Formerly the Middle East International Film Festival, the Abu Dhabi Film Festival takes place from 14 to 22 October in the United Arab Emirates’ capital. It curates programmes to engage and educate the local community, inspire filmmakers and nurture the growth of the regional film industry.
Formed in 2007, the festival is committed to presenting bold new works by Arab filmmakers in competition alongside those by major talents of world cinema. It offers Abu Dhabi’s diverse and enthusiastic audiences a means of sharing ideas through the art of cinema, highlighting the city’s burgeoning cultural landscape.
The festival includes competitions for narrative, documentary and short films, each made up of films selected from all over the world. New this year are the Afaq Jadida (New Horizons) Competition, which focuses on the work of new international directors, and the Emirates Competition, featuring short films from the UAE and other Gulf nations.
A Showcase of outstanding recent world cinema will be screened out of competition, along with special programmes including restorations and retrospectives. The “What in the World Are We Doing to Our World?’ section returns to highlight environmental issues. An important focus for the Festival this year is Sanad, a newly launched development and post-production fund, offering filmmakers from the Arab world regional support for the development or completion of feature films.
The Abu Dhabi Film Festival is presented each October by the Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture and Heritage (ADACH) under the patronage of H. E. Sheikh Sultan Bin Tahnoon Al Nahyan. Newsweek recently selected ADACH as the premier Arab cultural institution, citing its “distinguished and innovative style’ and “great contributions to the UAE and the Arabic cultural scene.’
For more information visit www.abudhabifilmfestival.ae
