Official Film Guide Middle East International Film Festival October 8-17
This guide is also available in Arabic.
Ten Days. One City. A Crossroads of Cinema. October 8-17
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Table of Contents Page
Sections
04 08 09 09 12
Welcome Letters Festival Program Description Awards Jurors How to Festival
14 18 24 30 36 38 40 43 46 48 49 50 51 52 54 59 63
Galas Narrative Feature Competition Documentary Feature Competition World Cinema Showcase Special Programs “What in the World Are We Doing to Our World?� New Cinema from Turkey Short Film Competition Emirates Film Competition The Festival Tent and Special Events MEIFF Production Grants Board of Directors and Senior Team MEIFF Team Thank You Daily Screening Schedule Index Sponsors
> Log onto www.meiff.com for daily updates about the Festival.
Content Advisory As at all international film festivals, some of the films have not been officially rated and may not be appropriate for all ages or all viewers. As a service to festival attendees, MEIFF has devised the following rating system:
www.meiff.com
G
Suitable for all ages 15 + Suitable for ages 15 and up 18 + Suitable for ages 18 and up
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Welcome
The Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture and Heritage is proud to present the third annual Middle East International Film Festival. As the leading cultural development organization in the region, ADACH is committed to fostering intercultural dialogue among the peoples of the world, thereby supporting the development of Emirati and international arts, music, literature, and cinema. The Festival is an important new component among our initiatives, which include the Abu Dhabi Classics concert series and the popular television program Prince of Poets. Together, they represent an agenda rich in symbolism and importance to the people of the United Arab Emirates – and one that clearly articulates what Abu Dhabi has to offer the rest of the world. Happenings at the cultural crossroad that is Abu Dhabi promise to significantly enrich the lives of all who pass this way. We invite our international guests to get to know the welcoming face of our diverse population, the serene beauty of our natural environment, and the sincere character of our hospitality.
H. E. Sheikh Sultan bin Tahnoon Al Nahyan Chairman, Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture and Heritage (ADACH) Chairman, Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority (ADTA) Chairman, Middle East International Film Festival (MEIFF)
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The Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture and Heritage maintains its commitment to nurturing the development of our local film community by presenting the third annual Middle East International Film Festival. We look forward to welcoming you, as the Festival stands at a new crossroad for regional and international storytellers and those who support the art of cinema. In addition to its artistic merit, film is one of the world’s most powerful forms of communication, offering us a chance to experience different cultures and traditions and to closely examine some of the challenges facing mankind in our times. The Festival will showcase for the international film industry and media the culture and hospitality of the UAE capital and the natural splendour of the region. As we continue to foster the exchange of ideas and the development of creative production concepts, we hope to spark the interest of international filmmakers to bring our region into their plans for future productions. The Festival will also offer a rare opportunity for us to introduce local audiences to films they may not otherwise have an opportunity to see, in the hope that unforgettable experiences of the Festival will prompt them to return to film events we plan to present in the future. We invite local filmmakers and film enthusiasts to share in these cinematic delights, as the Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture and Heritage fosters the blossoming of our film industry in the capital of the UAE.
H. E. Mohamed Khalaf Al-Mazrouei Director General, Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture and Heritage (ADACH) Vice-Chairman, Middle East International Film Festival (MEIFF)
www.meiff.com
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Welcome
Attending the Middle East International Film Festival can change your life. I’m a living example of that: Last year I came here as a guest. This year I’ll be the one standing at the door to greet you and all the hundreds of other guests who will be assembling here in Abu Dhabi from more than 50 different countries all over the world. They’re here to present the films they’ve made or helped to make, to meet each other, and to meet you. Here in Abu Dhabi there are now people from more than 180 countries living side by side. Many of them – many of you – will be coming to MEIFF, we hope, to see films from “back home.” That’s one of the reasons the “International” part of our name is so important. It’s also important to the growing number of aspiring young filmmakers in this region. Many great filmmakers have learned their craft simply by watching movies. Until recently, here in the UAE, it’s been very difficult to see films that aren’t either from Hollywood or Bollywood. Of course, those are two of the most important and influential centers of production in the world. But filmmakers from many other nations have been making films for nearly a century, and making them in different styles and often with different aims. One of our goals at MEIFF is to give everyone who lives here – but most importantly the UAE filmmakers of tomorrow – a chance to get a glimpse of the extraordinary films being made all over the world and to meet the artists responsible for them. There’s another important part of MEIFF’s name: Middle East. We decided to reflect that by selecting the cream of the crop of the latest work made in this part of the world the past year, and we’re very proud that half of our narrative and documentary competitions is composed of a strong lineup of new films from this region. I’m confident that this year’s MEIFF will be a manifestation of the magical idea of community that I’ve often seen take root and blossom when people of backgrounds and cultures and customs which at first seem very different sit together in a dark room and realize all the things we have in common as human beings. Welcome to the third edition of MEIFF. I hope it changes your life as much as the last one changed mine. I look forward to meeting you all soon, insh’Allah! Peter Scarlet Executive Director, Middle East International Film Festival (MEIFF)
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MEIFF The Middle East International Film Festival (MEIFF) was established in 2007 and is presented annually in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the UAE, by the Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture and Heritage (ADACH). MEIFF’s mission is to affirm the key place Abu Dhabi holds as an emerging cultural center and to foster the growth of its local film community. The Festival celebrates cinema in all its forms by creating a vibrant forum for storytellers from the Middle East and around the world. Please visit www.meiff.com
ADACH The Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture and Heritage (ADACH) is the government institution in charge of conserving and promoting the heritage and culture of Abu Dhabi. ADACH aspires to harness the pride of Abu Dhabi’s people by developing the Emirate as a capital of art and culture. ADACH devotes all its resources to the preservation of cultural treasures, as well as the encouragement of Emirati and international art, music, literature, and cinema. ADACH creates and promotes projects that allow the sharing of cultural traditions and experience from all over the world. ADACH has a holistic vision of culture, which embraces both tangible and intangible heritage. This vision is open to everyone – in the Arab world and beyond. Please visit www.adach.ae
www.meiff.com
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Festival Program Description Galas
Special Programs
These high-profile and highly anticipated films, representing the world’ s major filmmaking centers, from Paris to Bollywood and from Cairo to Hollywood, promise excitement, glamour, and stars on the red carpet.
Our special presentations are highlighted by “Laugh Till It Hurts,” a screening of four hilarious silent films with live keyboard accompaniment – a first for Abu Dhabi. In addition, a series of Master Classes presented by renowned figures from the international film world offers a chance to go deeper into film history and film culture – with more surprises to come.
Narrative Feature Competition
“What in the World Are We Doing to Our World?” Chosen for their remarkable vision and the freshness of their storytelling, these new fiction films are the work of a diverse group of beginning and established filmmakers from the Middle East and around the world.
The power of film to educate, inform, and inspire is central to this group of films that help us understand the global environmental crisis and call for us to take action to protect our planet for future generations.
Documentary Feature Competition
New Cinema from Turkey
Whether recording major events or uncovering little-known stories, whether focusing on social issues or personal explorations, the filmmakers in this section demonstrate the power of nonfiction filmmaking to help us understand one other and our world.
Chosen by the editors of the vanguard Turkish film magazine Altyazı, this selection of recent films shows a remarkable burst of cinematic creativity from a place that has long been at the crossroads between the Middle East and Europe, offering an outstanding example of the success of a small, local film industry. To celebrate this program. a special booklet with essays from Altyazı critics is available.
World Cinema Showcase
Short Film Competition Selected from among the year’s festival award winners and international highlights, these narratives and documentaries, screening out of competition, offer a rich and exciting view of what is happening in filmmaking around the globe today.
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Both a training ground for up-and-comers and a familiar terrain to which established directors return to explore new approaches, short films often take us closest to the essence of the art of cinema. The films in this competition – including two programs of student projects – come from all over the world and represent an amazing diversity of visions and styles that are sure to surprise and delight.
Awards
Jurors
Black Pearl Awards
Narrative Feature Competition
Films in competition contend for Black Pearl Awards in the following categories: Narrative Feature Competition: · Best Narrative Film · Best New Narrative Director · Best Middle Eastern Narrative Film · Best New Middle Eastern Narrative Director · Best Actor · Best Actress Documentary Feature Competition: · Best Documentary Film · Best New Documentary Director · Best Middle Eastern Documentary Film · Best New Middle Eastern Documentary Director Shorts: · Best Narrative Short · Best Documentary Short · Best Middle Eastern Short · Best Student Shorts First- and second-time feature directors are eligible for the Best New Director awards. Productions from the following countries (or coproductions of these countries with any others) are eligible for the Best Middle Eastern awards: Algeria, Bahrain, Comoros Islands, Djibouti, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, Turkey, UAE, and Yemen. Films selected from these countries for the competition sections are eligible for both Best Film and Best Middle Eastern awards.
www.meiff.com
Photo: Pamela Gentile
Narrative Jury President Abbas Kiarostami is one of Iran’s (and, indeed, the world’s) most highly regarded filmmakers. Trained in graphic arts, his first work in film was in short documentaries before he moved on to craft unique narratives – poetry-infused examinations of day-to-day life (and death), often incorporating documentary techniques. His 40 films in as many years are led by Where Is the Friend’s House? (1987), Close-Up (1990), And Life Goes On (1991), and Through the Olive Trees (1994). His A Taste of Cherry (1997) won the coveted Palme d’Or at Cannes. He has won countless other awards at festivals worldwide. Kiarostami’s artistic vision is not limited to film as he is also an acclaimed poet, painter, and photographer.
Joan Chen is one of the most widely recognized and respected Asian stars in international film. She began acting as a teenager in China, attended film school in the U.S., then found success in Hollywood with starring roles in The Last Emperor (Bernardo Bertolucci, 1987), Heaven and Earth (Oliver Stone, 1993), and David Lynch’s Twin Peaks. Meanwhile, she continued appearing in many Chinese movies, including the awardwinning Red Rose, White Rose (Stanley Kwan, 1997), and earned praise for her directorial debut Xiu-Xiu: The Sent-Down Girl (1998). She won the Australian Film Institute award for Best Actress for The Home Song Stories (Tony Ayres, 2007) and played important roles in Lust, Caution (Ang Lee, 2007) and 24 City (Jia Zhang-Ke, 2008).
Sunil Doshi is a Mumbai-based producer and a self-described “film activist.” He runs Handmade Films and has produced such titles as Nine Emotions (Santosh Sivan, 2005), Mixed Doubles (Rajat Kapoor, 2006), and Bheja Fry (Sagar Ballary, 2007). Doshi also founded NDTV Lumière with the aim of promoting international cinema in India. The company acquires quality international films, including winners from top festivals, for distribution in India; runs a 24-hour television network focusing on speciality cinema; and plans to offer films online and on other digital platforms in efforts to reach new Indian markets. According to Doshi, “Elitist walls must break down; cinema must reach out to the people.”
Producer Michael Fitzgerald was born in New York City, raised in Italy and educated in Ireland. After graduating from Harvard, he began his film career as a screenwriter in Rome before producing and co-writing John Huston’s celebrated adaptation of Flannery O’Connor’s Wise Blood (1979). He was also executive producer on Huston’s Under the Volcano (1984), which was nominated for two Oscars®. A producing partnership with actor/director Sean Penn culminated in their critically acclaimed 2001 production of The Pledge, starring Jack Nicholson. In 2005 he completed both Colour Me Kubrick, starring John Malkovich, and The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada, directed by and starring Tommy Lee Jones, which won the Actor prize for Jones and the Screenplay prize for Guillermo Arriaga at Cannes.
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Jurors Narrative Feature Competition (cont’d)
Documentary Feature Competition
Nayla Al Khaja is the first woman film producer in the UAE and is the owner and CEO of D-Seven Motion Pictures. She graduated from Dubai Women’s College, then hosted a top-rated travel show on Arabian Radio Network. Later she studied film at Ryerson University (Toronto). Returning home, she founded her company in 2005. The following year she directed Arabana, a short film on the taboo subject of child abuse, and won the award for Best Emirati Female Filmmaker at the Dubai International Film Festival. She also helped found The Scene Club, the UAE’s first film club, and has received many accolades for her efforts and determination, including Emirates Woman of the Year in 2005.
Mohamed Khan has become one of the bestknown directors in Egyptian cinema by crafting narratives that depict contemporary Egyptian life and often ordinary people in a realistic, disarming fashion. He was born in Cairo to Pakistani and Italian parents, and studied film in London before returning home. His directing career began in 1978 with the hit Cham’s Blow, and he has made more than 20 features since, working as a “rebel” within the industry, with high points including Wife of an Important Person (1987) and Dreams of Hind and Camilia (1988), both of which won awards at many festivals, and his most recent feature, In the Heliopolis Flat (2007).
Documentary Feature Competition (cont’d)
Short Film Competition
Documentary Jury President James Longley has earned high praise for his artistic, naturalistic documentaries of life in some of the most conflicted places in the world. A resident of Seattle, Washington, he studied film and Russian language at Wesleyan University and VGIK in Moscow. His first film, Gaza Strip (2002), documented the lives of Palestinians during the second Intifada in 2001. Longley spent more than two years in production in Iraq following the U.S. overthrow of the Saddam Hussein regime. Two documentary films resulted: Iraq in Fragments (2006) and Sari’s Mother (2008). Both were nominated for the Academy Award® for Best Documentary Feature. In September, Longley was named to receive a coveted MacArthur Fellowship.
Hend Sabry was born in Tunis, and was only 15 when she appeared in her first film role, in Moufida Tlatli’s award-winning The Silences of the Palace (1994). She had her breakthrough in 2001 in Inas Al Degheidy’s gritty teen drama Teenage Diaries, and became a huge star in the Arab world. Her fame has allowed her to take her pick of films to appear in, but she has maintained an edge to her roles (Heads and Tails, Kamla Abu Zekry, 2005; The Yacoubian Building, Marwan Hamed, 2006; The Aquarium, Yousry Nasrallah, 2007), often portraying hidden sides of Arabic women’s lives. She earned her Master’s degree in law in 2004 and now lives in Cairo. Hend Sabry has a vocal cameo in Ahmed Abdalla’s Heliopolis, screening at MEIFF ‘09.
Short Film Jury President Yousry Nasrallah, born in Cairo, received his degree in economics and political science from Cairo University. He worked as a film critic and was the assistant to Volker Schlöndorff on the making of Circle of Deceit (1981). He later worked for legendary director Youssef Chahine, whose company would go on to produce his films. His work, including The Gate of the Sun (2004) and The Aquarium (2007), is often politically charged, dealing with themes of Islamic fundamentalism and expatriation. Nasrallah’s latest feature, Scheherazade, Tell Me a Story, screens at MEIFF ‘09.
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Born in India, Deepa Mehta studied philosophy at the University of New Delhi and later emigrated to Canada. She wrote screenplays for children’s films, then directed episodes of George Lucas’ The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles. Her first feature, Sam & Me (1991), won an honorable mention at Cannes. Her “Elements Trilogy” (Fire, 1996; Earth, 1998; Water, 2005), depicting women’s oppression and sexuality in recent Indian history, brought her both controversy and acclaim worldwide. Water was nominated for the Oscar® for Best Foreign Language Film. She produced and wrote the screenplay for her brother Dilip Mehta’s directorial effort Cooking with Stella, screening at MEIFF ‘09.
Photo: Viktor Vejvoda
Rashid Masharawi was born in Gaza in 1962 and grew up in a refugee camp; due to a lack of resources in Palestine, he studied film in Israel. Since then he has devoted his career to depicting everyday Palestinian life in both documentaries and narratives, highlighting the struggles of his people while eschewing overt politics. His first feature, Curfew (1993), won the UNESCO Prize at Cannes. Ticket to Jerusalem (2002) won the Silver Pyramid at the Cairo Film Festival. His latest film, Laila’s Birthday (2008), won Best Screenplay at MEIFF ’08. Masharawi is also tireless in promoting film in Palestine: he founded a local production and distribution company, and organized a mobile cinema for refugee camps.
Gonzalo Arijón was born in Montevideo, Uruguay, but has lived most of his life in France. He studied visual anthropology and filmmaking before directing for television. His debut, Stranded: I’ve Come from a Plane That Crashed in the Mountains, about the celebrated aftermath of the 1972 crash of a plane carrying a Uruguayan rugby team, received numerous awards around the world – including the 2008 MEIFF Black Pearl Award for Best Documentary Feature.
Joslyn Barnes is a screenwriter, producer, and a founder and executive (along with actor Danny Glover) of New York-based Louverture Films, specializing in socially conscious material. She has produced or executive-produced the acclaimed films Bàttu (Cheick Oumar Sissoko, Mali, 2000), Salt of this Sea (Annemarie Jacir, Palestine, 2008), and Trouble the Water (Carl Deal, Tia Lessin, USA, 2008), the Academy Award®-nominated documentary about a couple who stayed in New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina. Recently she also directed the short film Prana (2008), part of an international project to raise environmental awareness. Barnes is associate producer of The Time That Remains (Elia Suleiman), screening at MEIFF ‘09.
Gary Meyer is well-known to film aficionados as co-director of the highly respected Telluride Film Festival in Colorado. He has been passionate about exhibiting films since he was a boy in Napa, California. He converted a hayloft on his family’s property into a cinema, and screened his own productions and classic films there throughout his teens. He worked with and promoted film in myriad ways while studying at San Francisco State University, including writing, developing film education classes for children, and organizing film societies. After graduating, Meyer worked as the buyer for United Artists, before co-founding the Landmark Theatres chain, the largest exhibitor of independent films in the U.S., which he ran for 20 years.
Menna Shalabi, one of the best and most popular actresses in the Egyptian film industry, was born to famed actress and dancer Zizi Mustafa. She was launched to fame with her role in The Magician (Radwan El Khashef, 2001). In 2005, she co-starred with Hend Sabry in Mohamed Khan’s Downtown Girls (2005) and won Best Actress from the Damascus Film Association; the following year she starred in the hit thriller Ouija (Khaled Youssef) and won an Egyptian Film Award for About Love and Passion (Kamla Abu Zekry). Her most recent film is Sorry for the Disturbance (Khaled Mara’y, 2008). She has also appeared in television shows, most recently this past Ramadan in The War of Spies.
Chadi Zeneddine is a Lebanese writer and director, born and raised in Gabon in Africa. He studied communications and then obtained a Master’s degree in film studies in Beirut. His first narrative feature, Falling from Earth (2007), has played at film festivals internationally, including Dubai, Rotterdam, and New Directors/New Films in New York. Zeneddine has just signed with Walt Disney International Pictures for an upcoming project, The Last of the Storytellers – a groundbreaking fairy tale set in the Arab world. He has also been granted the Cultural Leader Fellowship from the Japan Foundation for the feature Benshi.
www.meiff.com
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How to Festival Locations
Ticket Prices
MEIFF ‘09 will have screenings at the following locations:
General Screenings – AED 20
• Emirates Palace Auditorium • Cinestar Cinemas, Marina Mall (Theaters 1-5) • Grand Cinema, Abu Dhabi Mall (Theater 1) Additional festival events will take place at the MEIFF Festival Tent at the Emirates Palace, on the main terrace behind the hotel. The MEIFF Festival Tent is open to the public throughout the festival.
Gala Screenings at Emirates Palace – AED 30 Students and Seniors (65 and over) – AED 10 • ID required Package of 10 vouchers – AED 150 • Vouchers are good for all screenings, except opening and closing night galas, which are by invitation only. Festival Pass – AED 200 • Good for all screenings, except opening and closing night galas, which are by invitation only. All Master Classes are free of charge. Admission is on a first-come, first-served basis.
How to Buy Tickets
Ticket sales start September 28. On the Internet at www.meiff.com. In person every day from noon to 10 pm at any of the four festival box offices: • Emirates Palace Hotel – at the main entrance lobby, and on the auditorium level • Cinestar Cinemas, Marina Mall – main box office • Grand Cinema, Abu Dhabi Mall – main box office Tickets may be purchased at any box office until three hours before screening time. After this time, tickets will only be available at the theater where the film is being screened.
Stand-by Tickets If tickets for a screening are no longer available, a limited number of “stand-by” tickets may be made available at the box office 15 minutes before the scheduled screening time.
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Ticketing Policies
• Tickets may be purchased using cash, MasterCard, or Visa. • No exchanges or refunds on purchased tickets, vouchers, or passes. • All screenings are subject to change without notification. We will do our best to publicize changes on www.meiff.com. • All screenings are general admission seating – there are no reserved seats. • You must be seated 15 minutes before the scheduled screening time. Late admission is at the discretion of the theater manager.
Free Festival Shuttle Service
Shuttle Routes:
MEIFF will operate a free shuttle bus service throughout the festival (October 8 -17) between each of the three theater locations – the Emirates Palace Hotel, Marina Mall, and Abu Dhabi Mall – as well as the InterContinental Hotel.
Route A travels from the Emirates Palace Hotel, to the Marina Mall, then to the InterContinental Hotel, and back to the Emirates Palace, from 8:00 am to 2:00 am, every 15 minutes. Route B travels from the Emirates Palace Hotel, to the InterContinental Hotel, then to the Marina Mall, and back to the Emirates Palace, from 8:00 am to 2:00 am, every 15 minutes. Route C travels between Marina Mall and Abu Dhabi Mall, from 2:00 pm to 2:00 am, every 30 minutes.
www.meiff.com
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Galas Opening Night Blue Anthony D’Souza Capitalism: A Love Story Michael Moore The Informant! Steven Soderbergh The Men Who Stare at Goats Grant Heslov The Messenger Oren Moverman Oceans Jacques Perrin, Jacques Cluzaud Scheherazade, Tell Me a Story Yousry Nasrallah Shorts Robert Rodriguez The Traveler Ahmed Maher This film is also part of the Narrative Feature Competition − see p 18.
The Traveler (Al Mosafer) Egypt | 2009 | 125 mins | Color | 35 mm | Arabic w/ English Subtitles | Middle East Premiere
Director / Screenwriter: Ahmed Maher Producer: Egyptian Ministry of Culture Cinematographer: Marco Onorato Editor: Tamer Ezzat
15+
Music: Fathy Salama Cast: Omar Sharif, Cyrine Abdel Nour, Khaled El Nabawy, Amr Waked, Sherif Ramzy, Basma
Nearing the end of his life, Hassan realizes he can recall only three days. In 1948, Hassan (Khaled El Nabawy) begins his first job by delivering a telegram to Port Said’s great beauty, Nour (Lebanese pop singer Cyrine Abdel Nour), who becomes the love of his life – but for only one night. In 1973, middleaged Hassan gets a phone call from a woman who sounds exactly like Nour. When he meets the young woman, Nadia, he suspects he may be her father. In 2001, the elderly Hassan (now played by Omar Sharif) meets Nadia’s son, Ali. Their similarities convince Hassan he has met his grandson – but suddenly, Ali disappears… Although set against the backdrop of key moments in Egypt’s recent history, The Traveler is about the personal, not the political. This enormously impressive debut is a moving meditation on a man’s fumbling search for his identity, which reflects that of his nation. —Peter Scarlet
Born in Cairo in 1968, Ahmed Maher studied both painting and film in Rome, and was the recipient of the 1992 Grand Prix de Rome for artistic creativity in cinema. Before directing The Traveler, his first narrative feature, he worked as an editor, writer, and film-school teacher in several countries. He is a member of UNESCO’s Observatory for Cultural and Audiovisual Communication in the Mediterranean (OCCAM) and is also the founder of the production house Elbeat.
MEIFF would like to thank the writers of the film synopses: Sean Axmaker, Andrew Grant, Rasha Salti, Jason Sanders.
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Thursday, October 8, 8:00 pm Emirates Palace [TR1]
Friday, October 9, 6:30 pm Cinestar 4 [TR2]
Centerpiece Gala
Closing Night
© 2009 Galatée Films - Roberto Rinaldi
Oceans (Océans) France | 2009 | 103 mins | Color | 35 mm | French w/ Arabic, English Subtitles | World Premiere
G
The Men Who Stare at Goats USA | 2009 | 90 mins | Color | 35 mm | English w/ Arabic Subtitles | Middle East Premiere
15 +
Cast: George Clooney, Ewan McGregor, Kevin Spacey, Jeff Bridges, J. K. Simmons, Robert Patrick
Directors: Jacques Perrin, Jacques Cluzaud Screenwriters: Jacques Perrin, Jacques Cluzaud, François Sarano, Stéphane Durand, Laurent Debas Producers: Jacques Perrin, Nicolas Mauvernay Editors: Catherine Mauchain, Vincent Schmitt Music: Bruno Coulais
Director: Grant Heslov Screenwriter: Peter Straughan Producers: George Clooney, Grant Heslov, Paul Lister Cinematographer: Robert Elswit Editor: Tatiana S. Riegel
The team behind Winged Migration returns with their most breathtaking film to date – a trip across and through the oceans themselves. Jacques Perrin (who also produced Microcosmos) and Jacques Cluzaud have worked with three different teams for several years on the world’s oceans, shooting thousands of hours of footage of a myriad assortment of creatures: dolphins, sperm whales, giant squids, and more. For Perrin, “this proliferation of life is extraordinary. But the danger in showing these beautiful images is that they give the impression that everything is wonderful. So we have to show both the exuberance and frailty of the ocean.” Wondrous, imaginative, and ultimately life-affirming, Oceans lights up the screen with its images and obvious love for the beauty this world offers. “The first lesson children should be taught is to really look at nature,” Perrin says. “If they are to protect it later, they have to appreciate it and love it.”
In this quirky dark comedy inspired by a real-life story you will hardly believe is true, astonishing revelations about a top-secret wing of the U.S. military come to light when Bob Wilton (Ewan McGregor), a reporter based in Iraq, encounters Lyn Cassady, an enigmatic Special Forces operator on a mindboggling mission. According to Cassady (Academy Award® winner George Clooney), an experimental U.S. military unit, the New Earth Army, is changing the way wars are fought. A legion of “Warrior Monks” with unparalleled psychic powers can read the enemy’s thoughts, pass through solid walls, and even kill a goat simply by staring at it. Bob joins Cassady on a mission to find the program’s founder, Bill Django (Oscar® nominee Jeff Bridges), and meets Django’s rival, psychic Larry Hooper (two-time Oscar® winner Kevin Spacey) and his personal militia of super soldiers. To survive this wild adventure, Bob will have to outwit an enemy he never thought possible. The Men Who Stare at Goats was inspired by Jon Ronson’s nonfiction bestseller of the same name, an eye-opening and often hilarious exploration of the government’s attempts to harness paranormal abilities to combat its enemies.
—JS
At the age of 27, Jacques Perrin, already an established actor, worked as a producer on Costa Gavras’ Oscar®-winning Z (1969). Since then, having produced 36 films and acted in more than 120, Perrin decided to step behind the camera in 2001 to co-direct the international box-office hit Winged Migration with Jacques Cluzaud, a successful television director of nature documentaries. Oceans is their second collaborative effort.
American actor, writer, and producer Grant Heslov began his career on television, making appearances in many well-known series in the 1980s and the ’90s before breaking into films including True Lies (1993) and Enemy of the State (1997). For Good Night and Good Luck (2005) he received an Oscar® nomination for Best Picture (as producer) and shared another with George Clooney for Best Screenplay.
Tuesday, October 13, 9:30 pm Emirates Palace [OC1]
Saturday, October 17, 8:00 pm Emirates Palace [MG1]
www.meiff.com
Friday, October 16, 9:30 pm Cinestar 2 [OC2]
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Galas
Blue
15+
Capitalism: A Love Story
G
The Informant!
15 +
India | 2009 | 128 mins Hindi w/ English Subtitles | Color | 35 mm World Premiere
USA | 2009 | 120 mins English w/ Arabic Subtitles | Color | 35 mm Middle East Premiere
USA | 2009 | 108 mins English w/ Arabic Subtitles | Color | 35 mm Middle East Premiere
Director: Anthony D’Souza Screenwriters: Anthony D’Souza, Jasmine D’Souza Producer: Dhilin Mehta Cinematographers: Laxman Uttekar, Pete Zuccarini Editor: Shyam Salgaonkar
Director / Screenwriter: Michael Moore Producers: Kathleen Glynn, Michael Moore Executive Producers: Bob Weinstein, Harvey Weinstein
Director: Steven Soderbergh Screenwriter: Scott Z. Burns Producers: Michael Jaffe, Howard Braunstein, Kurt Eichenwald, Gregory Jacobs, Jennifer Fox Executive Producers: George Clooney, Jeff Skoll, Michael London
Music: A. R. Rahman Cast : Sanjay Dutt, Akshay Kumar, Zayed Khan, Lara Dutta, Katrina Kaif
Cinematographers: Dan Marracino, Jayme Roy Editors: John Walter, Conor O’Neill, Alex Meillier, Tanya Ager Meillier, Jessica Brunetto Music: Jeff Gibbs
Cinematographer: Peter Andrews Editor: Stephen Mirrione Music: Marvin Hamlisch Cast: Matt Damon, Melanie Lynskey, Clancy Brown, Patton Oswalt, Tony Hale, Frank Welker, Scott Bakula
Bollywood’s first underwater thriller hits Abu Dhabi in Anthony D’Souza’s hyper-charged remake of The Deep, featuring megastars Sanjay Dutt, Akshay Kumar, Katrina Kaif, and former Miss Universe Lara Dutta. Three friends seek a sunken treasure surrounded by deadly sharks – and deadlier humans. Music by A. R. Rahman (Slumdog Millionaire) and Kylie Minogue.
Twenty years after Roger & Me, Michael Moore returns to the topic of corporate dominance and the disastrous impact it has on the lives of everyday Americans. Using his trademark sardonic humor, Moore goes after the very system that led to the current economic meltdown, and asks what price America must pay for its love of capitalism.
—JS
—AG
Mumbai-based director Anthony D’Souza’s previous experience has been mainly in the area of television, music videos, and advertising. He has directed 52 episodes of Ripley’s Believe It or Not, shot for the U.S. and aired on AXN in the Southeast Asian regions. He has also directed around 85 commercials for various leading brands. Blue is his first feature film.
Michael Moore has become so well-known for his provocative and highly successful documentaries and speaking tours that he claims a place on the American political scene. His Fahrenheit 9/11 (2004) is the highestgrossing documentary of all time.
Sex, lies, and videotape (1989) was a festival and commercial smash and made Steven Soderbergh the face of independent film; he has had a productive, varied, and often very successful career since. Erin Brockovich and Traffic (2000) earned him twin Oscar® nominations for Best Director (and a win for the latter).
Wednesday, October 14, 9:30 pm Emirates Palace [BL1]
Friday, October 16, 9:30 pm Emirates Palace [CA1]
Monday, October 12, 9:30 pm Emirates Palace [IN1]
Saturday, October 17, 2:30 pm Cinestar 1 [CA2]
016
A biochemist exposes his company’s role in an international price-fixing conspiracy in this black comedy – based on a true story. As whistleblower Mark Whitacre, who harbors dark secrets of his own, Matt Damon gives a stellar performance in one of Steven Soderbergh’s finest and funniest works. —AG
The Messenger
18 +
Scheherazade, Tell Me a Story (Ehky ya Schahrazad)
15 +
Shorts
G
USA | 2009 | 112 mins English w/ Arabic Subtitles | Color | 35 mm Middle East Premiere
Egypt | 2009 | 134 mins Arabic w/ English Subtitles | Color | 35 mm Gulf Premiere
USA, UAE | 2009 | 89 mins English w/ Arabic Subtitles | Color | 35 mm Middle East Premiere
Director: Oren Moverman Screenwriters: Oren Moverman, Alessandro Camon Producers: Mark Gordon, Lawrence Inglee, Zach Miller Cinematographer: Bobby Bukowski Editor: Alex Hall
Director: Yousry Nasrallah Screenwriter: Wahid Hamed Producer: Kamel Abu Ali Cinematographer: Samir Bahsan Editors: Mona Rabi Music: Tamer Karawan
Director / Screenwriter / Editor: Robert Rodriguez Producers: Robert Rodriguez, Elizabeth Avellán Music: Robert Rodriguez, Carl Thiel, George Oldziey
Music: Nathan Larson Cast: Ben Foster, Woody Harrelson, Samantha Morton, Jena Malone, Eamonn Walker
Cast: Mona Zaki, Mahmoud Hemeda, Hassan El Raddad, Sawsan Badr, Rehab El Gamal, Sanaa Akroud
Cast: Jimmy Bennett, Jake Short, Kat Dennings, Trevor Gagnon, Devon Gearhart, Jolie Vanier, Rebel Rodriguez
Ben Foster is an Iraq War veteran who faces the emotional minefield of civilians dealing with the death of a loved one in this refreshing perspective on the casualties of war. Oren Moverman (screenwriter of I’m Not There) makes a confident directorial debut with this poignant story of men in uniform nursing wounds and haunted by loss, both physical and emotional.
A successful television hostess (Mona Zaki) turns her camera on women across the social spectrum in this brilliantly honest wake-up call about oppression in Egyptian society. Borrowing the stories-within-stories framework of Arabian Nights, this taboo-breaking film was the talk of Egypt this summer with its risky portrait of male–female relationships.
—SA
—JS
Based in New York, Oren Moverman is best known for co-writing Todd Haynes’ I’m Not There (2007) and Ira Sachs’ Married Life (2007). The Messenger is his first directorial effort.
Yousry Nasrallah began his career as assistant to directors Volker Schlöndorff and Youssef Chahine; he now makes politically charged films that deal with themes of Islamic fundamentalism and expatriation, including The Gate of the Sun (2004) and The Aquarium (2007).
Robert Rodriguez has carved a unique niche since his no-budget debut El Mariachi (1992) helped kick-start the American indie film movement. From Dusk Till Dawn (1996) and Sin City (2005) reached huge audiences; hit family films including Spy Kids (2001) have featured collaborations with his own children.
Saturday, October 10, 9:30 pm Emirates Palace [ME1]
Thursday, October 15, 10:00 pm Emirates Palace [SC1]
Saturday, October 10, 4:00 pm Emirates Palace [SH1]
Friday, October 16, 7:00 pm Grand Abu Dhabi Mall [ME2]
Friday, October 16, 9:00 pm Cinestar 3 [SC2]
www.meiff.com
A nerdy, picked-on boy’s life changes when a rainbow-colored rock falls from the sky that grants all wishes to anyone who holds it in this out-of-control kid’s film from Robert Rodriguez, the director of Spy Kids, El Mariachi, and Planet Terror. With William H. Macy and James Spader. —JS
017
Narrative Feature Competition
10 to 11 Pelin Esmer This film is also part of the New Cinema from Turkey program − see page 40.
Bombay Summer Joseph Mathew Buried Secrets Raja Amari Cooking with Stella Dilip Mehta Heliopolis Ahmed Abdalla
10 to 11 (11’e 10 Kala)
Hipsters Valery Todorovsky
Turkey, France, Germany | 2009 | 110 mins Turkish w/ Arabic, English Subtitles | Color | 35 mm Gulf Premiere
USA | 2009 | 103 mins Hindi, English w/ Arabic, English Subtitles | Color | 35 mm Middle East Premiere
Director / Screenwriter: Pelin Esmer Producers: Pelin Esmer, Nida Karabol Akdeniz, Tolga Esmer Cinematographer: Özgür Eken Editors: Ayhan Ergürsel, Pelin Esmer, Cem Yıldırım Art Director: Naz Erayda
Director / Screenwriter: Joseph Mathew Producers: Joseph Mathew, Sanjay Bhattacharjee Cinematographer: Amol Rathod Editor: Pallavi Singhal Music: Mathias Duplessy
Huacho Alejandro Fernández Almendras Last Ride Glendyn Ivin The Long Night Hatem Ali No One Knows About Persian Cats Bahman Ghobadi Northless Rigoberto Pérezcano Son of Babylon Mohamed Al-Daradji Third Person Singular Number Mostofa Sarwar Farooki
G
Line Producer: Özkan Yılmaz Cast: Nejat İşler, Mithat Esmer, Tayanç Ayaydın, Laçin Ceylan, Savaş Akova, Sinan Düğmeci
In 10 to 11, Pelin Esmer relates the story of her uncle Mithat, focusing particularly on his passion for collecting memories from the randomness of daily details. It gets harder, however, once his deteriorating health begins to trouble him and impedes his efforts. Finally, he is forced to pass his errands on to his doorman, Ali, who resorts to a different path.
Bombay Summer
15 +
Production Designer: Satish Chipkar Cast: Tannishtha Chatterjee, Jatin Goswami, Samrat Chakrabarti, Gaurav Dwivedi
Director Joseph Mathew navigates the social turbulence of Mumbai in the throes of modernization in this story of a confident career woman (Tannishtha Chatterjee of Brick Lane) attracted to a handsome painter (Jatin Goswami) tangled up in the criminal underworld. —SA
—AC
The Time That Remains Elia Suleiman The Traveler Ahmed Maher This film plays on the Opening Night of the Festival − see description on page 14.
True Color Oussama Fawzi
After studying sociology in Istanbul, Pelin Esmer started writing, producing, and directing documentaries in 2002 with The Collector, and following with the award-winning The Play (2006).
Born in India, now residing in Brooklyn, Joseph Mathew studied economics but then began making films. His first two films were the documentaries The Last Season: The Life and Demolition of Baltimore’s Memorial Stadium (2002) and Crossing Arizona (2006).
Friday, October 9, 9:45 pm Cinestar 1 [101]
Saturday, October 10, 6:30 pm Emirates Palace [BO1]
Sunday, October 11, 3:45 pm Cinestar 4 [102]
Sunday, October 11, 9:45 pm Grand Abu Dhabi Mall [BO2]
The Warrior and the Wolf Tian Zhuangzhuang White Material Claire Denis
018
Buried Secrets (Dowaha)
18 +
Cooking with Stella
G
Heliopolis
G
Tunisia, France, Switzerland | 2009 | 91 mins Arabic w/ English, Arabic Subtitles | Color | 35 mm Middle East Premiere
Canada | 2009 | 103 mins Hindi, English w/ Arabic, English Subtitles | Color | 35 mm International Premiere
Egypt | 2009 | 103 mins Arabic w/ English Subtitles | Color | 35 mm Middle East Premiere
Director / Screenwriter: Raja Amari Producers: Dora Bouchoucha, Nicolas Wadimoff, Serge Lalou, Cyriac Auriol, Lina Chaabane Menzli, Julie Gayet, Nadia Turincev Executive Producer: Eric Zaouali
Director: Dilip Mehta Screenwriters: Deepa Mehta, Dilip Mehta Cinematographer: Giles Nuttgens Editor: Gareth C. Scales Music: Mychael Danna, Amritha Fernandes Bakshi
Director / Screenwriter / Editor: Ahmed Abdalla Producer: Sherif Mandour Cinematographer: Mahmoud Lotfi Music: Amir Khalaf Production Manager: Hany Saqr
Cinematographer: Renato Berta Editor: Pauline Dairou Music: Philippe Héritier, Eric Rug Cast: Hafsia Herzi, Sondos Belhassen, Wassila Dari, Rim El Benna, Dhaffer L’Abidine
Three tradition-bound women haunt an isolated estate – and its modern new owners – in this atmospheric Tunisian thriller, equal parts family psychodrama, coming-of-age melodrama, and gothic horror tale. Rising star Hafsia Herzi (The Secret of the Grain) joins a stunning cast of actresses in this parable of traditional values, contemporary mores, and awakening desire. —JS
Production Designer: Tamara Deverell Cast: Don McKellar, Seema Biswas, Lisa Ray, Shriya Saran, Vansh Bhardwaj, Maury Chaykin
Two Canadian diplomats in New Delhi discover their cook is skimming more than just the milk in this deliciously wry battle between servants and served, co-scripted by Fire’s Deepa Mehta with her brother Dilip, who also directed. A comical concoction of Indian cuisine, cooking, and master/servant relationships. —JS
Cast: Khaled Abol Naga, Hany Adel, Yousra El Lozy, Hanan Metaweh, Atef Youssef, Aida Abdel Aziz
Heliopolis, a unique Cairo neighborhood whose glamorous past is fading with every day, becomes almost a character in this bittersweet series of intertwined tales. Five people, each wrestling with a conundrum, will spend the evening obliviously crisscrossing paths. Ahmed Abdalla’s first feature is a bold herald of Egypt’s rising generation of independent filmmakers, and a labor of love from crew and cast, including Khaled Abol Naga, one of Egypt’s leading male stars. —RS
Raja Amari studied French literature in her native Tunis and then Paris, and began directing short films in 1995. Her feature debut Satin Rouge (2002) was selected for the Berlinale Forum and won Best Film at the Torino Film Festival and Best New Director at the Seattle Film Festival.
Born in New Delhi but now a Canadian citizen, Dilip Mehta was an award-winning photojournalist before sharing production duties on sister Deepa Mehta’s Earth (1998) and Water (2005), and directing the documentary The Forgotten Woman (2008).
Since 1999, Egyptian-born Ahmed Abdalla has been working as an editor, visual effects supervisor, and credits designer on commercial Egyptian films. Heliopolis is his first feature film as a director.
Wednesday, October 14, 6:30 pm Emirates Palace [BU1]
Sunday, October 11, 9:30 pm Emirates Palace [CO1]
Monday, October 12, 6:30 pm Emirates Palace [HE1]
Thursday, October 15, 3:45 pm Cinestar 4 [BU2]
Thursday, October 15, 9:45 pm Cinestar 2 [CO2]
Tuesday, October 13, 3:00 pm Cinestar 4 [HE2]
www.meiff.com
019
Narrative Feature Competition
Hipsters (Stilyagi)
18 +
Huacho
G
Last Ride
18 +
Russia | 2008 | 125 mins Russian w/ Arabic, English Subtitles | Color | 35 mm Middle East Premiere
Chile, France, Germany | 2009 | 90 mins Spanish w/ Arabic, English Subtitles | Color | 35 mm Middle East Premiere
Australia | 2009 | 100 mins English w/ Arabic Subtitles | Color | 35 mm Middle East Premiere
Director: Valery Todorovsky Screenwriter: Yuri Korotkov Producers: Leonid Lebedev, Leonid Yarmolnik, Vadim Goryainov, Valery Todorovsky Cinematographer: Roman Vasyanov Editor: Alexey Bobrov
Director / Screenwriter: Alejandro Fernández Almendras Producers: Bruno Bettati, Elise Jalladeau Co-producers: Christoph Friedel, Michel Reilhac Cinematographer: Inti Briones Editors: Sébastien de Sainte Croix, Alejandro Fernández Almendras
Director: Glendyn Ivin Screenwriter: Mac Gudgeon Producers: Nicholas Cole, Antonia Barnard Cinematographer: Greig Fraser Editor: Jack Hutchings Music: Paul Charlier
Music: Konstantin Meladze Cast: Oksana Akinshina, Anton Shagin, Evgeniya Brik, Maxim Matveev, Ekaterina Vilkova, Igor Voynarovsky
In this colorful musical set in an oppressive 1950s Soviet Union, teenagers embrace American culture as a form of rebellion. When straight-laced Mels meets anti-establishment Polly, he is unable to resist her kaleidoscopic world of fashion, jazz music, and swing dancing. Romantic, cool, and sexy, Hipsters is a toe-tapping ode to the timeless themes of love and freedom.
Sound: Pablo Pinochet Art Direction: Rodrigo Guerra, Beatriz Carrillo Cast: Clemira Aguayo, Manuel Hernandez, Alejandra Yanez, Cornelio Villagran, Manuel Hernandez, Wilson Valdebenito
Production Designer: Jo Ford Cast: Hugo Weaving, Tom Russell, John Brumpton, Mick Coulthard, Rachel Francis, Anita Hegh
Naturalism rarely looks as beautiful onscreen as in this sun-kissed tale of a rural family’s daily reality, ranging from farmhouses to tourist traps, highways to schoolyards. Keenly attuned to the rhythms of work and the unspoken poetry of dayto-day life, Huacho is a major new work of Chilean cinema.
Set against the natural beauty of the southern Australian countryside, this feature debut from award-winning short filmmaker Glendyn Ivin is a gritty and lyrical portrait of a criminal on the run (Hugo Weaving, in a riveting performance) and his 10-year-old son (Tom Russell) who both loves and fears him.
—JS
—SA
Valery Todorovsky debuted as a director with Mortuary Car (1989), and followed with the acclaimed films Love (1991) and Katya Ismailova (1994), a modern-day version of Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District. Hipsters is his first musical.
A film critic, photographer, and journalist prior to becoming a filmmaker, Alejandro Fernández Almendras is the director of several award-winning short films. Huacho is his debut feature film.
Glendyn Ivin has been directing commercials and music videos for Exit Films in Australia for the last 10 years. His Cracker Bag won the Palme d’Or for short film at Cannes. Last Ride is his feature film debut.
Friday, October 16, 9:15 pm Cinestar 1 [HI1]
Saturday, October 10, 3:15 pm Cinestar 1 [HU1]
Sunday, October 11, 9:30 pm Cinestar 1 [LA1]
Saturday, October 17, 3:30 pm Cinestar 2 [HI2]
Monday, October 12, 7:00 pm Cinestar 1 [HU2]
Friday, October 16, 12:45 pm Cinestar 1 [LA2]
—AG
020
The Long Night (Al Lail Altaweel)
G
No One Knows About Persian Cats (Kasi az Gorbehaye Irani Khabar Nadareh)
G
Northless (Norteado)
G
Syria | 2009 | 94 mins Arabic w/ English Subtitles | Color | 35 mm Middle East Premiere
Iran | 2009 | 106 mins Farsi w/ Arabic, English Subtitles | Color | HDCAM Middle East Premiere
Mexico | 2009 | 93 mins Spanish w/ Arabic, English Subtitles | Color | 35 mm Middle East Premiere
Director: Hatem Ali Screenwriter / Producer: Haitham Hakki Cinematographer: Mohamed Mgrawi Editor: Raoof Zaza Music: Kinan Abo Afash
Director / Produceer / Costume Designer: Bahman Ghobadi Screenwriters: Bahman Ghobadi, Roxana Saberi, Hossein M. Abkenar Cinematographer: Touraj Aslani Editor: Hayedeh Safiyari Sound Editor: Nezamodin Kiaei
Director: Rigoberto Pérezcano Screenwriters: Edgar San Juan, Rigoberto Pérezcano Producer: Edgar San Juan Executive Producers: Sergio Castro Hector Hernandez-Pons, Alejandro Martinez-Gallardo
Cast: Khaled Taja, Amal Arafah, Najah Safkouni, Basel Khayat, Hatem Ali, Anissa Daoud, Salim Sabri, Rafik Sbeï
Three long-term political prisoners are suddenly released – but why, and what awaits them? This elegant drama from controversial director Hatem Ali is a searing portrait of contemporary Syrian life and politics, yet universal in its intellectual, political, and moral angst. —JS
Cast: Negar Shaghaghi, Ashkan Koshanejad, Hamed Behdad, Babak Mirzakhani, Kourosh Mirzaei, Pouya Hosseini
A daring look at the illegal world of Iran’s independent music scene, No One Knows About Persian Cats follows Negar and Ashkan, young musicians who find that pursuing their art is nearimpossible on home soil and soon forge plans to escape. Gritty and fast-paced, Ghobadi’s film paints a vivid portrait of a hidden Tehran. —AG
Cinematographer: Alejandro Cantu Editor: Miguel Schverdfinger Sound: Pablo Tamez Cast: Harold Torres, Alicia Laguna, Sonia Couoh, Luis Cardenas
Andrés, a young man from Oaxaca, fails repeatedly to illegally cross the Mexican border with the United States. He gears up for one last attempt after befriending two women in Tijuana whose husbands successfully crossed and left them behind. Focusing as much on the why as he does the how, director Rigoberto Pérezcano explores the often difficult relationships between those who stay and those who feel obligated to provide a better life for their families. —AG
Born in 1962, Hatem Ali has taught theater, written plays and short stories, and directed successful and awardwinning television series in his native Syria. More recent forays into film include the short film Passion (2005) and Selena (2009).
One of the most lauded Iranian directors working today and a pioneer of Kurdish cinema, Bahman Ghobadi’s first feature, A Time for Drunken Horses (2000) won the Cannes Caméra d’Or. His other films include Turtles Can Fly (2004) and Half Moon (2006).
Mexican writer/director Rigoberto Pérezcano started as a documentarian but has lately combined elements of narrative and nonfiction. His XV en Zaachila (2003) was nominated for an Ariel Award for Best Short Documentary.
Sunday, October 11, 6:30 pm Emirates Palace [LO1]
Thursday, October 15, 7:00 pm Emirates Palace [NC1]
Tuesday, October 13, 9:30 pm Cinestar 1 [NO1]
Monday, October 12, 9:15 pm Cinestar 4 [LO2]
Friday, October 16, 6:15 pm Cinestar 1 [NC2]
Wednesday, October 14, 3:15 pm Cinestar 1 [NO2]
www.meiff.com
021
Narrative Feature Competition
Son of Babylon (Ibn Babil)
G
Third Person Singular Number
15 +
The Time That Remains (Al Zaman Al Baqi)
Iraq, UK, France, Palestine, Netherlands, UAE, Qatar | 2009 90 mins | Kurdish, Arabic w/ Arabic, English Subtitles | Color 35 mm | World Premiere
Bangladesh | 2009 | 123 mins Bengali w/ Arabic, English Subtitles | Color | 35 mm Middle East Premiere
Palestine, UK, Italy, Belgium, France | 2009 | 109 mins Arabic, Hebrew w/ Arabic, English Subtitles | Color | 35 mm Middle East Premiere
Director: Mohamed Al-Daradji Screenwriters: Jennifer Norridge, Mohamed Al-Daradji, Mathel Kasea Producers: Isabelle Stead, Atia Al-Daradji, Dimitri de Clercq, Mohamed Al-Daradji Executive Producers: Nashwa Al
Director: Mostofa Sarwar Farooki Screenwriters: Mostofa Sarwar Farooki, Anisul Haque Cinematographer: Subrata Ripon Editor: Titash Shaha Music: Leemon Production Designer: Golam Kibria
Director / Screenwriter: Elia Suleiman Producers: Elia Suleiman, Michael Gentile Executive Producer: Hani Farsi Cinematographer: Marc-André Batigne Editor: Véronique Lange
Ruwaini, Antonia Bird, Sheikha Mayassa Al-Thani, Hugo Heppell Cinematographers: Mohamed Al-Daradji, Duraid Al-Munajim Editor: Pascale Chavance Music: Kad Ackouri Cast: Yassir Talib, Shazada Hussein, Bashir Al-Majid
Cast: Nusrat Imrose Tisha, Mosharaf Karim, Rashed Uddin Ahmed, Abul Hayat, Lekha Haque
A willful young boy and his just-as-obstinate grandmother journey across Iraq in search of their missing loved one. This stunning new work from the director of Ahlaam is a testament to the continuing search for justice and closure after Saddam Hussein’s fall. Awarded a MEIFF ‘09 Production Grant.
Must a single, independent woman always be treated as an outcast in Bangladeshi society? This is the question posed in Third Person Singular Number. A romantic drama and musical that on the surface tells of a young woman torn between two lovers, it delicately addresses a complex cultural issue.
—JS
—AG
G
Sound: Pierre Mertens, Christian Monheim Cast: Ali Suliman, Elia Suleiman, Saleh Bakri, Menashe Noy, Avi Kleinberger, Yasmine Haje, Leila Muammar
Palestinian director Elia Suleiman (Divine Intervention) returns with a similarly immaculate, comically deadpan examination of life as an Israeli Arab in Nazareth from 1948 to today. Based on his father’s diaries and his own reminiscences, the film tells the story of a young rebel forced into exile who returns to Nazareth as an adult to find more apathy than anger. Suleiman chronicles history with devastating absurdity and wit. —JS
Mohamed Al-Daradji was born in Baghdad and studied film in the Netherlands and UK. His debut Ahlaam (2005), a narrative set in Iraq and one of the first films shot there after the U.S. invasion, won worldwide acclaim.
With his unconventional style, Mostofa Sarwar Farooki is a leader in contemporary Bengali cinema. The pioneer of chabial (“the movie hawkers”), Farooki creates films that incorporate everyday colloquial language and address middle class angst and Muslim guilt and redemption.
Palestinian director Elia Suleiman is best known for his Cannes Grand Jury Prize winner Divine Intervention (2002). Finding levity in sobering situations, he’s been compared to both Jacques Tati and Buster Keaton.
Friday, October 9, 6:30 pm Emirates Palace [SB1]
Thursday, October 15, 9:30 pm Cinestar 1 [TH1]
Tuesday, October 13, 6:30 pm Emirates Palace [TI1]
Saturday, October 10, 4:00 pm Cinestar 4 [SB2]
Friday, October 16, 9:45 pm Grand Abu Dhabi Mall [TH2]
Friday, October 16, 3:45 pm Cinestar 2 [TI2]
022
True Color (Bil Alwan Al Tabiyya)
G
The Warrior and the Wolf (Lang Zai Ji)
18 +
White Material
15 +
Egypt | 2009 | 135 mins Arabic w/ English Subtitles | Color | 35 mm World Premiere
China | 2009 | 100 mins Mandarin w/ Arabic, English Subtitles | Color | 35 mm Middle East Premiere
France | 2009 | 100 mins French w/ Arabic, English Subtitles | Color | 35 mm Middle East Premiere
Director: Oussama Fawzi Screenwriter: Hani Fawzi Producers: Kamel Abu Ali, Majid Youssef Cinematographer: Tariq Al Tilmesani
Director: Tian Zhuangzhuang Screenwriter: Christine To Chi-Long Producer: William Kong Cinematographer: Wang Yu Editor: Wenders Li
Director: Claire Denis Screenwriters: Claire Denis, Marie N’diaye Producer: Pascal Caucheteux Cinematographer: Yves Cape Editor: Guy Lecorne Music: Stuart S. Staples
Cast: Karim Qasem, Muna Hala, Saeed Saleh, Intisar, Feryal Youssef, Yousra El Lozy
Cast: Maggie Q, Jô Odagiri, Chung Hua Tou
Cast: Isabelle Huppert, Christophe Lambert, Isaach De Bankolé, Nicolas Duvauchelle, William Nadylam
During four years at a Cairo art school, Youssef comes of age as his aspirations to be an artist run up against the society’s prevailing taboos, the encroachment of religious conservatism in higher education, and the cynicism and defeatism with which his teachers respond to him. Without compromise or inhibition, this courageous film asks basic questions about the right and freedom to imagine in a society overrun by the moral high ground of religiosity. —RS
A significant departure from the meditative films he is best known for, Tian Zhuangzhuang’s latest work is a richly emotional, magical tale about a brave soldier and a mysterious widow who has the power to take his mind to a place of legends. Visually thrilling and passionate, The Warrior and the Wolf is a deeply moving journey into China’s past.
In a country torn by civil war, a white woman (Isabelle Huppert) refuses to abandon her plantation, although French nationals are urged to flee. Director Claire Denis marshals beautiful but troubling images to explore the intensely emotional world of post-colonial Africa, whose allure is “a kind of drug, intoxicating yet perilous, that never leaves the system” (Variety).
—AG
—AG
Oussama Fawzi began his film career as an assistant to directors such as Hussein Kamal and Ashraf Fahmy. His 1996 debut Asphalt Kings was awarded a prize at the Locarno Film Festival. His third feature, I Love Cinema (2004), is the prequel to True Color.
A master Fifth Generation filmmaker (The Horse Thief, 1986; The Blue Kite, 1993; Springtime in a Small Town, 2002), Tian Zhuangzhuang has a history of running afoul of Chinese censors. Banned from making films, his sentence was eventually withdrawn due to pressure from abroad.
Claire Denis was raised in Africa and studied film at the IDHEC in Paris. Her debut feature Chocolat (1988) was internationally acclaimed; her other provocative, character-driven films include Beau travail (1999), Vendredi soir (2002), and L’intrus (2004).
Wednesday, October 14, 9:00 pm Cinestar 1 [TC1]
Friday, October 16, 6:30 pm Emirates Palace [WA1]
Saturday, October 10, 9:45 pm Cinestar 1 [WH1]
Thursday, October 15, 6:30 pm Cinestar 1 [TC2]
Saturday, October 17, 1:00 pm Cinestar 3 [WA2]
Sunday, October 11, 7:00 pm Grand Abu Dhabi Mall [WH2]
www.meiff.com
023
Documentary Feature Competition
1958 Ghassan Salhab The Age of Stupid Franny Armstrong This film is also part of the “What in the World Are We Doing to Our World?” program − see page 38.
All My Mothers Ebrahim Saeedi and Zahavi Sanjavi Being Here Mohamed Zran Carioca Nabiha Lotfy
1958
The Cove Louie Psihoyos
Lebanon | 2009 | 66 mins Arabic, English, French w/ English Subtitles | Color and B&W DigiBeta | Gulf Premiere
UK | 2009 | 89 mins English w/ Arabic Subtitles | Color | DigiBeta Gulf Premiere
Director / Screenwriter: Ghassan Salhab Cinematographer: Sarmad Louis Editor: Simon El Habre Music: Vasks, Wodden Shjips, Scelsi, Asmahan
Director / Screenwriter: Franny Armstrong Producer: Lizzie Gillett Exective Producers: John Battsek, Peter Armstrong, Bruce Goodison, Emily James, Andrew Ruhemann Cinematographer: Lawrence Gardner
This film is also part of the “What in the World Are We Doing to Our World?” program − see page 38.
Double Take Johan Grimonprez The Frontier Gandhi: Badshah Khan, A Torch for Peace T. C. McLuhan Goodbye, How Are You? Boris Mitić In Berlin Michael Ballhaus, Ciro Cappellari Neighbors Tahani Rached On the Way to School Orhan Eskiköy, Özgür Doğan
G
With: Zahia Salhab, Aouni Kawas
The Age of Stupid
G
Editor: David G Hill Music: Chris Brierley With: Pete Postlethwaite, Jeh Wadia, Jamila Bayyoud, Adnan Bayyoud, Alvin DuVernay III, Piers Guy, Layefa Malin, Fernand Pareau
1958 marks two events: first, the birth of the filmmaker in Senegal; second, the beginning, in his parents’ native country of Lebanon, of a serious internal conflict that will result in a long series of civil wars. The film 1958, then, is an intertwining of a private history with national histories that mixes themes covering exile, colonization, and Lebanese politics.
The year is 2055, and Earth has been ravaged by climate change. In once-frozen Antarctica, an archivist combs through a video library to determine why humankind failed to heed the warnings regarding global warming. Blending fact and fiction, The Age of Stupid is a cautionary documentary that aims to shatter complacency and encourage change before it is too late.
—Jean-Pierre Rehm, FIDMarseille 2009
—AG
Born in Dakar, educated in Paris, Ghassan Salhab is the director of four feature films, all set in Beirut. In addition to filmmaking, Salhab also teaches film courses in Lebanon and has written articles for several magazines.
Franny Armstrong’s uncompromising first documentary detailed the infamous McDonald’s libel trial. Shelved by legal action in 1997, McLibel was finally broadcast on the BBC and released theatrically worldwide to great acclaim in 2005.
Friday, October 9, 9:00 pm Cinestar 2 [191]
Tuesday, October 13, 9:45 pm Cinestar 2 [AG1]
Saturday, October 10, 1:00 pm Cinestar 1 [192]
Friday, October 16, 6:45 pm Cinestar 2 [AG2]
This film is also part of the New Cinema From Turkey Program − see page 40.
Port of Memory Kamal Aljafari The Shock Doctrine Michael Winterbottom, Mat Whitecross We Were Communists Maher Abi Samra (Work in progress − out of competition)
024
All My Mothers (Hamey-e Madaran-e Man)
G
Being Here (Vivre ici)
G
Carioca
G
Iran, Iraq | 2008 | 60 mins Kurdish w/ Arabic, English Subtitles | Color | DigiBeta International Premiere
Tunisia | 2009 | 124 mins Arabic, French w/ English, Arabic Subtitles | Color | 35 mm World Premiere
Egypt | 2009 | 60 mins Arabic w/ English Subtitles | Color | DigiBeta World Premiere
Directors / Screenwriters: Ebrahim Saeedi, Zahavi Sanjavi Producer: Abbas Ghazali Cinematographer / Editor: Ebrahim Saeedi Music: Hossein Alizadeh Narrator: Aram Mostofi
Director / Screenwriter / Producer: Mohamed Zran Cinematographer: Jean Claude Couty Editor: Moncef Taleb With: Tahar Zran, Simon Haddad, Hadi Boufalga, Begacem Daoui, Fatma Bent Garaa, Bachir Chalby
Director: Nabiha Lotfy Producer: Sunny Land Film Editors: Ahmed El Kassas, Mohamed Fawzy, Zaki Aref With: Mahmud Amin El Alem, Adel Siwi, Sonallah Ibrahim, Galal Amin, Yousry Nasrallah
Filmmakers Ebrahim Saeedi and Zahavi Sanjavi combine archival footage with eyewitness accounts to detail Saddam Hussein’s vicious campaign against Iraqi Kurds during the 30year reign of the Baathist regime. The recent unearthing of mass graves and the existence of villages almost exclusively populated by women highlight just how efficient Hussein’s campaign was.
A hardware shop in southeast Tunisia is the unlikely arena for some pertinent political and philosophical discussions in Mohamed Zran’s heartfelt tribute to conversation, philosophy, and peace. A teacher, an artist, a marriage-fixer, and others debate life, love, and politics in this smiling tribute to the true values of the Middle East.
A cinematic tribute to Tahia Carioca has been long overdue. Veteran documentary filmmaker Nabiha Lotfy takes up the challenge in this rare treat. Wrongly described as the Arab world’s Marilyn Monroe, Carioca was not only a pioneering dancer and actress, she was also a rebel and a militant.
—JS
—RS
Ebrahim Saeedi’s work as cinematographer on the documentary Pearl’s Dream won him an award at the first-ever Kish Documentary Film Festival. All My Mothers is his first feature film. Born in 1967 in Arbil, Kurdistan, Iraq, co-director Zahavi Sanjavi studied at the Russian State Institute of Cinematography (VGIK) in Moscow.
Tunisian-born Mohamed Zran’s early short film The Stone Breaker (1990) was screened at Cannes. His feature The Prince (2004) was nominated for an award at the Cairo Film Festival; other work has been showcased on ARTE and at the Berlinale.
With nearly 50 feature films on her resumé, Nabiha Lotfy is one of the most prolific female directors in Egyptian film history. A champion of the Egyptian New Wave, she also helped create the Association of Egyptian Women Filmmakers.
Sunday, October 11, 7:15 pm Cinestar 2 [AL1]
Monday, October 12, 9:00 pm Cinestar 2 [BE1]
Tuesday, October 13, 4:30 pm Emirates Palace [CR1]
Monday, October 12, 1:30 pm Cinestar 1 [AL2]
Wednesday, October 14, 3:45 pm Cinestar 2 [BE2]
Wednesday, October 14, 4:15 pm Cinestar 3 [CR2]
—AG
www.meiff.com
025
Documentary Feature Competition
Photo credit: Oceanic Preservation Society, Louie Psihoyos
The Cove
15 +
Double Take
G
The Frontier Gandhi: Badshah Khan, A Torch for Peace
USA | 2009 | 93 mins English, Japanese w/ Arabic, English Subtitles | Color | 35 mm Middle East Premiere
Netherlands, Belgium | 2009 | 80 mins English w/ Arabic Subtitles | Color and B&W | DigiBeta Middle East Premiere
Afghanistan, India, Pakistan, USA | 2008 | 92 mins English, Pashto w/ Arabic, English Subtitles | Color and B&W HDCAM | Middle East Premiere
Director: Louie Psihoyos Screenwriter: Mark Monroe Producers: Fisher Stevens, Paula DuPré Pesmen Executive Producer: Jim Clark Cinematographer: Brooke Aitken Editor: Geoffrey Richman
Director: Johan Grimonprez Screenwriters: Johan Grimonprez, Tom McCarthy Producer: Emmy Oost Editors: Dieter Diependaele, Tyler Hubby Music: Christian Halten
Director / Screenwriter / Producer: T. C. McLuhan Cinematographer: Sanjay Agrawal Editor: Alex Shuper Music: David Amram Narrator: Om Puri
Music: J. Ralph With: Richard O’Barry, Louie Psihoyos, Simon Hutchins, Charles Hambleton, Joe Chisholm, Mandy-Rae Cruikshank
This spectacular documentary thriller is a work of investigative reporting filled with the stuff of spy films. Pre-dawn raids, hidden cameras, and secret-ops missions expose a Japanese village’s secret dolphin slaughter and its ties to a national cover-up. Audience Award Winner, Sundance Film Festival. —JS
Sound Designer: Ranko Paukovic Cast: Ron Burrage, Mark Perry
Johan Grimonprez’s experimental documentary is a fascinating found-footage fabrication, an essay that envisions Alfred Hitchcock as an unwilling victim of the political and cultural shifts of the Cold War era. Comprised of newsreel footage, period television programs, and clips of the master and his films, Double Take playfully examines the catastrophe culture that invaded every American home in the 1950s. —AG
G
The little-known story of non violence activist Badshah Khan, a Pashtun warrior who became Pakistan’s answer to Mahatma Gandhi, is brought to life in this remarkable documentary, filmed across Afghanistan, Pakistan, and India, and featuring interviews with Hamid Karzai, Pervez Musharraf, and other key South Asian figures. Narrated by Indian acting legend Om Puri. —JS
Highly regarded photographer Louie Psihoyos, especially known for his undersea work at National Geographic for 18 years, has shot covers for many major magazines. His recent focus has been documenting ocean activism.
Belgian-born writer-director Johan Grimonprez’s innovative documentary Dial H-I-S-T-O-R-Y (1997) won him Best Director at both San Francisco and Toronto Film Festivals; Looking for Alfred (2005) won several accolades including an Independent Spirit Award for Best Experimental Film.
T. C. (Teri) McLuhan, a native of Canada based in New York, is a filmmaker and author specializing in ethnography and mysticism. Her films include The Shadow Catcher (1974) and The Third Walker (1978).
Saturday, October 10, 6:45 pm Cinestar 2 [CV1]
Friday, October 9, 6:15 pm Cinestar 2 [DT1]
Tuesday, October 13, 6:45 pm Cinestar 2 [FR1]
Monday, October 12, 4:00 pm Cinestar 1 [CV2]
Tuesday, October 13, 3:45 pm Cinestar 1 [DT2]
Thursday, October 15, 3:30 pm Cinestar 1 [FR2]
026
Goodbye, How Are You? (Dovidjenja kako ste?)
15 +
In Berlin
G
Neighbors (Giran)
G
Serbia | 2009 | 60 mins Serbian w/ Arabic, English Subtitles | Color | DigiBeta Middle East Premiere
Germany | 2009 | 96 mins German, Turkish, English w/ Arabic, English Subtitles | Color 35 mm | Gulf Premiere
Egypt | 2009 | 105 mins Arabic, English, French w/ Arabic, English Subtitles | Color HDCAM | World Premiere
Director / Cinematographer / Producer: Boris Mitić Screenwriters: Boris Mitić, The Belgrade Aphoristic Circle Editors: Boris Mitić, Aleksandar Uhrin Music: Pascal Comelade Narrator: Nebojsa Glogovac
Directors: Michael Ballhaus, Ciro Cappellari Screenwriters: Michael Ballhaus, Ciro Cappellari, Herbert Schwarze Producers: Joerg Schulze, Arndt Potdevin Cinematographers: Michael Ballhaus, Ciro Cappellari Editor: Karl Riedl
Director: Tahani Rached Screenwriters: Tahani Rached, Mouna Assaad Producer: Karim Gamal El Din Executive Producer: Mona Assaad Cinematographer: Nancy Abdel-Fattah Editor: Mohamed Samir
The wittiest, blackest political aphorisms of the modern era are saluted in this entertaining Serbian travelogue detailing how citizens use language to critique – and resist – the madness of politics. A fascinating essay-film in the tradition of Chris Marker and Jean-Luc Godard, and a primer on Balkan intellectual thought, resistance, and history.
The city of Berlin has gone through tremendous changes in the 20 years since the Berlin Wall fell, and it remains in a state of constant flux. Cinematographers Michael Ballhaus (who was born in Berlin) and Ciro Cappellari have created a poetic cinematic essay, a love letter to the vibrant metropolis and its inhabitants.
Neighbors delves into the history of Garden City, once a new outpost for the indigenous colonial elites, now an isolated inlet detached from the city of Cairo. Masterfully avoiding cheap nostalgia, director Tahani Rached travels from the opulent salons of the haves to the makeshift rooftop living rooms of the have-nots.
—AG
—RS
While working as a reporter for Agence France Presse in war-torn former Yugoslavia, Belgrade-based and selftaught filmmaker Boris Mitić (Pretty Dyana, 2003) decided to “dedicate the rest of his life to family, football, and creative documentaries.”
This is the feature-film directorial debut for Michael Ballhaus, award-winning cinematographer for directors Rainer Werner Fassbinder and Martin Scorsese (as well as many others). Co-director Ciro Cappellari, born in Buenos Aires, has worked as a director, cinematographer, and screenwriter.
Born in Cairo in 1947, Tahani Rached directed 20 films between 1981 and 2004 while living in Canada. In 2005, she returned to Egypt and directed These Girls. Neighbors is the second documentary feature she has shot in her homeland.
Sunday, October 11, 9:45 pm Cinestar 2 [GO1]
Wednesday, October 14, 10:00 pm Cinestar 2 [IB1]
Saturday, October 10, 9:30 pm Cinestar 2 [NE1]
Thursday, October 15, 4:15 pm Cinestar 2 [GO2]
Friday, October 16, 3:30 pm Cinestar 1 [IB2]
Sunday, October 11, 3:45 pm Cinestar 1 [NE2]
—JS
www.meiff.com
Music: Terranova With: Angela Winkler, Nele Winkler, Alexander Hacke, Danielle di Picciotto, Maybrit Illner, Dimitri Hegemann, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, Jeff Mills
Music: Tamer Karawan Sound: Sameh Gamal With: Adel Siwi, Ala’ Al-Asawny, Mahmud Amin El Alem
027
Documentary Feature Competition
On the Way to School (Iki Dil Bir Bavul)
G
Port of Memory (Minaa Elzakira)
G
The Shock Doctrine
15+
Turkey | 2008 | 81 mins Kurdish, Turkish w/ Arabic, English Subtitles | Color | 35 mm Gulf Premiere
Palestine, UAE | 2009 | 63 mins Arabic, Hebrew w/ English Subtitles | Color | 35 mm World Premiere
UK | 2009 | 78 mins English w/ Arabic Subtitles | Color | 35 mm Middle East Premiere
Directors / Producers: Orhan Eskiköy, Özgür Doğan Screenwriter / Cinematographer: Orhan Eskiköy Editors: Orhan Eskiköy, Thomas Balkenhol Production Designer: Özgür Doğan
Director / Screenwriter: Kamal Aljafari Producers: Levon Melikian, Kamal Aljafari, Zeljko Karajica, Marie-Pierre Macia, Juliette Lepoutre Cinematographer: Jacques Besse
Directors: Michael Winterbottom, Mat Whitecross Based on the book by: Naomi Klein Producers: Andrew Eaton, Alex Cooked, Avi Lewis Executive Producers: Alan Hayling, Hamish Mykura
With: Emre Aydın, Zülküf Yıldırım, Zülküf Huz, Rojda Huz, Vehip Huz
On the Way to School is an extraordinary film that documents the contradictions of modern Turkey and its historical debate on the Kurdish problem. The film chronicles the journey of a young, firsttime Turkish-language teacher from the western part of the country who is sent to a remote Kurdish village in the southeast to be the sole teacher in the village school. —ÖG
Editor: Marie Heléne Mora Sound: Gilles Laurent Assistant Director: Silvia Saranovic With: Salim Bilbesi, Fatmeh Bilbesi, Sadika Bilbesi, Angel Hamati, George Khleifi, Ashraf Saqer
Port of Memory is a story rarely told, about the emptying of Jaffa, a thriving urban and economic port city in pre-1948 Palestine, of its indigenous residents. Aljafari’s film follows his family after they receive an order to evacuate their home in Ajami, Jaffa’s once-wealthy sea-front neighborhood. Radically poetic, Port of Memory is a reflection on the absurdity of being at once absent and present. Awarded a MEIFF ‘09 Production Grant. —RS
Cinematographer: Ronald Plante Editor: Paul Monaghan Sound Designer: Joakim Sundstrom Narrator: Kieran O’Brien With: Naomi Klein
The team of Michael Winterbottom and Mat Whitecross returns with their most intriguing provocation to date, an adaption of Naomi Klein’s best-seller, which argues that U.S. “disaster capitalism” promotes its free-market agenda on the backs of disasters, whether natural or manmade. A challenging, powerful vision of the world economy today. —JS
Orhan Eskiköy and Özgür Doğan are both graduates of Ankara University. Eskiköy now works at the Centre of Distance Education as a Video Production Expert, while Doğan is a Research Assistant at the Middle East Technical University.
A graduate of the Academy of Media Arts in Cologne, Germany, Kamal Aljafari is a recipient of a Sundance Documentary Fund grant. He was one of the featured artists at the 2009 Flaherty Seminar. His films include Visit Iraq (2003) and the award-winning The Roof (2006). Aljafari is the Benjamin White Whitney Scholar and Radcliffe-Harvard Film Study Center Fellow for 2009−2010.
Michael Winterbottom’s work is prolific, varied, and often crucial: His verité docudramas In This World (2003) and award-winning The Road to Guantánamo (2006) pushed the boundaries of how war and refugees are depicted on film. Mat Whitecross has directed and edited several British films and TV episodes; he edited Michael Winterbottom’s Nine Songs (2004), then co-directed with him on Guantánamo.
Wednesday, October 14, 7:15 pm Cinestar 2 [ON1]
Monday, October 12, 6:45 pm Cinestar 2 [PO1]
Sunday, October 11, 4:00 pm Emirates Palace [SD1]
Thursday, October 15, 6:45 pm Cinestar 4 [ON2]
Thursday, October 15, 12:45 pm Cinestar 1 [PO2]
Wednesday, October 14, 6:00 pm Cinestar 1 [SD2]
028
We Were Communists (Shyoaeen Kounna)
G
Lebanon, France | 2009 | 40 mins Arabic w/ English Subtitles | Color | HDCAM Work in progress
Director: Maher Abi Samra Producer: Jinane Dagher Co-Producer: Serge Lalou Cinematographer: Claire Mathon Editor: Carine Doumit Sound Engineer: Moncef Taleb Sound Editor: Rana Eid
A reflection on the intersecting destinies of comrades once bound by ideals, We Were Communists examines the legacy of Lebanon’s civil war and its post-war present. Artistically and politically audacious, Maher Abi Samra’s incisive and tender film travels the chimeric and daunting reality of Lebanon’s fractured landscape. Awarded a MEIFF ‘09 Production Grant. —RS
A former photojournalist for Agence France Presse and Reuters, Maher Abi Samra has directed several shorts and feature-length documentaries, including Women of Hezbollah (2000), and Shatila Roundabout (2004).
Thursday, October 15, 7:00 pm Cinestar 2 [WE1]
www.meiff.com
029
World Cinema Showcase
About Elly Asghar Farhadi Burma VJ − Reporting from a Closed Country Anders Østergaard Farewell Christian Carion Honeymoons Goran Paskaljević Kerala Café Coordinating Director: Ranjith My Heart Beats Only for Her Mohamed Soueid Ponyo Hayao Miyazaki Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire Lee Daniels The Red Riding Trilogy: Red Riding 1974 Julian Jarrold Red Riding 1980 James Marsh Red Riding 1983 Anand Tucker The September Issue R. J. Cutler Tales from the Golden Age Cristian Mungiu, Răzvan Mărculescu, Hanno Höfer, Ioana Uricaru, Constantin Popescu
©DreamLab Films
About Elly (Darbareye Elly)
G
Burma VJ − Reporting from a Closed Country (Burma VJ − Reporter i et lukket land)
Iran | 2009 | 119 mins Farsi w/ Arabic, English Subtitles | Color | 35 mm Middle East Premiere
Denmark | 2008 | 85 mins Burmese, English w/ English Subtitles | Color | HDCAM Middle East Premiere
Director / Screenwriter: Asghar Farhadi Producers: Asghar Farhadi, Mahmoud Razavi Cinematographer: Hossein Jafarian Editor: Hayedeh Safiyari Music: Andrea Bauer
Director: Anders Østergaard Screenwriters: Anders Østergaard, Jan Krogsgaard Producer: Lise-Lense Moller Cinematographers: Simon Plum, The Burmese VJs
Cast: Golshifteh Farahani, Taraneh Alidousti, Shahab Hosseini, Merila Zarei, Mani Haghighi, Peyman Moadi, Rana Azadivar, Ahmad Mehranfar, Saber Abar
G
Editors: Janus Billeskov-Jansen, Thomas Papapetros Music: Conny Malmqvist
Set during a weekend getaway at the Caspian Sea, About Elly follows a group of college friends celebrating the return from abroad of their friend Ahmed. When one guest, Elly, mysteriously disappears, the joyous occasion quickly becomes one filled with suspicion and half-truths. Asghar Farhadi’s award-winning feature is a probing psychodrama and an astute portrait of contemporary Iran.
In 2007, Buddhist monks in Rangoon led a peaceful anti-government uprising against the military dictatorship of Burma. A group of video journalists armed only with cell phones and digital cameras secretly filmed the demonstrations, at the risk of torture and imprisonment. This tension-filled documentary about oppression and censorship illustrates the power of independent media in struggles against totalitarian regimes.
—AG
—AG
Asghar Farhadi launched his career with successful Iranian radio and film productions. His films Dancing in the Dust (2003) and Beautiful City (2004) won festival awards; Fireworks Wednesday (2006) drew acclaim before release in Europe and the USA.
Anders Østergaard found early success in his native Denmark with documentaries like The Magus (1999) (winner, Best Documentary at the Odense Film Festival), Gasolin’ (2006), and Tintin and I (2003), a portrait of Hergé, creator of the famed comic strip.
Thursday, October 15, 4:00 pm Emirates Palace [AB1]
Monday, October 12, 10:00 pm Cinestar 3 [VJ1]
Saturday, October 17, 3:45 pm Cinestar 3 [AB2]
Thursday, October 15, 4:00 pm Cinestar 3 [VJ2]
Valentino: The Last Emperor Matt Tyrnauer Wild Grass Alain Resnais The Wind Journeys Ciro Guerra Yuki & Nina Nobuhiro Suwa, Hippolyte Girardot
030
Farewell (L’ affaire farewell)
G
Honeymoons (Medeni Mesec)
G
Kerala Café
G
France | 2009 | 113 mins French, Russian, English w/ English Subtitles | Color | 35 mm Middle East Premiere
Serbia, Albania | 2009 | 95 mins Serbian, Albanian, Italian w/ English Subtitles | Color | 35 mm Middle East Premiere
India | 2009 | 144 mins Malayalam w/ English Subtitles | Color | 35 mm World Premiere
Director: Christian Carion Screenwriters: Christian Carion, Eric Raynaud Producers: Philippe Boeffard, Bertrand Faivre, Christophe Rossignon Cinematographer: Walther van den Ende
Director: Goran Paskaljević Screenwriters: Goran Paskaljević, Genc Permeti Producers: Goran Paskaljević, Ilir Butka, Nikola Djivanović Cinematographer: Milan Spasić Editor: Petar Putniković
Coordinating Director / Screenwriter: Ranjith Directors: Shaji Kailas, Lal Jose, B. Unnikrishnan, Anwar Rashid, Shyamparasad, M. Padmakumar, Revathy, Anjali Menon, Uday Ananthan, Shankar Ramakrishnan
Editor: Andrea Sedlackova Music: Clint Mansell Cast: Emir Kusturica, Guillaume Canet, Ingeborga Dapkunaite, David Soul, Dina Korzun, Philippe Magnan, Willem Dafoe
Music: Rade Krstić Production Designers: Zelko Antović, Durim Neziri Cast: Lazar Ristovski, Mira Banjać, Petar Bozović, Vlasta Velisavljević, Nebojsa Milovanović, Bujar Lako
Producer: Shankar Ramakrishnan Cinematographer: Manoj Pillai Editor: Vijai Sanakar Music: Biji Bal Cast: Mammootty, Prithviraj, Dilip, Suresh Gopi, Jyotirmayi, Jagathy Sreekumar
Christian Carion’s tense, fact-based drama features a riveting Emir Kusturica as a KGB officer and Guillaume Canet as a civilian who becomes a go-between passing the intelligence that brings down the Iron Curtain. Carion provides a human face to the real-life spy game and the people sacrificed in the name of national security.
Two hopeful couples – one Albanian, one Serbian – end up entrapped in European border incidents in this political parable and love story from one of Serbia’s most acclaimed filmmakers. Goran Paskaljević’s soulful discourse on a new generation of immigrants is the first joint SerbianAlbanian film production in history.
—SA
—JS
A former employee of the French Ministry of Agriculture, Christian Carion is the director of the successful The Girl from Paris (2001) and Merry Christmas (2005), a film nominated for both an Oscar® and a Golden Globe.
Goran Paskaljević (Cabaret Balkan, 1998) directed 15 features before leaving his native Yugoslavia in 1992. The collapse of the Milošević regime saw his permanent return to Belgrade.
Ranjith penned cult films like Devasuram (1993) and Nanadam (2002) and has since added directing and acting to his resumé. For Kerala Café, he invited 10 directors to participate – from respected veterans (Shaji Kailas and Lal Jose) to young talents (Anwar Rashid and Anjali Menon) to first-time filmmakers (Shankar Ramakrishnan).
Thursday, October 15, 10:00 pm Cinestar 3 [FA1]
Saturday, October 10, 10:15 pm Cinestar 4 [HO1]
Friday, October 9, 4:00 pm Cinestar 5 [KE1]
Friday, October 16, 4:00 pm Grand Abu Dhabi Mall [FA2]
Tuesday, October 13, 6:00 pm Cinestar 4 [HO2]
Thursday, October 15, 9:15 pm Grand Abu Dhabi Mall [KE2]
www.meiff.com
Popular director/screenwriter Ranjith masterminded this omnibus film, the first such collaborative effort in Malayalam cinema. Ten directors each contribute a story around the common theme of journeys. The result is a mosaic of life in modern-day Kerala, and a showcase of the leading lights (including superstar Mammootty) of the Malayalam film industry. —SA
031
World Cinema Showcase
Photo credit: Anne Marie Fox
My Heart Beats Only for Her (Ma Hataftu Li Ghayriha)
G
Ponyo (Gake no ue no Ponyo)
G
Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire
18 +
Lebanon | 2008 | 86 mins Arabic, English, Vietnamese w/ Arabic, English Subtitles | Color and B&W | DigiBeta | International Premiere
Japan | 2008 | 100 mins Dubbed in English | Color | 35 mm Gulf Premiere
USA | 2009 | 109 mins English | Color | 35 mm Middle East Premiere
Director / Executive Producer: Mohamed Soueid Cinematographer / Editor: Pamela Ghanimeh Music: Nadim Mishlawi
Director / Screenwriter: Hayao Miyazaki Producer: Toshio Suzuki Music: Joe Hisaishi Voices by: Cate Blanchett, Matt Damon, Noah Lindsey Cyrus, Tina Fey, Liam Neeson, Betty White
Director: Lee Daniels Screenwriter: Geoffrey Fletcher Producers: Lee Daniels, Gary Magness, Sarah Siegel-Magness Executive Producers: Oprah Winfrey, Tyler Perry, Lisa Cortes, Tom Heller
Guided by a notebook and sketchy autobiographical notes, a son retraces his father’s journeys among the ranks of revolutionary fighters in Lebanon in the 1970s. Borrowing its title from one of Fatah’s anthems, My Heart Beats Only for Her delves into the scantily recorded experience of Fatah’s famous Student Brigade – men once epic heroes but now disappeared, lost, or anonymous.
Inspired by Hans Christian Andersen’s The Little Mermaid, animation legend Hayao Miyazaki heads to the seas with this ecstatic fairy tale of a little goldfish princess who dreams of becoming a human girl and the small boy who becomes her friend. Ponyo’s dazzling images pulse with the warmth of friendship, childhood, and Miyazaki’s deep respect for the earth.
This brave adaptation pulls no punches. At its heart is Claireece “Precious” Jones – morbidly obese and pregnant for the second time with her own father’s baby. When she is forced to attend an alternative education program, she finds hope in unlikely places. Precious is an acting and emotional tour-de-force. An Audience Award winner at Sundance.
—JS
—AG
A film critic and author of books on Lebanese cinema, Mohamed Soueid has been directing feature films since 1990. He is also known for his autobiographical trilogy (Tango of Yearning, Nightfall, Civil War), which he made between 1998 and 2002.
Hayao Miyazaki has created many of Japan’s most popular, beloved, and critically acclaimed animated films; Disney’s re-releases of Princess Mononoke (1999) and Spirited Away (2002) – winner of the Oscar® for Best Animated Feature – have brought him box-office success in the West.
Lee Daniels ran his own health care company at 21 before becoming a talent agent and then producer, eventually finding great success with the Oscar®-winning Monster’s Ball (2000), The Woodsman (2004), which won an award at Cannes, and directorial debut Shadowboxer (2006). This is the second feature he has directed.
Tuesday, October 13, 6:30 pm Cinestar 1 [MH1]
Friday, October 9, 3:30 pm Cinestar 4 [PN1]
Monday, October 12, 6:30 pm Cinestar 4 [PR1]
Wednesday, October 14, 1:00 pm Cinestar 1 [MH2]
Saturday, October 10, 7:00 pm Grand Abu Dhabi Mall [PN2]
Thursday, October 15, 9:15 pm Cinestar 4 [PR2]
—RS
032
Cinematographer: Andrew Dunn Editor: Joe Klotz Music: Mario Grigorov Cast: Gabourey Sidibe, Mo’Nique, Paula Patton, Mariah Carey, Sherri Shepherd, Lenny Kravitz
The Red Riding Trilogy: “One of the most ambitious works of 2009 or any recent year… a tragic achievement that surpasses that of The Godfather,” wrote famed critic David Thomson when these films (originally made for British TV) were shown for the first time on the big screen at the Telluride Film Festival in early September. Each of them is a complete work on its own, but they should be seen in chronological order for maximum impact. Adapted by Tony Grisoni (Terry Gilliam’s regular screenwriter) from David Peace’s cult crime novels, The Red Riding Trilogy is a must-see for any fan of great acting, film noir, and contemporary drama.
Red Riding 1974
18 +
18 +
UK | 2009 | 93 mins English | Color | DigiBeta Middle East Premiere
UK | 2009 | 102 mins English | Color | DigiBeta Middle East Premiere
Director: Julian Jarrold Screenwriter: Tony Grisoni Producers: Wendy Brazington, Andrew Eaton, Anita Overland Cinematographer: Rob Hardy Editor: Andrew Hulme Music: Adrian Johnston
Red Riding 1980
Cast: Andrew Garfield, David Morrissey, John Henshaw, Anthony Flanagan, Warren Clarke, Jennifer Hennessy
In this ruthless English neo-noir, directed by Julian Jarrold and set in the dreary, post-industrial landscape of 1974 northern England, someone is murdering young girls, but the police seem more interested in hounding local gypsies and Irish than solving the crimes. When a young journalist investigates, he uncovers a web of deception. —JS
Director: James Marsh Screenwriter: Tony Grisoni Producers: Wendy Brazington, Andrew Eaton, Jamie Nuttgens, Kate Ogborn, Anita Overland Cinematographer: Igor Martinovic Editor: Jinx Godfrey
Red Riding 1983
18 +
UK | 2009 | 100 mins English | Color | DigiBeta Middle East Premiere
Cast: Warren Clarke, Paddy Considine, James Fox, David Calder, Nicholas Woodeson, Ron Cook
Big-city cop Peter Hunter (Paddy Considine, Dead Man’s Shoes, in a note-perfect performance) takes up the “Yorkshire Ripper” case, but has to contend with resistance from the insulated local community. Directed by James Marsh (Man on Wire) in a cool, modernist aesthetic, Red Riding 1980 moves deeper into the shadowy world and moral ambiguity of England at the time. —JS
Director: Anand Tucker Screenwriter: Tony Grisoni Producers: Wendy Brazington, Andrew Eaton, Jamie Nuttgens, Kate Ogborn, Anita Overland Cinematographer: David Higgs Editor: Trevor Waite
Music: Barrington Pheloung Cast: David Morrissey, Lisa Howard, Chris Walker, Shaun Dooley, Jim Carter, Warren Clarke
When another young girl disappears in conditions similar to those of the 1974 murders, a hardcase detective (David Morrissey) and a slowmoving solicitor (Mark Addy) begin to realize that evil may not only be still on the loose, but flourishing. Directed by Anand Tucker, Red Riding 1983 is a fitting, chilling end to the remarkable trilogy, which has been compared to such masterworks as The Wire and The Sopranos. —JS
After working for 10 years as a BAFTA-nominated television director in the U.K., Julian Jarrold made his feature-film debut with Kinky Boots (2005), which was followed by Becoming Jane (2007), starring Anne Hathaway.
After directing a few quirky documentaries for the BBC, James Marsh ventured into feature filmmaking with Wisconsin Death Trip (1999). His successful 2007 documentary, Man on Wire, was an Oscar®, BAFTA, and Independent Spirit Award winner.
Anand Tucker, born in Bangkok, began in television as director of the hit series The Late Show. A multiple award winner, he has directed films both in the U.K. (Hilary and Jackie, 1998) and the U.S. (Shopgirl, 2005).
Friday, October 9, 10:00 pm Cinestar 3 [R74]
Saturday, October 10, 10:00 pm Cinestar 3 [R80]
Sunday, October 11, 10:00 pm Cinestar 3 [R83]
www.meiff.com
033
World Cinema Showcase
The September Issue
15 +
Tales from the Golden Age (Amintiri din epoca de aur)
G
Valentino: The Last Emperor
USA | 2009 | 90 mins English w/ Arabic Subtitles | Color | 35 mm Middle East Premiere
Romania, France | 2009 | 155 mins Romanian w/ English Subtitles | Color | 35 mm Middle East Premiere
USA | 2008 | 96 mins English, Italian, French w/ Arabic, English Subtitles | Color | 35 mm | Middle East Premiere
Director: R. J. Cutler Producers: R. J. Cutler, Robert Debitetto, Robert Sharenow Cinematographer: Robert Richman Editor: Azin Samari Music: Craig Richey
Directors: Cristian Mungiu, Răzvan Mărculescu, Hanno Höfer, Ioana Uricaru, Constantin Popescu Screenwriter: Cristian Mungiu Producers: Cristian Mungiu, Oleg Mutu Cinematographers: Liviu Marghidan, Oleg Mutu, Alexandru Sterian
Director: Matt Tyrnauer Producers: Matt Tyrnauer, Matt Kapp, Frédéric Tcheng Executive Producer: Carter Burden Cinematographer: Tom Hurwitz Editor: Bob Eisenhardt Sound: Peter Miller
Sound Recordist: Edward L. O’Connor With: Anna Wintour, Thakoon Panîchgul, André Léon Talley, Grace Coddington
As editor of Vogue, Anna Wintour is the fashion industry’s most powerful player. Each fall the magazine releases its most important issue, and its impact is greater than that of any other single publication. Filmmaker R. J. Cutler’s documentary offers a candid, revealing look at Wintour and the arduous, demanding process behind the creation of the September 2007 issue.
Editors: Dana Bunescu, Theodora Penciu, Ioana Uricaru Music: Hanno Höfer, Laco Jimi Cast: Tania Popa, Liliana Mocanu, Alexandru Potocean, Teodor Corban, Emanuel Parvu, Calin Chirila
The most acclaimed New Wave today is in full flourish in this picaresque quintet from Romania’s brightest new directors, led by Cristian Mungiu (4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days, winner of the 2007 Palme d’Or at Cannes). Five delightfully absurdist tales of life during the repressive Ceauşescu era brim with wit, camaraderie, and laughter. —JS
—AG
G
Cast: Valentino Garavani, Giancarlo Giammetti, Gwyneth Paltrow, Elizabeth Hurley, H. M. the Empress Farah Pahlavi, Vicomtesse Jacqueline de Ribes
The sparkling world of haute couture comes to life in this globetrotting portrait of fashion icon Valentino, the Italian designer who has dressed everyone from Jackie O to Princess Diana to Gwyneth Paltrow. Directed by a longtime Vanity Fair editor with remarkable access to Valentino’s luxurious world of high glamour and high living, this is a tribute not just to the lush life of fashion, but to its hard work and constant invention. —JS
An Emmy, Peabody, and GLAAD Award–winning producer and director, R. J. Cutler began his career by producing The War Room (1993) for D. A. Pennebaker and Chris Hegedus. He made his directorial debut with A Perfect Candidate (1996).
For this project, Cristian Mungiu chose his stories and enlisted fellow Romanian directors who lived through this Ceauşescu period; he also scripted Ioana Uricaru’s next short film, Malpensa. The other filmmakers include jazz and blues musician Hanno Höfer, novelist Constantin Popescu, and television commercial director, Răzvan Mărculescu.
Matt Tyrnauer studied film at Wesleyan University, but began as a writer at Spy under Graydon Carter, for whom he would work again at both the New York Observer and Vanity Fair. After an illustrious career in print, he now turns his journalistic eye to filmmaking.
Friday, October 9, 9:30 pm Emirates Palace [SE1]
Tuesday, October 13, 9:00 pm Cinestar 4 [TA1]
Friday, October 9, 7:15 pm Cinestar 1 [VA1]
Saturday, October 10, 7:15 pm Cinestar 4 [SE2]
Friday, October 16, 3:30 pm Cinestar 4 [TA2]
Monday, October 12, 4:00 pm Emirates Palace [VA2]
034
Wild Grass (Les herbes folles)
G
The Wind Journeys (Los viajes del viento)
G
Yuki & Nina
G
France, Italy | 2009 | 104 mins French w/ English Subtitles | Color | 35 mm Middle East Premiere
Colombia, Argentina, Netherlands | 2009 | 117 mins Spanish, Bantu, Wayunayky, Ikn w/ English Subtitles | Color 35 mm | Middle East Premiere
France, Japan | 2009 | 92 mins French, Japanese w/ English Subtitles | Color | 35 mm Middle East Premiere
Director: Alain Resnais Screenwriters: Alex Reval, Laurent Herbiet Producer: Jean-Louis Livi Cinematographer: Eric Gautier Music: Mark Snow Sound: Jean-Marie Blondel, Gérard Hardy, Gérard Lamps
Director / Screenwriter: Ciro Guerra Producers: Cristina Gallego, Diana Bustamante Editor: Ivan Wild Cinematographer: Paulo Andrés Pérez Music: Ivan “Tito” Ocampo
Directors / Screenwriters: Nobuhiro Suwa, Hippolyte Girardot Cinematographer: Josée Deshaies Editors: Hisaka Suwa, Laurence Briaud Music: Lily Margot, Doc Mateo
Production Designer: Jacques Saulnier Cast: Sabine Azéma, André Dussollier, Anne Consigny, Emmanuelle Devos, Mathieu Amalric, Michel Vuillermoz
In French New Wave auteur Alain Resnais’ latest film, middle-aged Georges finds the stolen handbag of Marguerite, a strong-willed dentist and pilot. This incident triggers a series of increasingly absurd scenarios, with a sense of playfulness that calls to mind recent works by Charlie Kaufman and Michel Gondry. Wild Grass is a whimsical, candy-colored fantasia that speaks to the intricacies of romance and the irrepressible vitality of love.
Cast: Marciano Martínez, Yull Núñez
An elderly musician and his teenage apprentice embark on a journey to return an accordion in this musical road trip across Colombia’s remarkable natural beauty. Through cloudcapped mountains, parched deserts, and teeming forests, the two discover the spirits, music, and culture of Colombia. —JS
Sound: Dominique Lacour, Raphaël Girardot Cast: Noë Sampy, Arielle Moutel, Tsuyu, Hippolyte Girardot, Marilyne Canto
Two little girls, one French and one Eurasian, must deal with the devastating effects of divorce in this co-directed effort by Nobuhiro Suwa and Hippolyte Girardot. When Yuki learns that her parents are separating, she and her best friend Nina devise a plan to keep the parents together. When that fails, the two flee to the woods, where magical things happen… —AG
—AG
Alain Resnais is one of France’s most distinctive and highly regarded auteurs, and a major director of the French New Wave. His films include Night and Fog (1955), Hiroshima Mon Amour (1959), and Last Year at Marienbad (1961).
After making a series of award-winning short films, Ciro Guerra directed his first feature, The Wandering Shadows (2004), which won prizes at nine international film festivals. The Wind Journeys is his second feature.
Hiroshima-born auteur Nobuhiro Suwa is best known for his studies of duality in films such as M/Other (1999) and 2/Duo (1997). Co-director Hippolyte Girardot is a French actor who has worked with such directors as Jean-Luc Godard, Claude Berri, and Arnaud Desplechin.
Wednesday, October 14, 6:30 pm Cinestar 4 [WI1]
Friday, October 9, 9:30 pm Cinestar 4 [WJ1]
Wednesday, October 14, 9:15 pm Cinestar 4 [YU1]
Thursday, October 15, 4:00 pm Grand Abu Dhabi Mall [WI2]
www.meiff.com
Friday, October 16, 7:15 pm Cinestar 4 [YU2]
035
Special Programs Master Class
Master Class
Master Classes: The Cosmic Symphony: How to Use the Original Vibrations of the Big Bang in Film Scoring and Why Modes (Maqam) from the Middle East Are a Direct Link to the Origin of the Universe Richard Horowitz and Sussan Deyhim From New Orleans Jazz to the Egyptian Hijaz David Amram Preserving the Film Heritage of the Arab World Paolo Cherchi Usai The Silent Pianist Speaks Neil Brand Special Program: “Laugh Till It Hurts”
036
Richard Horowitz and Sussan Deyhim: The Cosmic Symphony
Photo credit: Laurie Lieber
David Amram: From New Orleans Jazz to the Egyptian Hijaz
For this master class, Richard Horowitz and Sussan Deyhim will talk about their creative process, illustrated by clips from their films. They will especially highlight how their scores have been influenced by Middle Eastern music. Horowitz will explain the importance of Middle Eastern music, tracing the use of Arabic modes (maqam) back to the Big Bang to explain why the music has such a deeply moving effect on us. He will also describe the experience of having his studio on the set of Bernardo Bertolucci’s The Sheltering Sky during the shoot in Morocco and his mentorship with author Paul Bowles. Deyhim will present selections from her eight scores in collaboration with Shirin Neshat, including Turbulent in which she also starred, and will also show clips of her performances with the Polish Radio Orchestra and the Krakow Symphony.
The legendary David Amram will share his vast experience and repertoire in composing music for film. Amram brought his long commitment to fusing classical, jazz and world music, including music of the Middle East, to his score for director T. C. McLuhan’s The Frontier Gandhi: Badshah Kahn, A Torch for Peace (which is screening at MEIFF ’09 in the Documentary Feature Competition). He will discuss this work along with his classic scores, illustrated with clips from the films. Amram will also treat the audience to a mini-concert with performances on instruments used in his scores including the dumbek (Middle Eastern “chalice drum”), shenai (an Indian woodwind), and various Middle Eastern flutes. Amram’s goal is to inspire audiences to have pride in their own music and heritage while appreciating others, and to realize the fundamental harmony and unity in all music worldwide.
Composer and musician Richard Horowitz lived in Paris and Morocco for 12 years, studying Middle Eastern flute and music theory. His film soundtracks include The Sheltering Sky (Bernardo Bertolucci, 1990) and Three Seasons (Tony Bui, 1999). Composer, vocalist, and performance artist Sussan Deyhim studied dance in her native Iran, and Europe, before moving to New York and incorporating music, new vocal languages, and film into her performances. She has appeared on soundtracks including The Last Temptation of Christ (Martin Scorsese, 1988) and The Stoning of Soraya M (Cyrus Nowrasteh, 2008). The two have collaborated on recordings since 1981, including the score for Any Given Sunday (Oliver Stone, 1999) and Tobruk (Václav Marhoul, 2008), which won them the Golden Lion from the Czech Academy of Film.
David Amram is an American composer, conductor, and musician with a career spanning six decades of pioneering in many genres and working with some of the biggest names in music and film. He has mastered numerous instruments and composed hundreds of symphonies, operas, and film soundtracks. Early in his career Amram collaborated with Jack Kerouac and was one of the first musicians to combine jazz and poetry in the 1950s; during this time he also innovated the use of world influences in classical music. Later, Amram scored Pull My Daisy (Robert Frank, Alfred Leslie, 1959), Splendor in the Grass (Elia Kazan, 1961), and The Manchurian Candidate (John Frankenheimer, 1962). He has also collaborated with Leonard Bernstein, Dizzy Gillespie, Charles Mingus, Willie Nelson, and Tito Puente.
Monday, October 12, 11:00 am Festival Tent, Emirates Palace [MA1]
Tuesday, October 13, 11:00 am Festival Tent, Emirates Palace [MA2]
Master Class
Master Class
Special Program
Paolo Cherchi Usai: Preserving the Film Heritage of the Arab World
Neil Brand: The Silent Pianist Speaks
“Laugh Till It Hurts”
Digital technology has revolutionized the work of film archives and museums, allowing unprecedented access to their collections. However, digital film conservation is also a double-edged sword, in that it is much more expensive than analog conservation, and it is much less secure. Besides, many countries in the world do not have a national film archive at all. (There are only four in the entire Arab world!) What needs to be done in order to permanently preserve the images of the 20th century? It is not just a matter of technology and money, but also of political and strategic alliances among the nations. This master class will expose and discuss some of the major issues at stake.
Pianist, composer, and veteran silent film accompanist Neil Brand adds historian and raconteur to his resumé with a tribute to the filmmakers of the silent era and the musicians who brought sounds to the silents. Brand offers a unique approach to the appreciation of silent film and the art of accompaniment as he reflects on his 25-year career playing for silent cinema and illustrates the art of movie music by improvising for clips and providing his own live commentary. It is a program of history, commentary, music and movies, filled with humor and stories from the orchestra pit as told by one of the world’s leading silent film accompanists.
It is always a joy as a pianist to fly on the coattails of these comic geniuses – my music is improvised and so different every performance – but always, with films of this caliber and the sound of an audience laughing as hard as it can, the experience of film and music working together is as good as it gets.
—Paolo Cherchi Usai
—SA
G
—Neil Brand Four greats of silent two-reel comedy are celebrated in this program: the comic poetry of Charlie Chaplin in The Immigrant (1916); the ingeniously constructed gags of Buster Keaton in One Week (1920); the dapper urban charm of Charley Chase in Mighty Like a Moose (1926); and the innovative and surreal creations of Charles Bowers in Egged On (1926). All with live keyboard accompaniment by Neil Brand. —SA
Paolo Cherchi Usai is Director of the Haghefilm Foundation in Amsterdam. Co-founder of the L. Jeffrey Selznick School of Film Preservation at George Eastman House in Rochester, New York, and of the Pordenone Silent Film Festival in Italy, he is author of Silent Cinema, An Introduction and the experimental feature film Passio (2007), adapted from his book The Death of Cinema. His latest book is Film Curatorship: Archives, Museums, and the Digital Marketplace, co-authored with David Francis, Alexander Horwarth, and Michael Loebenstein.
Neil Brand has been playing piano for silent movies for 25 years and is one of the leading professionals in the art of improvised silent film accompaniment. In addition to the many silent shorts and features he has scored and performed for live showings and DVD releases, he has composed scores for numerous films, TV and radio programs, and theater productions, written two awardwinning musicals, and scripted eight radio plays, including a biographical drama about Stan Laurel.
The Immigrant Charles Chaplin | USA | 1916 One Week Buster Keaton | USA | 1920 Mighty Like a Moose Leo McCarey | USA | 1926 Egged On Charles R. Bowers, Harold Muller | USA | 1926 Duration: 86 mins.
Presented in association with
Wednesday, October 14, 11:00 am Festival Tent, Emirates Palace [MA3]
www.meiff.com
Thursday, October 15, 11:00 am Festival Tent, Emirates Palace [MA4]
Friday, October 16, 4:00 pm Cinestar 5 [LH1]
037
“What in the World Are We Doing to Our World?” The Age of Stupid Franny Armstrong This film is also part of the Documentary Feature Competition − see description on page 24.
Chameleon Beach Adam Schmedes The Cove Louie Psihoyos This film is also part of the Documentary Feature Competition − see description on page 26.
Earth Whisperers Mother Earth Kathleen Gallagher Food, Inc. Robert Kenner The Gift of Pachamama Toshifumi Matsushita Plastic Planet Werner Boote
Chameleon Beach (Kamaeleonernes Strand)
G
Denmark | 2008 | 52 mins English | Color | DigiBeta Middle East Premiere
Director: Adam Schmedes Screenwriters: Adam Schmedes, Peter I. Lauridsen Cinematographers: Adam Schmedes, Toby Strong, Frej Schmedes
G
New Zealand | 2009 | 73 mins English | Color | HDCAM International Premiere
Editors: Gael Hemery, Jes Paul, Bor Thierry Music: Nicklas Schmidt, Jes Paul, Morten Alfred Hoirup Narrator: Linford Brown
Remarkable high-definition photography gets viewers up-close-and-personal with a lovable group of African chameleons on a Mediterranean beach in this absorbing nature documentary. This March of the Penguins on sand, not ice, captures never-before-seen moments in nature with breathtaking intimacy and beauty, and showcases some remarkable creatures. —JS
038
Earth Whisperers Mother Earth (Earth Whisperers Papatuanuku)
Director / Screenwriter: Kathleen Gallagher Cinematographers: Alun Bollinger, Mike Single Editors: Gaylene Barnes, Richard Lord Music: Aroha Yates-Smith, Richard Nunns, Bob Bickerton
Sound: Tim Brott With: Rita Tupe, Craig Potton, Isla Burgess, Gerry Findlay, Alan Mark, Hugh Wilson, Jim O’Gorman, Charles Royal, Kay Baxter, Makere Ruka
The environmental documentary Earth Whisperers Mother Earth focuses on ten visionary New Zealanders who set out to prove that a shift in consciousness can have a healing effect on our environment. Poignant, moving, and beautifully shot, it is a powerful demonstration of what can be achieved through belief, dedication, and passion. —AG
Taking a new approach to wildlife and science documentaries, Adam Schmedes creates a sense of identification by following a single animal throughout his films and viewing modern society from the animal’s point of view.
A published poet and playwright in New Zealand and Australia, Kathleen Gallagher came to prominence in 2000 with her short Jimmy Sullivan. Her 2004 documentary Breath of Peace won the Sonja Davies Peace Award.
Tuesday, October 13, 7:00 pm Cinestar 3 [CH1]
Monday, October 12, 7:15 pm Cinestar 3 [EA1]
Friday, October 16, 4:15 pm Cinestar 3 [CH2]
Tuesday, October 13, 4:30 pm Cinestar 2 [EA2]
Food, Inc.
15 +
The Gift of Pachamama (El regalo de la pachamama)
G
Plastic Planet
G
Bolivia, Japan, USA | 2008 | 102 mins Quechua w/ English Subtitles | Color | DigiBeta Middle East Premiere
Austria | 2009 | 96 mins English | Color | 35 mm Middle East Premiere
Director / Producer / Story: Toshifumi Matsushita Cast: Christian Huaygua, Fanny Mosques, Francisco Gutiez, Luis Mamani
Director/ Screenwriter: Werner Boote Producers: Thomas Bogner, Daniel Zuta Cinematographer: Thomas Kirschner Editors: Ilana Goldschmidt, Tom Pohanka, Cordula Werner
Experts Michael Pollan (The Omnivore’s Dilemma) and Eric Schlosser (Fast Food Nation) anchor this stomach-churning, fast-paced examination of the big business behind your food, which will definitely change the way you look at (and for) your next meal. Scarier than any horror film, Food, Inc. is alarming, inspirational, and utterly essential for everyone who, well, eats.
The indigenous culture and traditions of the Andean Quechua people are brought to life in this loving environmental fable for children, set amidst the salt fields and mountain villages of Bolivia’s spectacular altiplano. A young boy travels across Bolivia with a salt caravan, discovering its ancient cultures, traditional rituals, and immense spirituality.
Forget the Stone Age, welcome to the Plastic Age. Personable filmmaker Werner Boote hosts this wry, alarming journey across Europe, China, the United States, and India to discover that most omnipresent, long-lasting of all substances − plastic − and how it may very well be taking over the earth. Music by The Orb.
—JS
—JS
Robert Kenner has been writing, producing, and directing documentaries that explore the history and social issues of the United States for 25 years, winning multiple awards for his work on The American Experience and for National Geographic.
Toshifumi Matsushita studied law in Japan and film at New York University while working in the Japanese film industry as a producer. Eventually he founded his own company, Dolphin Productions. His short documentaries Big Chief (1992) and Voodoo Kingdom (1997) won awards at the Tokyo Video Festival.
Werner Boote, born in 1965 in Vienna, was an assistant director for Robert Dornhelm and Ulrich Seidl for many years. Since 1993 he has been writing and directing films focusing primarily on music and the arts.
Friday, October 16, 6:30 pm Cinestar 3 [FO1]
Wednesday, October 14, 7:00 pm Cinestar 3 [GI1]
Thursday, October 15, 7:15 pm Cinestar 3 [PL1]
Saturday, October 17, 1:00 pm Cinestar 2 [FO2]
Thursday, October 15, 1:00 pm Cinestar 2 [GI2]
Friday, October 16, 1:00 pm Cinestar 2 [PL2]
USA | 2008 | 93 mins English | Color | HDCAM Middle East Premiere
Director: Robert Kenner Producers: Robert Kenner, Elise Pearlstein Executive Producers: William Pohlad, Robin Schorr, Jeff Skoll, Diane Weyermann Cinematographer: Richard Pearce
www.meiff.com
Editor: Kim Roberts Music: Mark Adler With: Eric Schlosser, Michael Pollan, Gary Hirshberg, Joel Salatin
Music: The Orb With: Werner Boote, Theo Colborn, Fred Vom Saal, Margot Wallstrom
—JS
039
New Cinema from Turkey
10 to 11 Pelin Esmer This film also is part of the Narrative Feature Competition − see description on page 18.
Autumn Özcan Alper Dot Derviş Zaim Milk Semih Kaplanoğlu My Only Sunshine Reha Erdem
Autumn (Sonbahar)
On the Way to School Orhan Eskiköy, Özgür Doğan
Turkey, Germany | 2008 | 106 mins Turkish, Georgian, Hemshin w/ English Subtitles | Color | 35 mm Gulf Premiere
Turkey | 2009 | 78 mins Turkish w/ English Subtitles | Color | 35 mm Gulf Premiere
Director / Screenwriter: Özcan Alper Producer: F. Serkan Acar Cinematographer: Feza Çaldıran Editor: Thomas Balkenhol Music: Yuri Rydahencko, Ayşenur Kolivar, Sumru Ağıryürüyen
Director / Screenwriter: Derviş Zaim Producers: Baran Seyhan, Derviş Zaim Cinematographer: Ercan Yılmaz Music: Mazlum Çimen
This film is also part of the Documentary Feature Competition − see description on page 28.
Pandora’s Box Yeşim Ustaoğlu Summer Book Seyfi Teoman Wrong Rosary Mahmut Fazıl Coşkun
The initial screening of six of the features will be preceded by a short film from Turkey, as noted below. Death of the Poet Elif Ergezen [before Autumn]
G
Cast: Onur Saylak, Megi Kobaladze, Raife Yenigül, Serkan Keskin, Nino Lejava, Arda Diraz
Dot (Nokta)
G
Cast: Numan Acar, Cem Aksakal, Begüm Birgören Bayazıt Gülercan, Nadi Güler, Hikmet Karagöz, Serhat Kılıç, Şener Kökkaya, Mehmet Ali Nuroğlu, Settar Tanrıöğen, Mustafa Uzunyılmaz
Set against the backdrop of fall in the mountains of the Black Sea region, Autumn is a meditation on the prolonged loss of a young life. The film follows Yusuf, who finally returns home after he is released from prison on medical grounds. An exceptionally modest and lyrical first feature by Özcan Alper, Autumn leaves a solid mark on contemporary cinema in Turkey.
Dot is the absorbing fifth feature by Derviş Zaim. The narrative concerns a gifted young calligrapher who becomes involved in the theft of a valuable ancient Quran, but the film stands out as a visual experiment. Its stark imagery is set entirely against the white backdrop of a salt lake, and its strong style imitates ihcam, a calligraphy technique in Islamic arts.
—ÖG
—ÖG
Özcan Alper, born in 1975, made his first short, Grandmother (2001), entirely in Hemshin, an Armenian dialect spoken in northeast Turkey. It won several awards, which enabled him to make Autumn, his first feature film.
Born in 1964, Derviş Zaim won several national and international awards for his first feature, Somersault in a Coffin (1996). He currently teaches film at Istanbul Bilgi and Bosphorus Universities.
Friday, October 9, 4:15 pm Cinestar 1 [AU1] > Preceded by the short Death of the Poet | 18 mins
Tuesday, October 13, 9:15 pm Cinestar 3 [DO1] > Preceded by the short Turnout | 15 mins
Saturday, October 10, 9:45 pm Grand Abu Dhabi Mall [AU2]
Wednesday, October 14, 9:45 pm Grand Abu Dhabi Mall [DO2]
Milk and Chocolate Senem Tüzen [before Summer Book] The Sacrifice Ali Betil [before Wrong Rosary] Semolina Halva Ezgi Kaplan [before Pandora’s Box] Turnout Fırat Mançuhan [before Dot] The Waiting Emine Emel Balcı [before Milk] Programmers for New Cinema from Turkey: Senem Aytaç, Gözde Onaran, Altyazı Monthly Cinema Magazine Writers for New Cinema from Turkey synopses: Gülengül Altıntaş, Abbas Bozkurt, Ayşa Ciftçi, Zeynep Dadak, Berke Göl, Övgü Gökçe, Fırat Yücel.
040
Milk (Süt)
15+
My Only Sunshine (Hayat Var)
15 +
Pandora’s Box (Pandora’nın Kutusu)
Turkey, France, Germany | 2008 | 102 mins Turkish w/ English Subtitles | Color | 35 mm Gulf Premiere
Turkey, Bulgaria, Greece | 2008 | 121 mins Turkish w/ English Subtitles | Color | 35 mm Gulf Premiere
Turkey, France, Germany, Belgium | 2008 | 112 mins Turkish w/ English Subtitles | Color | 35 mm Gulf Premiere
Director / Producer: Semih Kaplanoğlu Screenwriter: Semih Kaplanoğlu, Orçun Köksal Cinematographer: Özgür Eken Editor: François Quiqueré Sound Designer: Marc Nouyrigat Cast: Melih Selçuk, Başak Köklükaya
Director / Screenwriter / Editor: Reha Erdem Cinematographer: Florent Herry Music: Orhan Gencebay Production Designer: Ömer Atay
Director: Yeşim Ustaoğlu Screenwriters: Yeşim Ustaoğlu, Sema Kaygusuz Cinematographer: Jacques Besse Editor: Franck Nakache Music: Jean-Pierre Mas
Milk, the second film in Semih Kaplanoğlu’s “Yusuf Trilogy,” tells the story of young Yusuf’s internal struggle over leaving home. Although he is dependent on his home, his routine, and what is secure and well-known to him, Yusuf also desires to get away from the familiar, to face the “new” that is hidden behind the mountains and buildings of his hometown.
My Only Sunshine marks the fullest realization yet of Reha Erdem’s unusual style. The seemingly familiar story of a 14-year-old girl turns uncanny through Erdem’s expert manipulation of the soundtrack. As the teenage girl attempts to cope with the lack of love around her, an impossible mix of sounds guarantees the novelty of both the experience and the emotional response that this film provides.
—FY
Cast: Önder Açıkbaş, Levent Yılmaz, Elit İşcan, Erdal Beşikçioğlu
—AB
G
Production Designers: Elif Taşçıoğlu, Serdar Yılmaz Cast: Tsilla Chelton, Derya Alabora, Onur Ünsal, Osman Sonant, Övül Avkıran, Tayfun Bademsoy, Nazmi Kırık
Three adult siblings set out on a journey from Istanbul to Turkey’s Black Sea Region, hoping to find their aging mother, who is reportedly lost in the mountains surrounding her village. Instead of the expected generational dramatics, the film shifts course to show the unusual bond that develops between the grandmother and her urban teenage grandson, a genuine and unbiased human connection. Pandora’s Box won the Grand Prize at the San Sebastian Film Festival. —ZD
In addition to filmmaking, Semih Kaplanoğlu (born in 1963) has published numerous articles on contemporary art and cinema, and from 1996 to 2000 wrote a column entitled “Encounters” for the national daily Radikal.
Reha Erdem, born in 1960, graduated from Paris 8 University with a degree in film studies, and then a M.A. in plastic arts. He shot his first feature-length film, the French–Turkish co-production Oh Moon, in 1989. His 2006 feature Times and Winds earned international acclaim.
After making several award-winning shorts in Turkey, Yeşim Ustaoğlu made her feature film debut with The Trace (1994). She also received recognition for her 1999 film Journey to the Sun, which won many festival awards.
Sunday, October 11, 6:30 pm Cinestar 1 [MI1] > Preceded by the short The Waiting | 15 mins
Sunday, October 11, 9:15 pm Cinestar 4 [MY1]
Wednesday, October 14, 9:45 pm Cinestar 3 [PA1] > Preceded by the short Semolina Halva | 11 mins
Tuesday, October 13, 7:00 pm Grand Abu Dhabi Mall [MI2]
www.meiff.com
Monday, October 12, 7:00 pm Grand Abu Dhabi Mall [MY2]
Thursday, October 15, 6:30 pm Grand Abu Dhabi Mall [PA2]
041
New Cinema from Turkey
Summer Book (Tatil Kitabı)
G
Wrong Rosary (Uzak Ihtimal)
G
Turkey | 2008 | 92 mins Turkish w/ English Subtitles | Color | 35 mm Gulf Premiere
Turkey | 2009 | 93 mins Turkish w/ English Subtitles | Color | 35 mm UAE Premiere
Director / Screenwriter: Seyfi Teoman Cinematographer: Arnau Valls Colomer Editor: Çiçek Kahraman Sound: İsmail Karadaş
Director: Mahmut Fazıl Coşkun Screenwriters: Tarık Tufan, Görkem Yeltan, Bektaş Topaloğlu, Cinematographer: Refik Çakar Editor: Çiçek Kahraman Music: Rahman Altın
Cast: Taner Birsel, Tayfun Günay, Harun Özüağ, Ayten Tökün, Osman İnan
Cast: Nadir Sarıbacak, Görkem Yeltan, Ersan Uysal
Bearing the autobiographical stamp of Seyfi Teoman, Summer Book looks at life in the provinces from the inside and tries to come to terms with it. After the patriarch dies, leaving questions about some missing money and a mysterious mistress, ten-year-old Ali, his brother Veysel, and their uncle Hasan will all have to spend a long, hot summer making some serious choices about their lives.
Wrong Rosary tells a slow-paced, simple story of a young muezzin who gets appointed to İstanbul, where he falls in love with a Catholic woman. Unlike its predecessors, which typically discuss the complex and ever-changing role that religion plays in contemporary Turkey’s problematic process of westernization, Wrong Rosary does not present faith as a source of constant battle, and therein lies its significance.
—GA
—BG
Seyfi Teoman, born in Kayseri, Turkey, in 1977, studied at the Polish National Film School in Lodz. He is working on his second feature, Our Grand Despair, which was selected to the 2009 Cannes Film Festival’s L’Atelier.
Mahmut Fazıl Coşkun was born in 1973, studied film at the University of California, Los Angeles, and received his Master’s degree from Istanbul Bilgi University. He works professionally as a documentary and commercial director.
Saturday, October 10, 6:30 pm Cinestar 1 [SU1] > Preceded by the short Milk and Chocolate | 22 mins
Monday, October 12, 9:30 pm Cinestar 1 [WR1] > Preceded by the short The Sacrifice | 17 mins
Tuesday, October 13, 9:45 pm Grand Abu Dhabi Mall [SU2]
Wednesday, October 14, 7:00 pm Grand Abu Dhabi Mall [WR2]
042
Short Film Competition Program 1: MYSTERY Total running time: 119 mins.
G
Program 2: EMOTION Total running time: 137 mins.
G
“Short films go to the heart of creation. In the art of short film anything is possible. In our contemporary world surrounded by images, short filmmakers combine imagination and talent to create a fresh point of view on our dynamic universe. These often unheralded cinema talents gather all their energy to express themselves with a unique perspective on our global society. Discover original and exciting short films from all over the world.” – Alice Kharoubi MEIFF Short Film Programmer Competition Program 1 – Mystery Focus on something strange. Life becomes crazy in the flicker of an eye. Program 2 – Emotion What moves us deeply can also bring us closer together. Program 3 – Struggle Personal struggles can remind us how to savor life.
Aqualorious!
Fatenah
Denmark | 2009 | 13 mins Danish w/ English Subtitles | Color | DigiBeta
Palestine | 2009 | 30 mins Arabic, English, Hebrew w/ English Subtitles | Color | DigiBeta
Babel
The First Film
France, China | 2009 | 16 mins No Dialogue | Color | HDCAM
Iran | 2009 | 24 mins Farsi w/ English Subtitles | Color | DigiBeta
Careful with that Power Tool
Mother (Matka)
New Zealand | 2009 | 3 mins No Dialogue | Color | 35 mm
Poland | 2009 | 11 mins Polish w/ English Subtitles | Color | HDCAM
Glory at Sea
The Other Ones (De Andre)
USA | 2008 | 25 mins English | Color | HDCAM
Norway | 2009 | 18 mins Norwegian w/ English Subtitles | Color | 35 mm
Nikolaj Tarp
Hendrick Dusollier
Jason Stutter
Benh Zeitlin
The Herd
Ken Wardrop
Ireland | 2009 | 5 mins English | Color | DigiBeta
Student Short Competition Experience short films directed by students from all over the world. Exploring universal themes, these fresh and dynamic short films will embark you on a journey through Life. These programs reveal new filmmaking talent perhaps destined for a brilliant future.
Ahmad Habash
Panah Panahi
Jakub Piatek
Hisham Zaman
She the Policeman Maryam Jum’a
Jordan | 2009 | 14 mins Arabic w/ English Subtitles | Color | DigiBeta
Home
The Six Dollar Fifty Man
USA | 2009 | 6 mins English | Color | HDCAM
New Zealand | 2009 | 15 mins English | Color | 35 mm
The Taxidermist
Spring 89 (Rabie 89)
UK | 2009 | 22 mins English | Color | HDCAM
Egypt | 2009 | 25 mins Arabic w/ English Subtitles | Color | DigiBeta
Matt Faust
Bert & Bertie
Mark Albiston & Louis Sutherland
Ayten Amin
Three Sisters and Andrey
Boris Despodov, Andrey Paounov Bulgaria, Germany | 2009 | 14 mins No Dialogue | Color | 35 mm
Tripoli, Quiet (Trablos Al-Hada) Rania Attieh, Daniel Garcia
Lebanon | 2009 | 15 mins Arabic w/ English Subtitles | Color | HDCAM
www.meiff.com
Friday, October 9, 7:00 pm Cinestar 3 [C11]
Saturday, October 10, 7:00 pm Cinestar 3 [C21]
Saturday, October 10, 3:45 pm Cinestar 2 [C12]
Sunday, October 11, 3:30 pm Cinestar 2 [C22]
043
Program 3: STRUGGLE Total running time: 117 mins.
G
Student Program 1 Total running time: 82 mins.
G
Student Program 2 Total running time: 115 mins.
Ata
The Grave-Diggers (Grobari)
Anna
Turkey, France | 2008 | 26 mins Turkish, Uyghur, French w/ English Subtitles | Color | 35 mm
Poland | 2008 | 8 mins Serbian w/ English Subtitles | Color | 35 mm
Denmark | 2009 | 36 mins Danish w/ English Subtitles | Color | 35 mm
Diplomacy
Our Neck of the Woods
Kasia
USA | 2009 | 9 mins English, Farsi w/ English Subtitles | Color | HDCAM
USA | 2009 | 17 mins English | Color | HDCAM
Belgium | 2008 | 10 mins French w/ English Subtitles | Color | DigiBeta
The Employment (El empleo)
The Passage (Tee)
Kavi
Argentina | 2008 | 6 mins No Dialogue | Color | 35 mm
Estonia, France | 2009 | 13 mins Estonian w/ English Subtitles | Color | DigiBeta
India, USA | 2008 | 19 mins Hindi w/ English Subtitles | Color | 35 mm
Çağla Zencirci, Guillaume Giovanetti
Jon Goldman
Santiago “Bou” Grasso
Bartek Cierlica
Rob Connolly
Pirkko Runnel
Runar Runarsson
Elisabet Llado
Gregg Helvey
Kidnap Factory
A Road Apart
Surprise (Surpriz)
Iraq | 2009 | 7 mins Kurdish w/ English Subtitles | Color | DigiBeta
UK | 2008 | 21 mins English | Color | 35 mm
Russia | 2008 | 21 mins Russian w/ Arabic, English Subtitles | Color | 35 mm
Members of the Resistance
Schautag
Under Construction (Chantier)
Iran | 2008 | 15 mins Farsi, Gilaki w/ English Subtitles | Color | DigiBeta
Germany | 2008 | 23 mins German w/ English Subtitles | Color | DigiBeta
France | 2009 | 29 mins French w/ English Subtitles | Color | DigiBeta
Ravin Asaf
Pegah Ghaemi
Olivier Kaempfer
Marvin Kren
Elena Bychkova
Damien Dufresne
A Pleasant Opportunity to Choose Dmitri Dyachenko
Russia | 2009 | 10 mins Russian w/ English Subtitles | Color | 35 mm
To the Sea (Ella Al Bahr) Ahmed Magdy
Egypt | 2009 | 22 mins Arabic w/ English Subtitles | Color | DigiBeta
Wagah
Supriyo Sen Pakistan, India, Germany | 2009 | 13 mins Farsi, Urdu, Hindi w/ English Subtitles | Color | 35 mm
Walls
Saad Jasim Iraq | 2009 | 9 mins Arabic w/ English Subtitles | Color | DigiBeta
Sunday, October 11, 7 pm Cinestar 3 [C31]
Monday, October 12, 4:15 pm Cinestar 2 [S11]
Tuesday, October 13, 1:30 pm Cinestar 2 [S21]
Monday, October 12, 3:45 pm Cinestar 3 [C32]
Tuesday, October 13, 4:15 pm Cinestar 3 [S12]
Wednesday, October 14, 12:45 pm Cinestar 2 [S22]
044
15+
Meet the Directors of the Short Films
www.meiff.com
Mark Albiston The Six Dollar Fifty Man
Ayten Amin Spring 89
Ravin Asaf Kidnap Factory
Rania Attieh Tripoli, Quiet
Emine Emel Balcı The Waiting
Bert & Bertie The Taxidermist
Ali Betil The Sacrifice
Elena Bychkova Surprise
Bartek Cierlica The Grave-Diggers
Rob Connolly Our Neck of the Woods
Boris Despodov Three Sisters and Andrey
Dmitri Dyachenko A Pleasant Opportunity to Choose
Damien Dufresne Under Construction
Hendrick Dusollier Babel
Elif Ergezen Death of the Poet
Matt Faust Home
Daniel Garcia Tripoli, Quiet
Pegah Ghaemi Members of the Resistance
Guillaume Giovanetti Ata
Jon Goldman Diplomacy
Santiago “Bou” Grasso The Employment
Ahmad Habash Fatenah
Gregg Helvey Kavi
Maryam Jum’a She the Policeman
Olivier Kaempfer A Road Apart
Ezgi Kaplan Semolina Halva
Marvin Kren Schautag
Elisabet Llado Kasia
Ahmed Magdy To the Sea
Fırat Mançuhan Turnout
Saad Jasim Walls
Panah Panahi The First Film
Andrey Paounov Three Sisters and Andrey
Jakub Piatek Mother
Runar Runarsson Anna
Pirkko Runnel The Passage
Supriyo Sen Wagah
Jason Stutter Careful with that Power Tool
Louis Sutherland The Six Dollar Fifty Man
Nikolaj Tarp Aqualorious!
Senem Tüzen Milk and Chocolate
Ken Wardrop The Herd
Hisham Zaman The Other Ones
Benh Zeitlin Glory at Sea
Çağla Zencirci Ata
045
Emirates Film Competition
Program 1: Shorts - UAE Competition
G
Total running time: 94 mins
The Abu Dhabi Film Commission is pleased to present the 9th Emirates Film Competition, which aims to encourage the production of short, feature, documentary, and animated films by Emirati filmmakers. It also provides an opportunity for Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) nationals and non-nationals to discuss and share their work with each other, as well as participate in short master classes and workshops. Through a number of funding initiatives, travel bursaries to film festivals and assistance with distribution, the Emirates Film Competition will continue to provide production opportunities for emerging Emirati filmmakers who have completed a short, feature, or documentary film.
Al Hamra Island in the Eyes of Emirati Filmmakers (Al-Jazeera Al Hamraa Fi Oyoun Al Cinamaiyeen Al Emaratiyeen)
Ahmed Zain & Ahmed Arshi UAE | 2009 | 25 mins Arabic w/ English Subtitles | Color | HDCAM UAE Premiere
Program 2: Shorts - GCC Competition
Three Men & a Woman (Thalath Rigaal Wa Imraa)
Abedel Muhsen Al Dhabaan
Saudi Arabia | 2009 | 13 mins Arabic w/ English Subtitles | Color | MiniDV World Premiere
Young Sadness (Ahzan Sagheera)
Whiteness (Bayad)
UAE | 2009 | 15 mins Arabic w/ English Subtitles | Color | DigiBeta UAE Premiere
Oman | 2009 | 9 mins Arabic w/ English Subtitles | Color | HDCAM World Premiere
Paradise Evening (Masaa’ Al Jannah)
Burning Flowers (Azhar Tahtareq)
UAE | 2009 | 19 mins Arabic w/ English Subtitles | Color | HDCAM World Premiere
Bahrain | 2009 | 23 mins Arabic w/ English Subtitles | Color | DigiBeta World Premiere
Crossing (Uboor)
Whispers of Sin (Hamasat Al Khatela)
UAE | 2009 | 4 mins Arabic w/ English Subtitles | Color | HDCAM World Premiere
Kuwait | 2009 | 31 mins Color | HDCAM World Premiere
Key (Miftah)
Yassin
UAE | 2009 | 16 mins Arabic w/ English Subtitles | Color | HDCAM UAE Premiere
Bahrain | 2009 | 25 mins Arabic w/ English Subtitles | Color | HDCAM World Premiere
Hani Al Shaibani
Juma Al Sahili
Ali Jamal
Ahmed Zain
Khaled Al Kalbani
Mohammed Ibrahim Mohammed
Abdulrahman Al Khalifi
Gamal Al Gheilan
Temporary Drought (Jafaf Mo’aqat) Yasser Saeed Al Neyadi
UAE | 2009 | 15 mins Arabic w/ English Subtitles | Color | HDCAM UAE Premiere
Monday, October 12, 1:15 pm Cinestar 3 [EC1]
046
G
Total running time: 101 mins
Tuesday, October 13, 1:15 pm Cinestar 3 [EC2]
Program 3: Features Competition
G
Total running time: 108 mins
Program 4: Features Competition
The Hotel (Al Fundoq)
The Fifth Chamber Ouija (Al Ghurfa Al Khamisa)
UAE | 2009 | 57 mins Arabic w/ English Subtitles | Color | DigiBeta World Premiere
Maher Al Khaja
Hani Al Shaibani
Our Right to Ride (Haqana Fi Alforosiyya)
18+
Total running time: 128 mins
UAE | 2008 | 128 mins Arabic w/ English Subtitles | Color | HDCAM World Premiere
Hanan Al Mohairi
UAE | 2009 | 51 mins Arabic w/ English Subtitles | Color | HDCAM Middle East Premiere
Wednesday, October 14, 1:15 pm Cinestar 3 [EC3]
www.meiff.com
Thurday, October 15, 1:15 pm Cinestar 3 [EC4]
047
The Festival Tent and Special Events MEIFF Festival Tent
MEIFF Industry Initiative
The Circle
The MEIFF Festival Tent is open to all festival guests and to the public from noon to 2 am. The Tent is located on the main terrace behind the Emirates Palace Hotel, overlooking the hotel’s gardens, private beach, and the Arabian Gulf.
In addition to offering an exciting program of films for local audiences, MEIFF is also dedicated to supporting and shaping the region’s film industry. This year MEIFF has invited film industry professionals from all over the world to attend the festival and discover what Abu Dhabi has to offer. MEIFF’s industry activities give film professionals the chance to see new works of filmmakers from the Middle East and to meet and network with local filmmakers and producers to forge alliances for future collaborations.
Abu Dhabi Film Commission in conjunction with MEIFF presents The Circle Conference 2009. The Circle is a development initiative aimed at creating new filmmaking opportunities in the Middle East. The Circle Conference brings together top producers, financiers, executives, and filmmakers from around the world.
October 8-17
The crossroads of the festival, the Tent serves as the location for many MEIFF events. including master classes and special screenings. In addition, the Tent offers hospitality in the best tradition of Abu Dhabi. The various rooms of the Tent, along with its outdoor veranda, have spaces to relax, lounge, and enjoy live music and entertainment, DJs, refreshments, high-tech screening rooms, and much more to be announced throughout the festival. For more information on the Tent, visit www.meiff.com.
048
October 8-17
MEIFF’s industry program complements Abu Dhabi’s other film initiatives − Abu Dhabi Film Commission, Imagenation, and twofour54 − to affirm the key place Abu Dhabi holds as an emerging cultural center, to foster the growth of its local and regional film community, and to promote Abu Dhabi as a key player on the international film scene.
October 9-11
The international entertainment community comes to Abu Dhabi to share their knowledge in The Circle with events such as Panel Discussions, Master Classes, Collaboration Lunches, and the Shasha Grant Pitch Competition. The Circle Conference 2009 is presented in partnership with Imagenation Abu Dhabi.
MEIFF Production Grants
In the process of scouting and screening films for the 2009 edition of the Festival, MEIFF’s programmers came across a number of projects that showed a great deal of promise but were held up in their final stages since they lacked sufficient funds to be completed. Having already made a commitment to increasing the Festival’s role in supporting filmmakers from the region, the team began consulting with industry professionals with experience in producing films in the Middle East and came to the conclusion that a new grant initiative would fill a need that was not being met by national and international funding organizations. What has emerged is a pilot version of a grantgiving program that this year has awarded three outstanding young filmmakers – from Iraq, Palestine, and Lebanon – with funds that will allow them to complete their projects. MEIFF is very proud to be showing all three in this year’s program. Son of Babylon (Ibn Babil) by Mohamed Al-Daradji (Iraq/UK/ France/Palestine/Netherlands/UAE/Qatar) screens as a world premiere in the Narrative Feature Competition. See page 22. Port of Memory (Minaa Elzakira) by Kamal Aljafari (Palestine/ UAE) screens as a world premiere in the Documentary Feature Competition. See page 28.
In December 2009, MEIFF will announce the complete Rules & Regulations for the 2010 edition of the Production Grants. At that time, an online entry form will be available for filmmakers wishing to submit their projects. Countries eligible for the grants will include Algeria, Bahrain, Comoros Islands, Djibouti, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, Turkey, UAE, and Yemen. The submissions will be reviewed by a world-class jury to be announced in December 2009 as well, and ten films will be selected to compete for the grants in the 2010 edition of MEIFF. MEIFF will also begin exploring with strategic partners in Abu Dhabi and abroad the creation of a production fund to support the development of the local and regional film industry, as well as, to encourage filmmakers from around the world to discover the possibilities available in Abu Dhabi and the UAE. The selection committee for this year’s grants was comprised of MEIFF programmers Rasha Salti, Intishal Al-Timimi, Teresa Cavina and Kellen Quinn, and was overseen by MEIFF Executive Director Peter Scarlet and Eissa Al-Mazrouei, MEIFF Project Manager for Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture and Heritage.
We Were Communists (Shyoaeen Kounna) by Maher Abi Samra (Lebanon/France) screens as a work in progress out of competition. See page 29. The films were selected based on their originality of vision and approach, poetic expression, artistic potential, and strength of story. Funding for the program was drawn from the Festival’s $1 million total prize money as part of a greater effort to reallocate some of the generous cash awards in a manner consistent with MEIFF’s aim to nurture the development of an ever-stronger film industry in the region.
www.meiff.com
049
MEIFF Board of Directors and Senior Team Board of Directors
H. E. Sheikh Sultan bin Tahnoon Al Nahyan Chairman, MEIFF
H. E. Mohamed Khalaf Al-Mazrouei Vice-Chairman, MEIFF
Eissa Saif Al-Mazrouei Project Director, MEIFF
Peter Scarlet (ex officio) Executive Director, MEIFF
Nashwa Al Ruwaini Advisor, MEIFF
Abdulla Al Amiri Director of Arts & Culture Department, ADACH
Senior Team Kellen Quinn Executive Coordinator
050
Huda Al Shamsi Marketing and Sponsorship Director
Amal Abdulla Bin Karam Public Relations Director
MEIFF Team By Department Programming
Industry
Teresa Cavina, Senior Advisor Özge Baykan, Programming Manager Intishal Al Timimi, Programmer – Arab Cinema Rasha Salti, Programmer – Arab Cinema Denis DeLaRoca, Programmer – Latin American Cinema Alice Kharoubi, Programmer – Shorts Adrienne Mancia, Programming Consultant Djeneba Diaby, Programming Consultant Gerson da Cunha, Programming Consultant Silvia Bizio, Programming Consultant
Rashmi Lamba, Industry Manager Oksana Shumylo, Industry Coordinator Sarah Mason, Industry Coordinator
Administration Nicole Guillemet, Senior Advisor Tara Waugh, Administrative Director Fariba Sumanska, Festival Coordinator Kussai Al Tilouny, Festival Production Assistant Jeanette Issa, Senior Administrative Coordinator Amer El Sbiei, Administrative Assistant Ritu Bharadwaja, Personnel Manager Charles Eldridge, Personnel Coordinator Kathlyn Lewis, Volunteer Manager Nour El Zahn, Senior Volunteer Assistant Waleed Mohamed Eshaghi, Volunteer Assistant James Dutcher, IT Consultant Mohamad Hijazi, IT Manager Basel Abu Farsi, IT Assistant Filmmaker Services Alyssa Orvis, Filmmaker Services Manager Nagila Guimaraes, Senior Filmmaker Liaison Loubna Abargh, Filmmaker Liaison Diala Al Eid, Filmmaker Liaison Stephanie Fischette, Filmmaker Liaison C. Josephine Hagerty, Filmmaker Services Assistant Marwan Ismail, Filmmaker Services Assistant Virginny Tassart, Filmmaker Services Assistant Charlotte Youlten, Filmmaker Services Assistant Guest Services Taghreed Radwan, Guest Services Manager Benjamin Wilkins, Assistant Guest Services Manager Dana Sawan, Guest Services Administrator Naim Jarjour, Accommodation Coordinator Ibrahim Dahbour, Air Travel Coordinator Rawad Tarabay, Reservation Administrator Mohamad Dahche, Transportation Captain www.meiff.com
Marketing & Sponsorship Peyman Sharifi, Senior Advertising Coordinator Ephram Sarkis, Marketing Assistant Tanya Mayne, Sponsorship Assistant Outreach Bassama Trabulsi, Outreach Manager Aisha Mussinova, Senior Outreach Assistant Yasmin Barakat, Outreach Assistant Press / Media Lucius Barre, Communications Consultant Doris Longoni, Communications Manager Mahdis Keshavarz, International Media Relations Manager Abuzar Ikkery, Publicist Gunnar Gilgan, Publicist Nivine Hamdan, Publicist Claudia Rische, Publicist Adrian Barci, Press Materials Coordinator Francesca Sullivan, Intern Production Hans Burgschmidt, Production Director Jeanne LeSage, Production Coordinator James King, Technical Director Sheren Abbas, Subtitling Coordinator Blair Stewart, Film & Video Revisor Samuel Wilkin, Film & Video Revisor Assistant Safdar Ali Choudhary, Cinema Technician Cassie Cosgrove, Projectionist Charles Allen, Projectionist David Callaghan, Projectionist Martin Baker, Projectionist Philip DeBlasi, Projectionist Robert McPherson, Projectionist Mailis Jeunesse, Print Traffic Manager Nina Rodriguez Lima, Print Traffic Coordinator Abdul Nasser, Print Traffic Runner Ronald Koperdraad, Venues Manager Sandra Hodnett, Assistant Venues Manager Cheryl Izen, Theater Representative Donna Dwyer, Theater Representative Margaret Gobie, Theater Representative
Tina Meister, Theater Representative Martin Nevrala, Box Office Manager Victor Corriea, Assistant Box Office Manager Glen Sheppard, Box Office Coordinator Daniela Mieske, Box Office Ticketing Staff Publications Cynthia Rowell, Publications Manager Jim Poe, Publications Coordinator/Copywriter Loubna Ammer, Arabic Copyeditor Amy Monaghan, Copyeditor Sean Axmaker, Copywriter Andrew Grant, Copywriter Jason Sanders, Copywriter Special Events JoJo Dye, Special Events Director VIP & Juries Hayet Benkara, VIP & Juries Manager Raja Enzminger, Senior VIP & Juries Liaison Nancy Rosa, Senior VIP & Juries Liaison Samah Ahmed, VIP Liaison Sophia El Madi, VIP Liaison Stella Carmody, VIP Liaison Lara Hafez, Juries Liaison Shaima Al Tamimi, VIP & Juries Assistant Julia Towns, Assistant to Board Member ADACH The Middle East International Film Festival wishes to thank the entire staff of the Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture and Heritage under whose auspices the Festival is presented each year. Very special thanks go to staff members of the Communications, Finance, Human Resources, Legal, and Operations & Logistics departments whose invaluable support makes it possible for the Festival to fulfill its mission and develop its plans for the future.
051
Thank You
A Mohamed Abdallah, InterContinental Khaled Abdel Galeel, Egyptian Film Centre Soheir Abdel Kadr, Cairo Film Festival Hicham Abdul Khalek, Planet Shahab Abdulla, Baynounah Media Group Zahra Abidi, Vision Translation Abu Dhabi Travel Bureau Hamod Abueid, Unison Agency Tamer Afif, Emirates Palace Hakki Akıl, Turkish Embassy Laila Al Abbasi Sabah Al Abbasi Azza Al Qubaisi Abdallah Al Shami Hakan Alac Marwa Aleifa Shawkat Ali, Europcar Driver Karam Almerdee, InterContinental Sangeeta Amin, AvantGarde Terry Amin, FedEx Kenneth Andrews, Emirates Palace Lawrence Angrisani, Miramax Hammad Atassi Mohammed Atebbai, Iranian Independents Joanne Attrill, Abu Dhabi Mums Michel Atwi, Grand Cinemas B Leela Badlani, FedEx Lamia Bahhar, InterContinental Ioana Balasa, Unison Agency Reema Baroudi, InterContinental Jim Barraud, Red Design Group Shamnad Basheer Ziad Battal, All4Media Ömer Bedir, Turkish Embassy Katayoun Beglari-Scarlet Rebecca Berry Arna Maria Bersaas Serge Bromberg, Lobster Films Francine Brücher, Swiss Film C Chris Capuozzo, Intergalactico Denise Capuozzo, Intergalactico Martin Caraux, Films Distribution Odessa Castro, Hilton Corniche Caroline Caudront Gianluca Chacra, Front Row Roy Chacra, Shooting Stars Nick Chapman, Redeye Production Ali A. Chehab, New York Film Academy Ali Cherri Maria Chiba Jason Chidiac, ECS Films 052
Marta Chierego Hilary Clark, 20th Century Fox Frédéric Corvez, Umedia Joel Crasta, Emirates Palace Chapin Cutler, Boston Light and Sound D Rogelio Dalisay, Venus Printing Céline De la Pena, Sol y Luna Esther Devos, Wild Bunch Malini Dhalwan, Red Door Productions Gwendolyn Dias Alejandro Diaz San Vicente Thania Dimitrakapoulou Adrian D’Souza, Hilton Corniche Clement Duboin Jennifer DuBois, Walt Disney Studios Christine Duchier E Iyad Eid, Multivision Ahmed El-Chekih, Consulate of France in Dubai Rafic El Debs, InterContinental Karim Gamal El Din, Studio Masr Toni El Massih, Cinestar Cinemas Saad Abdul Aziz El-Zein, Baynounah Media Group Dr. Haitham El-Zobaidi, Middle East Online Daniela Elstner, Doc Film International Emirates Palace Hotel Naji Esta, InterContinental Estonian Film Foundation F Azza Fahmy Robert Fardi, Unison Agency Lara Fathehudden, Venus Printing FedEx Team Wolfgang Fisher, Emirates Palace Shyama Friedenson, Paramount G Amélie Garin-Davet Cassandra Gava Pamela Gentile Christopher Gebhardt, Take Part German Car Jim Gianopoulos, 20th Century Fox Steve Gilula, Fox Searchlight Philipe Gomez, Emirates Palace Emilie Goron, InterContinental Casey Grissom, Red Design Group Eric Grissom, Red Design Group Dorothee Grosjean, Gaumont
H Tina Hartmann, AvantGarde Behrooz Hashemian, Silk Road Productions Frank Hess, InterContinental Hilton Corniche Hotel Apartments Keiko Hirai Ivy Ho, HAF Simon Hunter, New York Film Academy I Osama Ibrahim, InterContinental J Brent Jack, Mandate Gaya Jiji, Les films d’ici K Pavel Kalenda, Kalenda Software Rebecca Kearey, Fox Searchlight Antoine Khalifé, Unifrance George Khalil, Europcar Peter Khamas, Cinestar Cinemas Saif Khan, Europcar Driver Dorna Khazeni Nassim Khoury, Front Row Shareef Kitaneh, Middle East Online Dilip Kumar, FedEx Anne Marie Kurstein L Eric Lagesse, Pyramide Claudia Landsberger, Holland Film Anne Laurent Jay Lee Christian Juhl Lemche Sara Lin, Unison Agency Victor Lobo, FedEx Hatem Lotfy Ali, Hilton Corniche M Eugenia Machain Marie-Pierre Macia Jasmine Madatian, Walt Disney Studios Michelle Madera, Emirates Palace Mohannad Mahmoud, Racti Art Mark Markline, Universal Andrew Myers, Unison Agency Sherali Moosa, Emirates Palace Jun Morfi, Hilton Corniche Mustafa Morgan Rachel Joanne Morley Nizar Mouhanna, Hilton N Rohan Nayyar, Hilton Corniche Karam Nimma, Middle East Online Irfaan Njman, Europcar Driver
O Daniel Oliverio Richard Olson, U.S. Embassy Mary Osama P Steven L. Pike, U.S. Embassy Noushard Puthiyottil, Europcar Q Adon Quinn, Cinestar Cinemas R Shaker Rafayah, Middle East Online Salim Ramia, Gulf Film Pascale Ramonda, Celluloid Dreams Natalie Ratard, AvantGarde Abdulla Mohamed Ibrahim Rezk Mariette Rissenbeek, German Film Ali Rouhani Claudia Rudolph, Bavaria Film S Nizar Saadi, Emirates Palace Nader Sadek, Ink Advertising Reem Saif, Abu Dhabi Film Centre Yuka Sakano, Kawekite Film Institute Riad Salam, Europcar Rami Serhal, InterContinental Michelle Sewell, Walt Disney Studios Katayoon Shahabi, Sheherezad Media Mansour Shajahan, Europcar Driver Ahmed Sharaf, Venus Printing Mohsen Shemi, InterContinental Martin Singer, Neumann & Muller Rania Soliman Deanne Sowter Patra Spanou Simon Stamper, InterContinental Isabelle Stead Mousa Subehi, Middle East Online Jason Summers, Unison Agency T Corinne Tacchi Osama Abu Taleb, German Rent-a-car Raul Julius Talvik, Unison Agency Yogesh Tank, Emirates Palace Gareth Tennant, The Works Matthew Tovgaard, Gearhouse Productions Caroline Tran, Tribeca Film Festival U Nasir Uddin, Emirates Palace Charlotte Uzu
www.meiff.com
V Renato “N@TS” Valdez Oprin, Venus Printing Agathe Valentin, Les Films de Losange Alexandra Vallez, Filmair Juliette Veber Alla Verlotsky, Seagull Films Lance Volland, Warner Bros Miroljub Vuckovic, Film Center Serbia W Michelle Walsh, Shooting Stars Paul Hendrik Warren, Sorouh Katarzyna Wilk Y Dani Yassine, Planet Hesham Youssef, InterContinental Alia Yunis, Zayed University Z Ferhad Zohny, InterContinental Zayed University Interns: Fatema Abubaker Abdulla Al Aidarous Mariam Saif Sultan Al Dhaheri Salwa Hamood Nasser Mohamed Al Hashemi Noura Abdulla Juma Abdulla Al Kaabi Safaa Saeed Naser Saeed Al Katheeri Shaima Salem Rashed Sulaiman Al Kayoumi Humyan Khalid Eid Mohamed Al Meraikhi Hassa Ismail Abdulqader Mohamed Al Mulla Mariam abdulla Ahmed Abbas Al Obaidli Noor Ahmed Abdul Rahman Al Saqqf Sherena Ahmed Sultan Al Yousef Al Suwaidi Reem Fakher Husain Majeed Al Zarkan Salwa Mohamed Omar Baqsheer Volunteers: MEIFF would like to thank the hundreds of volunteers who generously give their time and talent to make the Festival a success − only 60 at press time but hundreds more will be joining us during the Festival. For a complete list of a stellar volunteer corps, please check www.meiff.com.
Amro Abu Bakr Mohamed Abu Geyab Khaled Abu Shaaban Sameer Al Jaberi Anas Al Shannaq Fatima Ali Majed Alsaadi Abdelmalik Amer
Zaid Arida Basem Awad Fahmi Awni Hannah Breen Shamim Breen Ayman Bukair Ayza Bukhari Mustafa Dameh Abdel Rahman El Beheri Fouad El Maoued Aly Elgayar Rabab Elgayar Shaymaa Elgayar Heera Fatima Ferzeus Ian Flordeliza Ahmed Gharib Micar Graham Jo-Ann Harris Laura Hatcher Sana Himayat Rawan Hussain Zulfiqar Hussain Samia Iftekhar Seyed Irshath Allyson Jackson Laurice Karkaby Noor Khouri Shanly Kuriakose Roisin Leonard Sandunie Liyanagamage Qureshi Mahreen Avi Mali Benjamin Malik Deena Mansour Ali Mubarak Ahmed Mekki Duaa Mekki Radhika Muralya Minerva Narito Mona Nasr Aya Nofal Marija Popovic Atif Rasheed Cynthia Rayees Leonard Roisin Brandon Rothero Jaffer Shadiq Philip Sheikh Ali Soliman Kalifa Syed Mubarak Ravi Valia Laila Wasti
053
Daily Screening Schedule
12pm
Master Classes, Festival Tent
Emirates Palace
Visit www.meiff.com for updates.
1pm
Monday, October 12 11:00 am
2pm
THE COSMIC SYMPHONY: Richard Horowitz & Sussan Deyhim Page 36
3pm
Tuesday, October 13 11:00 am
4pm 5pm
MA1
FROM NEW ORLEANS JAZZ TO THE EGYPTIAN HIJAZ: David Amram
Thursday, October 8
Page 36
6pm
Wednesday, October 14 11:00 am
PRESERVING THE FILM HERITAGE OF THE ARAB WORLD: Paolo Cherchi Usai
7pm 8pm
Page 37
10pm
MA3
8:00
THE TRAVELER
9pm
MA2
Thursday, October 15 11:00 am
125 Mins Page 14
THE SILENT PIANIST SPEAKS: Neil Brand
TR1
Page 37
MA4
11pm 12am
Friday, October 9 12pm
Emirates Palace
Cinestar 1
Cinestar 2
Cinestar 3
Cinestar 4
Cinestar 5
Grand Abu Dhabi Mall
1pm 2pm 3pm 3:30
4pm
PONYO
9pm
11pm
Page 26
DT1
MYSTERY 119 Mins Page 43
VA1
125 Mins Page 14
TR2
C11
9:00
1958
9:30
110 Mins SE1
Page 18
Galas Narrative Feature Competition Documentary Feature Competition
THE WIND JOURNEYS
10:00
10 TO 11
90 Mins
Page 32
9:30
66 Mins
9:45
THE SEPTEMBER ISSUE
12am
054
SHORTS PROGRAM 1:
96 Mins
Page 34
THE TRAVELER
7:00
7:15 SB1
KE1
6:30
80 Mins
VALENTINO: THE LAST EMPEROR
PN1 Page 31
DOUBLE TAKE
SON OF BABYLON
Page 22
Page 32
6:15
6:30
90 Mins
10pm
144 Mins
106 Mins + Death of the Poet 18 Mins Page 40 AU1
6pm
8pm
KERALA CAFE
AUTUMN
5pm
7pm
4:00
100 Mins
4:15
Page 24 101
191
117 Mins
RED RIDING 1974 102 Mins
Page 35 Page 33
WJ1
R74
World Cinema Showcase Special Programs “What In The World Are We Doing To Our World?”
New Cinema from Turkey Short Film Competition Emirates Film Competition
Saturday, October 10 Emirates Palace
Cinestar 1
Cinestar 2
Cinestar 3
Cinestar 4
Cinestar 5
Grand Abu Dhabi Mall
12pm 1pm
1:00
1958
66 Mins Page 24
2pm 192
3pm
3:15
HUACHO
3:45
90 Mins
4:00
SHORTS 89 Mins
Page 17
Page 20
HU1
SH1
6:30
6:30
103 Mins
92 Mins + Milk and Chocolate 22 Mins Page 42 SU1
BOMBAY SUMMER
Page 18
BO1
9:30
THE MESSENGER
Page 17
SHORTS PROGRAM 2:
93 Mins
EMOTION 137 Mins CV1
Page 43
7:00
PONYO
7:15
THE SEPTEMBER ISSUE
100 Mins
8pm
90 Mins C21
Page 34
Page 32
SE2
105 Mins
100 Mins Page 23
6pm
PN2
9pm
NEIGHBORS
WHITE MATERIAL ME1
SB2
7pm 7:00
THE COVE
Page 26
Page 22
5pm
9:30
9:45
112 Mins
90 Mins C12
6:45
SUMMER BOOK
SON OF BABYLON
MYSTERY 119 Mins Page 43
4pm
4:00
SHORTS PROGRAM 1:
WH1
Page 27
NE1
AUTUMN
10:15
RED RIDING 1980
106 Mins
HONEYMOONS
93 Mins
Page 33
10pm
9:45
10:00
11pm
95 Mins R80
Page 40 Page 31
AU2
12am
HO1
Sunday, October 11 Emirates Palace
Cinestar 1
Cinestar 2
Cinestar 3
Cinestar 4
Cinestar 5
Grand Abu Dhabi Mall
12pm 1pm 2pm 3pm
3:30
3:45
THE SHOCK DOCTRINE
105 Mins
Page 28
SD1
Page 27
6:30
94 Mins
102 Mins + The Waiting 15 Mins Page 41
Page 21
NE2
LO1
9:30
ALL MY MOTHERS MI1
60 Mins
AL1
7:00
STRUGGLE 117 Mins
100 Mins
SHORTS PROGRAM 3:
Page 44
C31
Page 23
LA1
Page 27
121 Mins
10:00
8pm WH2
9pm 10pm
9:45
BOMBAY SUMMER 103 Mins
RED RIDING 1983 100 Mins
Page 41
GO1 R83
11pm
MY1 Page 18
Page 33
www.meiff.com
WHITE MATERIAL
MY ONLY SUNSHINE
GOODBYE, HOW ARE YOU? 60 Mins
Page 20
7:00
9:45
100 Mins CO1
102
9:15
LAST RIDE
103 Mins
Page 18
7pm 7:15
9:30
COOKING WITH STELLA
5pm
C22
MILK
Page 25
Page 19
110 Mins
Page 43
6pm
6:30
THE LONG NIGHT
10 TO 11
EMOTION 137 Mins
78 Mins
4pm
3:45
SHORTS PROGRAM 2:
NEIGHBORS
4:00
BO2
12am
055
Monday, October 12 12pm
Emirates Palace
Cinestar 1
Cinestar 2
Cinestar 3
Cinestar 4
Cinestar 5
Grand Abu Dhabi Mall
1pm 1:15
1:30
2pm
EMIRATES FILM COMPETITION 1
ALL MY MOTHERS 60 Mins
3pm 4pm 5pm 6pm 7pm
Page 25
4:00
VALENTINO: THE LAST EMPEROR 96 Mins
Page 34
VA2
HELIOPOLIS
10pm 11pm
STUDENT SHORTS 1
93 Mins
82 Mins CV2
Page 44 Page 44
C32
S11 6:30
PORT OF MEMORY
HUACHO
63 Mins
HE1 Page 20
STRUGGLE 117 Mins
6:45
7:00
9pm
SHORTS PROGRAM 3:
4:15
THE COVE
90 Mins Page 19
EC1
3:45
4:00
Page 26
Page 46
AL2
6:30
103 Mins
8pm
94 Mins
HU2
PRECIOUS EARTH WHISPERERS MOTHER EARTH
Page 28
PO1
73 Mins
Page 38
9:30
108 Mins
93 Mins + The Sacrifice 17 Mins Page 42
THE INFORMANT!
Page 16
BEING HERE
IN1
PR1 Page 41
MY2
THE LONG NIGHT 94 Mins
10:00 Page 25
121 Mins Page 32
9:15
124 Mins
WRONG ROSARY
MY ONLY SUNSHINE
EA1
9:00 9:30
7:00
109 Mins
7:15
BE1
BURMA VJ 85 Mins
Page 21
WR1 Page 30
12am
LO2
VJ1
Tuesday, October 13 12pm
Emirates Palace
Cinestar 1
Cinestar 2
Cinestar 3
Cinestar 4
Cinestar 5
Grand Abu Dhabi Mall
1pm 1:15
1:30
2pm
STUDENT SHORTS 2 115 Mins
3pm
EMIRATES FILM COMPETITION 2 101 Mins
Page 44
S21
Page 46
EC2 3:00
HELIOPOLIS
4pm 5pm
7pm 8pm
4:30
DOUBLE TAKE
EARTH WHISPERERS MOTHER EARTH
80 Mins
4:30
CARIOCA
73 Mins
60 Mins
6pm
103 Mins
3:45
Page 25
Page 26
6:30
THE TIME THAT REMAINS
EA2
109 Mins
TI1
Page 32
Page 26
11pm
9:30
9:30
103 Mins
93 Mins
OCEANS
Page 15
FR1
Page 21
Page 38
89 Mins
Page 24
MILK
102 Mins
78 Mins +Turnout 15 Mins Page 40
HO2
CH1
Page 41
TALES FROM THE GOLDEN AGE 155 Mins DO1
Page 34
AG1
056
World Cinema Showcase Special Programs “What In The World Are We Doing To Our World?”
9:45
SUMMER BOOK TA1
92 Mins
Page 40
12am
Galas Narrative Feature Competition Documentary Feature Competition
MI2
9:00
DOT
THE AGE OF STUPID NO1
7:00
95 Mins
Page 31
9:15 9:45
NORTHLESS
OC1
HONEYMOONS
52 Mins
9pm 10pm
HE2
S12
CHAMELEON BEACH
92 Mins MH1
Page 44
7:00
THE FRONTIER GANDHI
86 Mins
Page 19
6:00
6:45
MY HEART BEATS ONLY FOR HER
STUDENT SHORTS 1 82 Mins
Page 38
CR1
6:30
Page 22
DT2
4:15
New Cinema from Turkey Short Film Competition Emirates Film Competition
SU2
Wednesday, October 14 Emirates Palace
Cinestar 1
Cinestar 2
Cinestar 3
Cinestar 5
Grand Abu Dhabi Mall
STUDENT SHORTS 2
MY HEART BEATS ONLY FOR HER
115 Mins
86 Mins
MH2
Page 44
S22
12pm 1pm
12:45
1:00
Page 32
Cinestar 4
1:15
EMIRATES FILM COMPETITION 3
2pm
Page 47
3pm
108 Mins
EC3
3:15
NORTHLESS
4pm
3:45
93 Mins
BEING HERE
4:15
124 Mins Page 21
CARIOCA
NO2
5pm
60 Mins Page 25
BE2 Page 25
6pm
CR2
6:00
THE SHOCK DOCTRINE
6:30
BURIED SECRETS
Page 28 Page 19
6:30
78 Mins
91 Mins
SD2
BU1
7:15
Page 28
ON1
Page 39
Page 35
9:30
IN BERLIN
Page 23 Page 16
Page 27
WR2
9pm
IB1
112 Mins + Semolina Halva 11 Mins Page 41
10pm
9:45
92 Mins
PANDORA’S BOX
TC1
BL1
YUKI & NINA
9:45
96 Mins
128 Mins
Page 42
9:15
10:00
135 Mins
BLUE
8pm
WI1
GI1
9:00
TRUE COLOR
WRONG ROSARY 93 Mins
102 Mins
81 Mins
7:00
104 Mins
THE GIFT OF PACHAMAMA
ON THE WAY TO SCHOOL
7pm
WILD GRASS
7:00
DOT
78 Mins Page 35
11pm
YU1
PA1
Page 40
DO2
12am
Thursday, October 15 Emirates Palace
Cinestar 1
Cinestar 2
12:45
PORT OF MEMORY 63 Mins
Cinestar 3
PO2
THE GIFT OF PACHAMAMA Page 39
THE FRONTIER GANDHI
ABOUT ELLY
GI2
Page 26 Page 30
FR2
AB1
2pm
Page 47
3pm
128 Mins
EC4
3:45
60 Mins
GO2
Page 30
VJ2
6:30
TRUE COLOR
7:00
NO ONE KNOWS ABOUT PERSIAN CATS 106 Mins Page 21
Page 23
9:30
THIRD PERSON SINGULAR NUMBER
10:00
SCHEHERAZADE, TELL ME A STORY
123 Mins
134 Mins Page 17
www.meiff.com
Page 22 SC1
PLASTIC PLANET WE1
Page 19
6pm 7pm
PANDORA’S BOX 112 Mins
ON2
Page 41
PA2
8pm 9pm
PL1
10:00
COOKING WITH STELLA
WI2
6:30
9:15
9:15
109 Mins
144 Mins
PRECIOUS
9:45
KERALA CAFE
10pm
FAREWELL 113 Mins
103 Mins TH1
Page 28 Page 39
Page 35
5pm
81 Mins
96 Mins
40 Mins
Page 29
NC1
BU2
ON THE WAY TO SCHOOL
7:15
WE WERE COMMUNISTS TC2
Page 19
104 Mins
6:45
7:00
135 Mins
WILD GRASS
91 Mins
85 Mins
4pm
4:00
BURIED SECRETS
BURMA VJ
GOODBYE, HOW ARE YOU? Page 27
12pm
EMIRATES FILM COMPETITION 4
4:00
4:15
92 Mins
119 Mins
Grand Abu Dhabi Mall
1:15
3:30 4:00
Cinestar 5
1pm
1:00
102 Mins Page 28
Cinestar 4
CO2
Page 31
Page 32 FA1
PR2
Page 31
KE2
11pm 12am
057
Friday, October 16 12pm
Emirates Palace
Cinestar 1
1pm
Cinestar 2
12:45
LAST RIDE
3:30
Page 39
4:15
CHAMELEON BEACH
109 Mins IB2
52 Mins
Page 22
TI2
6pm
8pm
Page 38 6:15
NO ONE KNOWS ABOUT PERSIAN CATS
6:30
THE WARRIOR AND THE WOLF 100 Mins Page 23
WA1
106 Mins Page 21
11pm
4:00
Page 34
86 Mins
155 Mins
Page 37
CH2
THE AGE OF STUPID 89 Mins
Page 24
AG2
93 Mins
Page 20
Page 31
FA2
7:00
7:15
THE MESSENGER
Page 39
FO1
112 Mins
92 Mins
Page 17
YU2
SCHEHERAZADE, TELL ME A STORY
9:30
OCEANS
125 Mins
CA1
LH1
ME2
9:00
HIPSTERS
HI1
Page 17 Page 15
9:45
134 Mins
103 Mins
120 Mins Page 16
113 Mins
YUKI & NINA
NC2
9:15
CAPITALISM: A LOVE STORY
FAREWELL
FOOD, INC.
Page 35 9:30
TA2
“LAUGH TILL IT HURTS”
6:30
6:45
9pm 10pm
4:00
3:30
THE TIME THAT REMAINS
96 Mins
7pm
TALES FROM THE GOLDEN AGE
PL2
3:45
IN BERLIN
Page 27
Grand Abu Dhabi Mall
96 Mins LA2
3pm
5pm
Cinestar 5
PLASTIC PLANET
2pm
4pm
Cinestar 4
1:00
100 Mins Page 20
Cinestar 3
THIRD PERSON SINGULAR NUMBER
SC2
123 Mins
OC2
Page 22
TH2
12am
Saturday, October 17 12pm
Emirates Palace
Cinestar 1
1pm
Cinestar 2
Cinestar 3
1:00
1:00
FOOD, INC.
100 Mins
Page 39
2:30
3pm
Cinestar 5
THE WARRIOR AND THE WOLF
93 Mins
2pm
Cinestar 4
FO2
Page 23
WA2
CAPITALISM: A LOVE STORY 120 Mins
4pm
Page 10
5pm
3:30 CA2
3:45
HIPSTERS
ABOUT ELLY
125 Mins Page 20
119 Mins HI2
Page 30
AB2
6pm 7pm 8pm 9pm 10pm
8:00
THE MEN WHO STARE AT GOATS 90 Mins
Page 15
MG1
11pm 12am
Galas Narrative Feature Competition Documentary Feature Competition
058
World Cinema Showcase Special Programs “What In The World Are We Doing To Our World?”
New Cinema from Turkey Short Film Competition Emirates Film Competition
Grand Abu Dhabi Mall
Index By Film Title 0-9 10 to 11 p. 18 1958 p. 24 A About Elly p. 30 Age of Stupid, The p. 24 Al Hamra Island p. 46 All My Mothers p. 25 Anna p. 44 Aqualorious! p. 43 Ata p. 44 Autumn p. 40 B Babel p. 43 Being Here p. 25 Blue p. 16 Bombay Summer p. 18 Buried Secrets p. 19 Burma VJ – Reporting from a Closed Country p. 30 Burning Flowers p. 46 C Capitalism: A Love Story p. 16 Careful with that Power Tool p. 43 Carioca p. 25 Chameleon Beach p. 38 Cooking with Stella p. 19 Cove, The p. 26 Crossing p. 46 D Diplomacy p. 44 Death of the Poet p. 40 Dot p. 40 Double Take p. 26 E Earth Whisperers p. 38 Egged On p. 37 Employment, The p. 44 F Farewell p. 31 Fatenah p. 43 Fifth Chamber Ouija, The p. 47 First Film, The p. 43 Food, Inc. p. 39 Frontier Gandhi, The p. 26 G Gift of Pachamama, The p. 39 Glory at Sea p. 43 Goodbye, How Are You? p. 27 Grave-Diggers, The p. 44 H Heliopolis p. 19 Herd, The p. 43 Hipsters p. 20 Home p. 43 Honeymoons p. 31 Hotel, The p. 47 Huacho p. 20
www.meiff.com
I Immigrant, The p. 37 In Berlin p. 27 Informant!, The p. 16 K Kasia p. 44 Kavi p. 44 Kerala Café p. 31 Key p. 46 Kidnap Factory p. 44 L Last Ride p. 20 Long Night, The p. 21 M Members of the Resistance p. 44 Men Who Stare at Goats, The p. 15 Messenger, The p. 17 Mighty Like a Moose p. 37 Milk p. 41 Milk and Chocolate p. 42 Mother, p. 43 My Heart Beats Only for Her p. 32 My Only Sunshine, p. 41 N Neighbors p. 27 No One Knows About Persian Cats p. 21 Northless p. 21 O Oceans p. 15 On the Way to School p. 28 One Week p. 37 Other Ones, The p. 43 Our Neck of the Woods p. 44 Our Right to Ride p. 47 P Paradise Evening p. 46 Passage, The p. 44 Pandora’s Box, p. 41 Plastic Planet p. 39 Pleasant Opportunity to Choose, A p. 44 Ponyo p. 32 Port of Memory p. 28 Precious p. 32
Six Dollar Fifty Man, The p. 43 Son of Babylon p. 22 Spring 89 p. 43 Summer Book, p. 42 Surprise p. 44 T Tales from the Golden Age p. 34 Taxidermist, The p. 43 Temporary Drought p. 46 Third Person Singular Number p. 22 Three Men and a Woman p. 46 Three Sisters and Andrey, p. 43 Time That Remains, The p. 22 To the Sea p. 44 Traveler, The p. 14 Tripoli, Quiet p. 43 True Color p. 23 Turnout p. 40 U Under Construction, p. 44 V Valentino: The Last Emperor p. 34 W Wagah p. 44 Waiting, The p. 41 Walls p. 44 Warrior and the Wolf, The p. 23 We Were Communists p. 29 Whispers of Sin p. 46 White Material p. 23 Whiteness p. 46 Wild Grass p. 35 Wind Journeys, The p. 35 Wrong Rosary, p. 42 Y Yassin p. 46 Young Sadness p. 46 Yuki & Nina p. 35
R Red Riding 1974 p. 33 Red Riding 1980 p. 33 Red Riding 1983 p. 33 Road Apart, A p. 44 S Sacrifice, The p. 42 Schautag p. 44 Scheherazade, Tell Me a Story p. 17 Semolina Halva p. 41 September Issue, The p. 34 She the Policeman p. 43 Shock Doctrine, The p. 28 Shorts p. 17
059
Index By Director A Abdalla , Ahmed p. 19 Al-Daradji, Mohamed p. 22 Al Dhabaan, Abedel Muhsen p. 46 Al Gheilan, Gamal p. 46 Al Kalbani, Khaled p. 46 Al Khaja, Maher p.47 Al Khalifi, Abdulrahman p. 46 Al Mohairi, Hanan p. 47 Al Neyadi, Yasser Saeed, p. 46 Al Sahili, Juma p. 46 Al Shaibani, Hani pp. 46, 47 Albiston, Mark p. 43 Ali, Jamal p. 46 Ali, Hatem p. 21 Aljafari, Kamal p. 28 Alper, Özcan p. 40 Amari, Raja p.19 Amin, Ayten p. 33 Ananthan, Uday p. 31 Armstrong, Franny p. 24 Arshi, Ahmed p. 46 Asaf, Ravin p. 44 Attieh, Rania p. 43 B Balcı, Emine Emel p. 41 Ballhaus, Michael p. 27 Bert & Bertie, p. 43 Betil, Ali p. 42 Boote, Werner p. 39 Bowers, Charles R. p.37 Bychkova, Elena p. 44 C Cappellari, Ciro p. 27 Carion, Christian p. 31 Chaplin, Charles p. 37 Cierlica, Bartek p. 44 Cluzaud, Jacques p. 15 Connolly, Rob p. 50 Coşkun, Mahmut Fazıl p. 48 Cutler, R. J. p. 40 D Daniels, Lee p. 32 Denis, Claire p. 23 Despodov, Boris p. 43 Doğan, Özgür p. 34 D’Souza, Anthony p. 16 Dufresne, Damien p. 50 Dusollier, Hendrick p. 43 Dyachenko, Dmitri p. 50 E Erdem, Reha p. 41 Ergezen, Elif p. 46 Eskiköy, Orhan p. 34 Esmer, Pelin p. 24 F Farhadi, Asghar p. 36 Farooki, Mostofa Sarwar p. 28 Faust, Matt p. 46 Fawzi, Oussama p. 23 Fernández Almendras, Alejandro p. 26 G Gallagher, Kathleen p. 44 060
Garcia, Daniel p. 43 Ghaemi, Pegah p. 50 Ghobadi, Bahman p. 21 Giovanetti, Guillaume p. 44 Girardot, Hippolyte p. 35 Goldman, Jon p. 44 Grasso, Santiago “Bou” p. 44 Grimonprez, Johan p. 26 Guerra, Ciro p. 35 H Habash, Ahmad p. 43 Helvey, Gregg p. 44 Heslov, Grant p. 15 Höfer, Hanno p. 34 I Ivin, Glendyn p. 20 J Jamal, Ali p. 46 Jarrold, Julian p. 33 Jasim, Saad, p. 44 Jose, Lal, p. 31 Jum’a, Maryam p. 43 K Kaempfer, Olivier p. 33 Kailas, Shaji p. 31 Kaplan, Ezgi p. 41 Kaplanoğlu, Semih p. 41 Keaton, Buster p. 37 Kenner, Robert p. 39 Kren, Marvin p. 44 L Llado, Elisabet p. 44 Lotfy, Nabiha p. 25 M Magdy, Ahmed p. 44 Maher, Ahmed p. 14 Mançuhan, Fırat, p. 40 Mărculescu, Răzvan p. 34 Marsh, James p. 33 Mathew, Joseph p. 18 Matsushita, Toshifumi p. 39 McCarey, Leo p. 37 McLuhan, T. C. p. 26 Mehta, Dilip p. 19 Menon, Anjali, p. 31 Mitić, Boris p. 27 Miyazaki, Hayao p. 32 Mohammed, Mohammed Ibrahim p. 46 Moore, Michael p. 16 Moverman, Oren p. 17 Muller, Harold p. 37 Mungiu, Cristian p. 34 N Nasrallah, Yousry p. 17 O Østergaard, Anders, p. 30 P Padmakumar, M. p. 31 Panahi, Panah, p. 43 Paounov, Andrey p. 43
Paskaljević, Goran p. 31 Pérezcano, Rigoberto p. 21 Perrin, Jacques p. 15 Piatek, Jakub p. 43 Popescu, Constantin p. 34 Psihoyos, Louie p. 26 R Ramakrishnan, Shankar, p. 31 Ranjith, p. 31 Rached, Tahani p. 27 Rashid, Anwar, p. 31 Resnais, Alain p. 35 Revathy, p. 31 Rodriguez, Robert p. 17 Runarsson, Runar p. 44 Runnel, Pirkko p. 44 S Saeed, Yasser p. 46 Saeedi, Ebrahim p. 25 Salhab, Ghassan p. 24 Samra, Maher Abi p. 29 Sanjavi, Zahavi p. 25 Schmedes, Adam p. 38 Sen, Supriyo p. 44 Shyamparasad, p. 31 Soderbergh, Steven p. 16 Soueid, Mohamed p. 32 Stutter, Jason p. 43 Suleiman, Elia p. 22 Sutherland, Louis p. 43 Suwa, Nobuhiro p. 35 T Tarp, Nikolaj p. 43 Teoman, Seyfi p. 42 Tian Zhuangzhuang p. 23 Todorovsky, Valery p. 20 Tucker, Anand p. 33 Tüzen, Senem p. 42 Tyrnauer, Matt p. 34 U Unnikrishnan, B. p. 31 Uricaru, Ioana p. 34 Ustaoğlu, Yeşim p. 41 W Wardrop, Ken p. 43 Whitecross, Mat p. 28 Winterbottom, Michael p. 28 Z Zaim, Derviş p. 40 Zain, Ahmed p. 46 Zaman, Hisham p. 43 Zeitlin, Benh p. 43 Zencirci, Çağla p. 44 Zran, Mohamed p. 25
By Country AFGHANISTAN The Frontier Gandhi p. 26 ALBANIA Honeymoons p. 31 ARGENTINA The Employment (El empleo) – short p. 44 The Wind Journeys (Los viajes del viento) p. 35 AUSTRALIA Last Ride p. 20 AUSTRIA Plastic Planet p. 39 BANGLADESH Third Person Singular Number p. 22 BAHRAIN Burning Flowers (Azhra Tahtareq) – short p. 46 Yassin – short p. 46 BELGIUM Double Take p. 26 Kasia – short p. 44 Pandora’s Box (Pandora’nın Kutusu) p. 41 The Time That Remains (Al Zaman Al Baqi) p. 22 BOLIVIA The Gift of Pachamama (El regalo de la pachamama) p. 39 BULGARIA My Only Sunshine (Hayat Var) p. 41 Three Sisters and Andrey – short p. 43 CANADA Cooking with Stella p. 19 CHILE Huacho p. 20 CHINA Babel – short p. 43 The Warrior and the Wolf (Lang Zai Ji) p. 23
In Berlin p. 27 Milk (Süt) p. 41 Pandora’s Box (Pandora’nın Kutusu) p. 41 Schautag – short p. 44 Three Sisters and Andrey – short p. 43 Wagah – short p. 44 GREECE My Only Sunshine (Hayat Var) p. 41 INDIA Blue p. 16 Kavi – short p. 44 Kerala Café p. 31 The Frontier Gandhi p. 26 Wagah – short p. 44 IRAN About Elly (Darbareye Elly) p. 30 The First Film – short p. 43 Members of the Resistance – short p. 44 All My Mothers (Hamey-e Madaran-e Man) p. 25 No One Knows About Persian Cats (Kasi az Gorbehaye Irani Khabar Nadareh) p. 21 IRAQ Kidnap Factory – short p. 44 All My Mothers (Hamey-e Madaran-e Man) p. 25 Son of Babylon (Ibn Babil) p. 22 Walls – short p. 44 IRELAND The Herd – short p. 43 ITALY The Time That Remains (Al Zaman Al Baqi) p. 22 Wild Grass (Les herbes folles) p. 35 JAPAN The Gift of Pachamama (El regalo de la pachamama) p. 39 Ponyo (Gake no ue no Ponyo) p. 32 Yuki & Nina p. 35 JORDAN She the Policeman – short p. 43
COLOMBIA The Wind Journeys (Los viajes del viento) p. 35
KUWAIT Whispers of Sin (Hamast Al Khatela) – short p. 46
DENMARK Anna – short p. 44 Aqualorious! – short p. 43 Burma VJ − Reporting from a Closed Country (Burma VJ − Reporter I et lukket land) p. 30 Chameleon Beach (Kamaeleonernes Strand) p. 38
LEBANON 1958 p. 24 My Heart Beats Only for Her (Ma Hataftu Li Ghayriha) p. 32 Tripoli, Quiet – short p. 43 We Were Communists (Shyoaeen Kounna) p. 29
EGYPT Carioca p. 25 Heliopolis p. 19 Neighbors (Giran) p. 27 Scheherazade, Tell Me a Story (Ehky ya Schahrazad) p. 17 Spring 89 (Rabie 89) – short p. 43 To the Sea (Ella Al Bahr) – short p. 44 The Traveler (Al Mosafer) p. 14 True Color (Bil Alwan Al Tabiyya) p. 23 ESTONIA The Passage (Tee) – short p. 44 FRANCE 10 to 11 (11’e 10 Kala) p. 18 Ata – short p. 44 Babel – short p. 43 Buried Secrets (Dowaha) p. 19 Farewell (L’affaire farewell) p. 31 Huacho p. 20 Milk (Süt) p. 41 Oceans (Océans) p. 15 Pandora’s Box (Pandora’nın Kutusu) p. 41 The Passage (Tee) – short p. 44 Son of Babylon (Ibn Babil) p. 22 Tales from the Golden Age (Amintiri din epoca de aur) p. 34 The Time That Remains (Al Zaman Al Baqi) p. 22 Under Construction (Chantier) – short p. 44 We Were Communists (Shyoaen Kounna) p. 29 Wild Grass (Les herbes folles) p. 35 White Material p. 23 Yuki & Nina p. 35 GERMANY 10 to 11 (11’e 10 Kala) p. 18 Autumn (Sonbahar) p. 40 Huacho p. 20 www.meiff.com
MEXICO Northless (Norteado) p. 21 NETHERLANDS Double Take p. 26 Son of Babylon (Ibn Babil) p. 22 The Wind Journeys (Los viajes del viento) p. 35 NEW ZEALAND Careful with that Power Tool – short p. 43 Earth Whisperers Mother Earth (Earth Whisperers Papatuanuku) p. 38 The Six Dollar Fifty Man – short p. 43 NORWAY The Other Ones (De Andre) – short p. 43 OMAN Whiteness (Bayad) – short p. 46 PAKISTAN The Frontier Gandhi p. 26 Wagah – short p. 44 PALESTINE Fatenah – short p. 43 Port of Memory (Minaa Elzakira) p. 28 Son of Babylon (Ibn Babil) p. 22 The Time That Remains (Al Zaman Al Baqi) p. 22 POLAND The Grave-Diggers (Grobari) – short p. 44 Mother (Matka) – short p. 43 QATAR Son of Babylon (Ibn Babil) p. 22 ROMANIA Tales from the Golden Age (Amintiri din epoca de aur) p. 34
RUSSIA Hipsters (Stilyagi) p. 20 A Pleasant Opportunity to Choose – short p. 44 Surprise (Surpriz) – short p. 44 SAUDI ARABIA Three Men & a Woman (Thalath Rigaal Wa Imraa) – short p. 46 SERBIA Goodbye, How Are You? (Dovidjenja kako ste?) p. 26 Honeymoons (Medeni Mesec) p. 31 SYRIA The Long Night (Al Lail Altaweel) p. 21 SWITZERLAND Buried Secrets (Dowaha) p. 19 TUNISIA Being Here (Vivre ici) p. 25 Buried Secrets (Dowaha) p. 19 TURKEY 10 to 11 (11’e 10 Kala) p. 18 Ata – short p. 44 Autumn (Sonbahar) p. 40 Death of the Poet – short p. 40 Dot (Nokta) p. 40 Milk (Süt) p. 41 Milk and Chocolate – short p. 42 My Only Sunshine (Hayat Var) p. 41 On the Way to School (Iki Dil Bir Bavul) p. 28 Pandora’s Box (Pandora’nın Kutusu) p. 41 The Sacrifice – short p. 42 Semolina Halva – short p. 41 Summer Book (Tatil Kitabı) p. 42 Turnout – short p. 40 The Waiting – short p. 40 Wrong Rosary (Uzak Ihtimal) p. 42 UAE The Fifth Chamber Ouija (Al Ghurfa Al Khamisa) p. 47 Al Hamra Island in the Eyes of Emirati Filmmakers (Al-Jazeera Al Hamraa Fi Oyoun Al Cinamaiyeen Al Emaratiyeen) – short p. 46 Crossing (Uboor) – short p. 46 The Hotel (Al Fundoq) p. 47 Key (Miftah) – short p. 46 Our Right to Ride (Haqana Fi Alforosiyya) – p. 47 Paradise Evening (Masaa’ Al Jannah) – short p. 46 Port of Memory ( Minaa Elzakira) p. 28 Shorts p. 17 Son of Babylon (Ibn Babil) p. 22 Temporary Drought (Jafaf Mo’aqat) – short p. 46 Young Sadness (Ahzan Sagheera) – short p. 46 UK The Age of Stupid p. 24 Red Riding 1974 p. 33 Red Riding 1980 p. 33 Red Riding 1983 p. 33 A Road Apart – short p. 44 The Shock Doctrine p. 28 Son of Babylon (Ibn Babil) p. 22 The Taxidermist – short p. 43 The Time That Remains (Al Zaman Al Baqi) p. 22 USA Bombay Summer p. 18 Capitalism: A Love Story p. 16 The Cove p. 26 Diplomacy – short p. 44 Egged On – short p. 37 The Frontier Gandhi p.26 Food, Inc. p. 39 The Gift of Pachamama (El regalo de la pachamama) p. 39 Glory at Sea – short p. 43 Home – short p. 43 The Immigrant – short p. 37 The Informant! p. 16 Kavi – short p. 44 The Men Who Stare at Goats p. 15 The Messenger p. 17 Mighty Like a Moose – short p. 37 One Week – short p. 37 Our Neck of the Woods – short p. 44 Precious p. 32 The September Issue p. 34 Shorts p 17 Valentino: The Last Emperor p. 34
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