خاصة في قلبي ،وأثني على جهود المهرجان بتكريم الفنانين والمخرجين من جميع أنحاء العالم، وهذا ما يجعلنا نطمح إلى تحقيق نتائج أفضل .أشكر «مهرجان دبي السينمائي الدولي» مرة أخرى على هذه الجائزة الرائعة».
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املكرمون
كابنت هوليوود الذهبي
يحتفي «مهرجان دبي السينمائي الدولي» خالل حفل افتتاح دورته الـ ،13بثالثة مبدعين ممن أثروا السينما العالمية ،حيث يقدّ م «جائزة تكريم إنجازات خصصة الفنانين» ،ال ُم ّ أهم صانعي لتكريم ّ السينما ،من ممثلين وك ّتاب ومخرجين ومنتجين ونقّاد ،حول العالم إلى كل من: النجم األميركي صامويل جاكسون ،والممثلة الهندية الشهيرة ريكاه، والمؤلف الموسيقي اللبناني الفرنسي غبريال يارد.
الممثل األميركي الشهير صامويل جاكسون ( 21ديسمبر ،)1948من األرقام الصعبة في عالم هوليوود ،تؤكد أهميته إيرادات أفالمه التي تُعدّ من األعلى في تاريخ السينما ،وإجماع النقاد على تميز إدائه.
مسيرة مهنية ناجحة حافلة بالعطاء، قضاها جاكسون على مدار أكثر من أربعة عقود ،كرس خاللها اسمه؛ واحداً من أهم المؤثرين المشهد السينمائي المعاصر ،بعد أن قدّ م للشاشة الكبيرة مجموعة واسعة من األفالم ،تجاوزت الـ 100فيلم. عدد من المحطات المتميزة تخللت مسيرة جاكسون المهنية ،كانت بدايتها في العام 1991مع فيلم «ح ّمى األدغال» ،للمخرج سبايك لي ،الذي نال عنه جائزة أفضل ممثل مساعد في مهرجان كان السينمائي ،ليبدأ بعدها نيل مجموعة من الجوائز واألوسمة منها «بافتا» ألفضل ممثل مساعد، و«أوسكار» ،فضالً عن ترشّ حه لجائزة «غولدن غلوب» ،إلى جانب انتزاعه
اعتراف عالمي بأدائه المتفرد وتفانيه في خدمة الفن.
وبينما ينظر العالم إلى صامويل جاكسون بوصفه نجم السينما التي يتجاوز اسمه حدوها ،سجل الرجل باسمه رقماً قياس ّياً حين دخل موسوعة «غينيس» لألرقام القياسية ،بوصفه أغنى ممثل في تاريخ السينما ،إلى جانب شراكته الفنية مع مخرجين وممثلين عالم ّيين ،مثل :كوينتن تارانتينو ،وجورج لوكاس ،وليوناردو دي كابريو ،وجون ترافولتا ،وكيفن سبايسي ،وروبرت دي نيرو ،وبروس ويليس ،وروبرت داوني جونيور.
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صامويل جاكسون« :أنا ممتن لهذه اللفتة الكريمة من «مهرجان دبي السينمائي الدولي» .إنه حقاً لشرف عظيم .من الجميل أن أكون ضمن المجتمع السينمائي اإلماراتي ،وأتطلّع قدماً للقاء المخرجين المميزين ،وإنشاء صداقات جديدة في دبي».
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يف دبي 08ديسمرب 2016
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احلدث الفريد
سمو الشيخ أحمد بن سعيد آل مكتوم *
أرح��ب بضي��وف يس��عدين أن ّ دول��ة اإلم��ارات العربي��ة املتحدة، و«مهرج��ان دب��ي الس��ينمائي ال��دويل» ،ه��ذا املهرج��ان ال��ذي أصبح حدث ًا فريد ًا على أجندة دبي ومنص��ة ال غن��ى عنها، الثقافي��ة، ّ للتأكي��د عل��ى رس��الة التس��امح والتفاهم. الي��وم ،اس��تطاعت دب��ي ع��ر مهرجانه��ا الس��ينمائي ال��دويل أه��م املواه��ب واخل��رات ج��ذب ّ
الس��ينمائية ،م��ن جمي��ع أنح��اء العامل ،وساهمت يف تقدمي أفكار
جدي��دة ،وإلهام ابت��كارات مهمة. نتطلع لّدورة أخرى ناجحة ،حتتفي بأه��م إبداع��ات الس��ينما العربي��ة والعاملية. * رئيس «هيئة دبي للطيران المدني» رئيس مجلس إدارة «مطارات دبي» رئيس مجلس إدارة «مجموعة اإلمارات» ورئيسها التنفيذي الرئيس الفخري لمجلس إدارة «مهرجان دبي السينمائي الدولي»
08ديسمر 2016
12/8/16 12:17 AM
يف دبي 5
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أشعل شمعته الـ 13لـ 156فيلم ًا من 55دولة
مهرجان دبي السينمائي الدويل جسر الثقافات وملتقى اإلبداع
تألألت س��ماء دبي ،مس��اء أمس األربعاء 7ديس��مبر ،2016 بالنج��وم واألل��وان ،وه��ي تبتهج بافتت��اح ال��دورة ال� 13من «مهرجان دبي السينمائي الدولي» ،تحت رعاية صاحب السمو الش��يخ محمد بن راش��د آل مكتوم ،نائب رئيس الدولة ،رئيس مجلس الوزراء حاكم دبي ،رعاه الله ،وبحضور س��مو الش��يخ منص��ور بن محم��د بن راش��د آل مكتوم .وأعل��ن عبدالحميد جمعة ،رئيس المهرجان ،انطالق فعاليات الدورة الثالثة عشرة، بعد كلمة مكثفة ،ركّز فيها على شعار المهرجان «ج ّهز نفسك»، وقيم الدورة المتمثلة بالسالم والتسامح واالبتكار والمستقبل. ث��م جرى الترحي��ب وتكريم الحائزين عل��ى «جائزة تكريم إنجازات الفنانين» ،لهذا العام ،وهم الموس��يقي الفرنس��ي اللبنان��ي غابريل ي��ارد ،والممثل��ة الهندية ري��كاه ،والنجم الهوليوودي صامويل جاكس��ون .كما قام مسعود أمر الله آل عل��ي ،المدير الفني للمهرجان ،بالتعريف برؤس��اء وأعضاء لجان التحكي��م ،وتقديم جون مادن؛ مخ��رج فيلم االفتتاح «اآلنسة سلون». على مدى 8أيام ولياليها ،سيكون الجمهور مع أيام من البهجة والمتع��ة ،الفائدة والتس��لية ،وح��وار عميق بي��ن الحضارات والثقاف��ات على منص��ة المهرجان الذي أضحى جس��راً وطيداً للتالقي والتعارف والمش��اركة .وسوف تتعلق األبصار بشاشات المهرج��ان ،وتتألق بعرض 156فيلم��اً ،آتية من 55دولة ،منها 57فيلم��اً في عرض عالمي أو دولي أ ّول ،و 73فيلماً في عرض أ ّول في الش��رق األوسط وشمال إفريقيا ،و 12فيلماً في عرض أ ّول في الشرق األوسط ،و 9أفالم في عرض خليجي أ ّول .ليبلغ مجمل اإلنتاج العربي المتنافس في المسابقات 62فيلماً. أف��الم ُمخت��ارة ومنتق��اة بعناية ،س��واء أكانت متنافس��ة في مسابقات المهر «اإلماراتي» ،و«الخليجي» ،والمسابقة العربية بش��قيها« :المهر الطوي��ل» و«المهر القصي��ر» ،أو متآخية في العروض الخاصة ،والبرامج الموازية ،من «سينما األطفال» ،إلى «سينما العالم» ،وعروض الهواء الطلق ،على الشاطئ ،دون أن ننسى اإلضافة التقنية الجديدة التي يقدمها المهرجان لضيوفه بعرض أفالم «الواقع االفتراضي» ،في سابقة سينمائية عربية. وبدءاً من هذا الصباح ،بدأت تتردّد في جنبات قاعات المهرجان حوارات ونقاشات وأفكار ومشروعات تض ّمها مبادرات وبرامج «سوق دبي السينمائي» .وبعد االحتفاء بالحائزين على «جائزة تكريم إنجازات الفنانين» ،س��نكون عل��ى موعد لالحتفال مع الفائزي��ن بجوائز «ملتقى دبي الس��ينمائي» ،والفائز ب�«جائزة آي دبليو سي للمخرجين الخليجيين» ،و«جائزة وزارة الداخلية ألفض��ل س��يناريو مجتمعي» ،وح��وارات مفتوحة م��ع النجم صامويل جاكسون ،والمخرج آصف كاباديا ،المخرج اآليرلندي ليني أبراهامس��ون ،وش��يريل بوون إيزاك��س ،رئيس أكاديمية فنون وعلوم الصور المتحركة «األوسكار».
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12/8/16 12:20 AM
يف دبي 08ديسمرب 2016
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