Dubai Film Festival 2008

The Dubai Film Festival 2008 features 12 programs that will showcase cinemas from all over the world.

The Cultural Bridge
The Cultural Bridge section features a selection of features and documentaries from around the world, telling stories or describing events that serve to break down the walls of inter-racial prejudice and intolerance, thereby helping stimulate dialogue and building cross-cultural bridges.

APRON STRINGS
New Zealand/2008/English dialogue/Colour/35mm/89 mins
Directed by: Vaele Sima Urale

The use of food as a metaphor for maternal love is at the heart of this sharply observed and poignant drama of clashing cultures and familial strife.

Wed, Dec 17 2008, 18:30 MoE 5
Thu, Dec 18 2008, 15:30 Fest City 9
DAS HERZ VON JENIN (THE HEART OF JENIN)
Germany/2008/Arabic, English, Hebrew dialogue with English subtitles/Colour/HDCAM/89 mins
Directed by: Leon Geller , Marcus Vetter

The story of an act of compassion and humanity, amidst the chaos and conflict of the Israeli-occupied West Bank.

Tue, Dec 16 2008, 21:45 Fest City 3
Wed, Dec 17 2008, 18:00 Souk Theatre
EL SISTEMA
Germany/2008/Spanish dialogue with English subtitles/Colour/HDCAM/120 mins
Directed by: Maria Stodtmeier , Paul Smaczny

A heartwarming documentary telling the story of a network of youth orchestras for disadvantaged children in the poorest districts of Venezuela.

Tue, Dec 16 2008, 18:45 MoE 8
Thu, Dec 18 2008, 15:15 MoE 6
MACHAN
Sri Lanka, Italy, Germany/2007/Sinhala, English dialogue with English subtitles/Colour/35mm/109 mins
Directed by: Uberto Pasolini

A Sri Lankan man and his friends attempt to illegally emigrate to Germany - by pretending to be a touring handball team.

Fri, Dec 12 2008, 18:45 MoE 12
Sun, Dec 14 2008, 15:45 MoE 12
PA RA DA
Italy, France, Romania/2008/French, Romanian dialogue with English subtitles/Colour/35mm/100 mins
Directed by: Marco Pontecorvo

A circus clown brings hope to the forgotten children of Bucharest, in a powerful and inspiring film.

Sun, Dec 14 2008, 20:00 Madinat Arena
Mon, Dec 15 2008, 21:00 Fest City 8
RETORNO A HANSALA (RETURN TO HANSALA)
Spain/2008/Spanish, Arabic, Berber dialogue with English subtitles/Colour/35mm/95 mins
Directed by: Chus Gutiérrez

A bittersweet homecoming for a Moroccan woman reflects the plight of economic migrants across social divides.

Fri, Dec 12 2008, 15:45 MoE 12
Sat, Dec 13 2008, 12:30 MoE 5
SKIN
United Kingdom, South Africa/2008/English, Zulu dialogue with English subtitles/Colour/35mm/107 mins
Directed by: Anthony Fabian

A fascinating story, based on real events, 'Skin' recounts the tale of Sandra Laing, a black girl born to white parents in South Africa.

Mon, Dec 15 2008, 20:00 Madinat Arena
Wed, Dec 17 2008, 20:45 Fest City 9
STONE OF DESTINY
Canada, United Kingdom/2008/English dialogue with English subtitles/Colour/35mm/96 mins
Directed by: Charles Martin Smith

A group of young Scottish Nationalists attempt the heist of the century - and succeed!

Fri, Dec 12 2008, 13:00 MoE 7
Sun, Dec 14 2008, 15:00 MoE 8
 

Arabian Nights
The Arabian Nights programme is an out of competition section showcasing a collection of features, short films and documentaries. The selection of feature films by the world’s best Arab and Non-Arab filmmakers is testimony to the talent and creativity within contemporary Arab cinema.

A ROAD TO MECCA - THE JOURNEY OF MUHAMMAD ASAD
Austria/2008/English, Arabic, German, Spanish, Urdu, Hebrew dialogue with English subtitles/Colour/HDCAM/92 mins
Directed by: Georg Misch

The astonishing story of one of the most pioneering figures of 20th century Islam - Leopold Weiss, a Jewish-born journalist from Austria.

Wed, Dec 17 2008, 22:15 MoE 4
Thu, Dec 18 2008, 12:30 Fest City 3
AHLAM MAKLIA (FRIED DREAMS)
Egypt/2007//Colour/DigiBeta/6 mins
Directed by: Nancy Kamal

A poor Egyptian girl dreams herself into a world of fantasy and magic.

Mon, Dec 15 2008, 21:30 MoE 5
Wed, Dec 17 2008, 12:45 MoE 6
AL MOR WA AL RUMMAN (POMEGRANATES AND MYRRH)
Palestine/2008/Arabic, English, Hebrew dialogue with English, Arabic subtitles/Colour/35mm/95 mins
Directed by: Najwa Najjar

A lonely Palestinian woman finds freedom of expression through the magic of dance.

Sat, Dec 13 2008, 21:00 Madinat Arena
Mon, Dec 15 2008, 19:00 Fest City 9
ALI & THE BALL
Australia/2008/English, Arabic dialogue with English, Arabic subtitles/Colour/DigiBeta/15 mins
Directed by: Alex Holmes

A young boy in an Australian refugee camp survives, thanks to a friend on the other side.

Mon, Dec 15 2008, 21:30 MoE 5
Wed, Dec 17 2008, 12:45 MoE 6
BAB AL SAMAH (THE DOOR OF FORGIVENESS)
Tunisia, Italy/2008/Arabic dialogue with English subtitles/Colour/35mm/15 mins
Directed by: Francesco Sperandeo

A Tunisian man's humiliating past is symbolised by a heavy old wooden door…

Mon, Dec 15 2008, 21:30 MoE 5
Wed, Dec 17 2008, 12:45 MoE 6
C'EST DIMANCHE! (IT'S SUNDAY!)
France, Algeria/2008/French, Arabic dialogue with English subtitles/Colour/35mm/30 mins
Directed by: Samir Guesmi

A young Algerian boy devises a far-fetched story to justify his expulsion from school. Unfortunately, his story comes back to bite him rather sooner than he expected.

Mon, Dec 15 2008, 21:30 MoE 5
Wed, Dec 17 2008, 12:45 MoE 6
EIN SHAMS (EYE OF THE SUN)
Egypt/2008/Arabic dialogue with English subtitles/Colour/35mm/90 mins
Directed by: Ibrahim El Batout

A little Egyptian girl dreams of exploring the hidden world of downtown Cairo …

Fri, Dec 12 2008, 19:00 MoE 7
Sun, Dec 14 2008, 12:00 MoE 5
 

A Celebration of Indian Cinema
A Celebration of Indian Cinema is a new focus within the international programme and is designed to reflect the strong links between Dubai and India, a country which has a long tradition of popular and great cinema. The section will not only feature the latest attractions from one of the world’s most prolific producers of entertainment and will also showcase a broad range of the finest works from the independent cinema movement within India.

The Cinema of the World
The Cinema of the World programme will feature a selection of the most important and original new films from North and South America, Australasia and Europe.

The Cinema of AsiaAfrica
The Cinema of AsiaAfrica section will offer a broad spectrum of important and recent films emerging from both Asia and Africa. Also includes extremely rich, diverse and challenging films. This section will include countries from Afghanistan, Angola. Bangladesh, Benin, Bhutan, Botswana, Brunei, Burkina Fasp, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, People’s Republic of China, Republic of China (Taiwan), Congo - Kinshasa, Democratic Republic Congo (Zaire), Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea Bissau, Guinea, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Iran, Ivory Coast, Japan, Kazakhtan, Kenya, North Korea, South Korea, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Lesotho, Liberia, Macau, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Mauritius, Mongolia, Mozambique, Myanmar, Namibia, Nepal, Niger, Nigeria, Pakistan, Philipines, Reunion, Rwanada, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Singapore, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Swaziland, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Thailand, Tibet, Togo, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Uganda, Uzbekistan, Vietnam, Zambia, Zanzibar, Zimbabwe.

Gulf Voices
The Gulf Voices programme, an expansion on the original Emirati Voices, is an important component of DIFF as it features out of competition Arab cinema by GCC filmmakers. This segment allows for the diversity of films from the GCC to be screened and viewed by all movie goers. The films are selected from the growing talent pool of emerging young GCC national filmmakers who are most deserving of a unique platform to showcase their talents.

Children’s Cinema
The Children’s Cinema section presents a selection of films appealing to children of all nationalities. Going beyond Hollywood, the selected works are from around the world and representative of different cultural backgrounds, but share a common factor in their universal appeal of entertaining children.

Animation
This section will present feature length animation films from around the world showcasing a variety of animation.

In Focus
Recognising thecontinuing global importance of world cinema.

Rythm & Reels
Celebrating music in film - on screen and live on stage - this new, three-night component of the programme presents musical films and complementary live concerts.

Screen on the Green
Crowd-pleasing movies from the Festival’s out-of-competition programme, screened under the stars.

Lifetime Achievement
Celebrates the work of three honorees, representing three areas of the globe: the Middle-East , Asia and the West.
 

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