I had the opportunity to speak with one of them — writer and co-director Swel Noury — at the 2009 Dubai International Film Festival, and he confessed a strong predilection for cinema, pop culture, art and geeky camera technology, which is apparent from the expressionistic visuals and experimental narrative. The plot concerns X (played with beguiling charm and repulsion by Said Bey), a rather unattractive clerk in a futuristic, unrecognizable city (actually Casablanca) who is madly in love with beautiful French cabaret performer Lili; luckily, she feels the same way, and the happy couple have even been “approved” by the Ministry to be married. Only problem is that X, like any logical guy who has read enough Kafka and Orwell, is a little fucked in the head and is unable to accept such happiness. Man Who Sold the World documents X’s tragic descent into madness via 108 minutes of French New Wave-style montages, 15 chapter headings, one prologue, one epilogue and epilepsy-inducing handheld camerawork.

But if you can take it all (and most viewers can’t, except may be hardened cinephiles and art connoisseurs) there is much to be relished in Man Who Sold the World — the Brothers Noury have a taste for the aesthetic and conceptual: this much is clear from the Antonioni-esque compositions lensed by cinematographer Paulo Ares, the influence of Vermeer in the set decoration and, most importantly, Orson Welles’ The Trial (itself a Kafka adaptation) which is the pivotal inspiration behind this film’s theme of helplessness of the individual in a totalitarian society where love and free-thinking are dangerous dirty words. That and punk rock…

WearetheMovies.com is a non-profit website inspiring film discussion and independent filmmaking in Dubai, UAE and across the Middle East. (And we love email.)

Many movies at the Dubai International Film Festival had a Q&A session after the screening. Of the three movies I managed to watch on the final day of the festival, the last two colourful post-screening Q&As that added value to the experience. This was possibly the best facet of the festival, apart from bringing us movies that we would not otherwise have had the opportunity to be discovered.

After the Downfall (Apres La Chute)
Hiner Saleem | France | 2009
63 mins

The title of this movie refers to the fall of Saddam Hussein’s Iraqi regime. The movie takes place in the apartment of a Kurdish man in France, celebrating the downfall with fellow Kurdish friends, while live televised news is projected on one of the walls. The time-line of the movie is two-fold: the entire story takes place on the same day as the celebration continues in the apartment, while the projected news-footage spans months as it goes from the US invasion of Iraq, their open-arm welcome by the Iraqis and eventually to the resistance and civil unrest the US occupation caused. Although this is a smart idea, and would surely have looked appealing on paper, the pull-off is dismal. Furthermore, the movie’s treatment is spineless: the rift between the characters at the party (due to their racial differences: Kurds vs. Shiites vs. Sunnis) is touched upon with kid gloves, and never properly explored or exploited. Instead, the director populates the movie with vulgar sensationalism of graphic news footage (real beheadings, etc) and needless nudity.

The Barons (Les Barons)
Nabil Ben Yadir | Belgium | 2009
106 mins

Set in a working class neighbourhood of Brussels, The Barons is the story of four young friends, nicknamed The Barons, who live a simple and lethargic life. Having no ambition in life, they intend to laze away, philosophising life. Except one of them, who dreams of becoming a stand-up comedian. The movie starts of as a delightful comedy, mixing quirky and bizarre humour with the narrative (breaking the fourth-wall, literally walking into the flashback, etc). But it steadily shifts spectrum, ending as a conventional drama. This could be interpreted as the characters growing up over the course of the movie and taking life more seriously, but it fails to resonate. Eventually, perhaps an ideal flight movie, The Barons has not much to take away, but it could take away your time quite effortlessly.

Little Soldier (Lille Soldat)
Annette L. Olesen| Denmark | 2008
101 mins

Little Soldier reminds me of El Custodio, the 2006 Argentinian movie. Quite similar in mood and treatment, Little Soldier is a restrained drama about Lotte, an ex-army soldier, coping with a distorted life. Brought up by her grand-parents after her mother’s death early in her life, Lotte finds it difficult to connect or communicate with her father. Taking up job as a driver for his prostitution ring, she eventually empathizes with her father’s Nigerian hooker girlfriend, taking it upon herself to ‘rescue’ her. Trine Dyrholm, playing Lotte, turns in a very restrained performance, letting her eyes and masculine-physicality evocate the character’s state of mind. Very well shot and presented, Little Soldier makes for a captivating watch.

And so it ends. As the curtains on the 2009 Dubai International Film Festival are drawn, looking back at the past week generates a smile: I was not sure about the movie selection this year before the start, but I am now glad to say that the festival proved to be quite fertile! For me: 7 Days, 5 shorts, 22 features, 1 documentary. However, all is not over yet. Expect an Afterword soon!

What a day of extremes! I watched four movies, none of which were in the middle-ground.  Keep reading for the low-down.

At The End Of Daybreak (Sham Moh)
Yuhang Ho | Malaysia/Hong Kong/South Korea | 2009
94 mins

This confused movie sets up an interesting enough premise, but then forgets who it is about. The narrative follows one character, then without rhyme or reason, shifts to another one, and then similarly to a third character. This could have been a good technique, but the way the movie progresses, it comes across as if the character in-focus becomes too boring, and hence the need to focus on someone else. Eventually, ends up being pointless.

Prophet (Un Prophete)
Jacques Audiard | France | 2009
150 mins

Malik, a young Arab-French man lands in prison. We learn early on that he does not have a family, and he has been in a juvenile centre before. Before long, the Corsicans, who enforce their control within the prison, bring the raw and uncomplicated Malik under their “protection” in return for their dirty work. As time goes by, Malik uses his experience and intelligence to elevate his position and become his own boss. The movie delves into details of Malik’s prison-life over a six-year period, its brilliance being the scrutiny of the power-play within the prison-walls. As meticulous as a good game of chess, each clever scene leads to another smart scene. We see Malik grow wiser as the movie unfolds — thankfully without voice-over, narration or blurbs of text explaining what is happening. The movie also makes powerful use of race and religion to a great effect rarely seen in cinema. Prophet is easily the best of this year’s DIFF yet (superseding any such comments made earlier).

The Man Who Sold The World
Imad & Swel Noury | Morocco | 2009
108 mins

With The Man Who Sold The World, the Noury brothers have taken early Aronofsky and hacked it up with an axe. Although it is based on a popular book, the movie is incoherent and unintelligible. Broken into 15 haphazard chapters, even the individual chapters within themselves follow little logic. One of the directors was kind enough to explain the inspirations behind the visuals and themes to give some meaning to the movie. However, a movie that requires the director to explain it to you in order to understand it is either not meant for you, or simply not a good movie. Like a badly told joke.

Broken Embraces (Los Abrazos Rotos)
Pedro Almodóvar | Spain | 2009
128 mins

Broken Embraces is a wonderfully crafted movie of two men and their passion for one woman. The story starts with a blinded and retired film-director, Mateo Blanco (Lluís Homar), who now writes scripts under the pseudonym Harry Caine. As the movie dissolves into flashback, we discover his love for Lena (Penelope Cruz), who was also the object of desire for a rich and powerful businessman. Flawlessly moving the story along, Pedro Almodóvar crafts the movie with such beautiful imagery and visual cues that watching the movie becomes a delight on numerous levels simultaneously. The rich use of the colour red, beautiful steady shots and Penelope Cruz’s love-affair with the cinema-screen balance the powerful performance of Lluís Homar and the passionate story of the movie. It is understood that fans of Almodóvar’s body of work will be rewarded with a references to his cinematic world.

Three more movies to go to complete my participation at this year’s Dubai International Film Festival. The last day, tomorrow, will bring with it bitter-sweet emotions of accomplishment and farewell. Prior to the close, I can safely say I have discovered enough new talent to keep things going into the next year. But there’s more to come yet from this year’s festival experience. Wait for tomorrow to learn more!

So was it a close competition? Not in the least. Saw Earth’s Women, Mother, Moon, Farewell Gary. Read on to know which one triumphed over the others and which one particular movie made me fall asleep!

Earth’s Women (Ddag-ui Yeo-ja)
Woo-jung Kwon | South Korea | 2009
95 mins

In the closing narration of this documentary, the director makes a statement where the three farmer-women, subjects of the film, wonder why they are being filmed since they are not special in any way. The director then, in her narration, agrees that they are not special at all. Then why indeed was this movie made? Even at 95 minutes, it would have felt twice that duration if only I could keep myself awake to watch it all.

Mother (Madeo)
Joon-ho Bong | South Korea | 2009
129 mins

Joon-ho Bong has now made three feature-length films, each as good as the other. After making the lesser-known crime-investigation thriller Memories of Murder followed by the fantastic genre-defying monster movie The Host (played at DIFF 2006), Joon-ho brings us a movie that will remind fans of both. Mother is about a single-mother’s quest to save her only son (a simple fool whose memory regularly fails him) from a murder charge that lands him in prison. Knowing her son to be innocent, she sets out to prove his innocence. In order to do this, she must first find the real killer. Not one for conventions, Joon-ho’s movie plays with themes and characters in a refreshing fashion, yet again proving how much we have become used to formula and mediocrity. The soul of the movie is Bin Won’s fantastic performance as the mother. She manages to credibly convey the desperation of an anguished yet resolute mother. A note on the closing shot: it could easily have been cut short by a good ten-seconds for a conventional close. That it does not is Joon-ho’s masterstroke.

Moon
Duncan Jones | UK | 2009
97 mins

The first thing that strikes you in Moon is the wonderful score by Clint Mansell. The next is Sam Rockwell’s wonderful performances. We have not seen him not do a loud character for some time, an opportunity Moon gives him that he grabs with all his hands. And lastly, the wonderfully nice characters in the movie (revealing more would be spoiling it). What works against it is its predictability. You know something is not right when you guess what will happen next, and the exact same thing happens, not once but throughout the movie. Fortunately, the performances and the score create a tranquil atmosphere that the works to the story’s advantage. Nevertheless, if Moon serves as an amuse-bouche to Duncan Jones’ career, I look forward to the entrée and main course.

Farewell Gary (Adieu Gary)
Nassim Amaouche | France | 2009
75 mins

As far as independent films are concerned, Farewell Gary is as conventional as they come — the kind made by directors at the beginning of their career before they move on to do better (or worse). This does not mean the movie is boring or not good, it just means that the appreciation and accolades this movie is garnering will probably be lost in time and crowd. Contextually, Farewell Gary is a good film. It is about a small town of factory workers and their families as they live through a quiet period in their lives, a little after the factory has been closed. The success of the movie is in presenting this milieu with authenticity and making it interesting enough to hold our attention. It is populated with characters that are all attractive in disposition, making Farewell Gary the indie version of a feel-good movie.

We are beyond the mid-point of the 2009 Dubai International Film Festival now. From tomorrow, the end of each screening will bring the festival wrap-up visibly closer. The last three days include some big movies and some with international acclaim in the festival-circuit, including two from Iran’s (arguably) prolific film industry. Continue reading these reports to find out what and how good they are.

I did not end up watching four movies on the third day of DIFF 2009 as planned. But the quality of the three that I did watch (Well Done, Abba; Amreeka; The Message) has more than compensated for this small personal tragedy. This year is indeed turning out to be a surprise. Seems like where Hollywood lacked in 2009, independent cinema has made up for.

Well Done, Abba
Shyam Benegal | India | 2009
135 mins

Shyam Benegal, a celebrated director of the revolutionary “parallel cinema” movement of 70s India, moves a step-down with his latest feature, Well Done Abba, a satire based on the corruption that permeates India’s government schemes for the poor. Even so, this mediocre effort by Benegal’s standards leaves its mark. Abba (an over-acting Boman Iran getting his Hyderabadi accent way off-mark) faces corrupt officials at every step of the way when he tries to avail of a government scheme that finances the building of wells in a village. Each man wants his cut, eventually leaving Abba with no money, no well and documents saying all was done. Not to be victimized, Abba and his daughter (Minissha Lamba) decide to play the system instead. They file a report at the police station for a stolen well, presenting all documents to prove they officially had one. As departments collide, pandemonium ensues. Well Done, Abba was made with one purpose in mind: to use the mass-media of cinema to make a statement on the socio-economic condition of present-day India. Within that context, the movie does and will serve its purpose. But to present it to an audience not meant for it or to appraise it purely on cinematic terms not only diminishes the necessity of the movie, but also brings the tag of mediocrity to Benegal. The director may not be too bothered though, he is probably deep into composing his next socio-political statement.

Amreeka
Cherien Dabis | USA | 2009
97 mins

Cherien Dabis’ makes a fabulous debut feature film with Amreeka. It tells the story of Muna, a single-mother, and her teenage son who migrate to U.S.A. in 2003. From Palestine. The movie explores what they go through in trying to settle-in and the prejudice they face. A simply enough premise, but what makes the movie the best of the festival so far (yes, you read that right!), is a water-tight script by the director herself and an astonishingly good yet poetically simple performance by Nisreen Faour as Muna. Nisreen embodies her character as a simple and nice person (as Amy Adams’ Ashley from Junebug). She portrays the character with such fierce honesty, that Muna becomes an amiable person, like everyone’s favourite cousin. With her son, she lives through experiences that resonate with authenticity, reacting as we expect living breathing people to. This depth of character, the familiarity it brings, makes her easy to identify with and becomes the director’s master-stroke in this winning script. Competently surrounded by a host of wonderful performances, especially Hiam Abbass as Muna’s assertive sister Raghda, Amreeka grows to become one of the most personal and warm-hearted movies of not just this festival, but the entire year.

The Message (Feng Sheng)
Kuofu Chen & Qunshu Gao | China | 2009
120 mins

A conspiracy is hatched to overthrow an oppressive regime. This takes the form of an underground revolution, with spies infiltrating every department of the regime. One regime officer takes it upon himself to find an important mole that causes them most damage. The Message, as another bit of evidence of China being world players in commercial cinema, is a well-crafted big-budget production that is a staple of summer in Hollywood. Stylization, size, sophistication and actors that look like actors – this movie has it all. Although it takes a few liberties with intelligence when finally explaining who the mole is, the suspense holds well through-out in a mark of good story-telling. The Message will remind you of numerous movies of the spy-thriller genre, but it stays gripping enough from start to finish, assuring it a positive score.

Coming up next: South Korea’s Mother, from the director of The Host (played at DIFF 2006). Day 4 of DIFF also includes Moon, the sci-fi thriller/drama starring Sam Rockwell. It’s too early to call it, but I humor myself by seeing this as a mini-competition for my vote of the best movie on the 4th day at DIFF 2009.

Three movies, three genres, three varying levels of quality: from Korea to Japan to Sweden; from a personal story to a mythical epic to a post-apocalyptic animated. As my oft-repeated slogan de troika goes, the day included the good, the bad and the weird (but not necessarily in that order!). Here’s the doozy:

My Dear Enemy (Meotjin Haru)
Yoon-ki Lee | South Korea | 2008
123 mins

My Dear Enemy commits one of the greatest sins a movie can commit — it gets boring. A simple enough premise could well have lead to a useful exploration of the film’s two main characters’ interplay and psyche; it could also have been a humorous look into the situations they get into. The film does neither. The first 15 minutes of My Dear Enemy tell us almost everything we need to know about these people. Then from there on it out, it just allows time to tick on, burdening us with a painfully shallow female lead. It could have been a wonderful short. But it ends up being a five-course meal of biscuits only!

Kamui (Kamui Gaiden)
Yoichi Sai | Japan | 2009
120 mins

As far as Ninja movies go, Kamui takes itself very seriously. And appropriately so. Director Yoichi Sai sets up a scene early on with a voice-over narration which entrusts the movie into mythical folklore. Following traditional Japanese ink-paintings in an animated prelude, the movie follows one fugitive ninja, Kamui, on the run from a ninja clan. Ultra-serious, masterful at his craft, and with not a single care, he escapes to and finally settles on an island of fishing-folk –- unaware of the love and treachery that awaits him. Although the film does not employ state-of-the-art effects, it fills each scene, action or drama with enough soul. The fight-sequences are intense, sometimes brutal, fun and a tribute to the iconic imagery that ninjas carry in popular culture. Unfortunately, the movie lacks a strong villain — one that could have been a cause of real threat to the hero. Therefore, the climactic showdown does not reach the level of excitement that the movie builds towards. It was just another good fight.

Metropia
Tarik Saleh | Sweden | 2009
86 mins

In the hands of a good director and a great cinematographer, Metropia can be a wonderful live-action movie. It could just as easily enough become a bad b-grade direct-to-video also. Tarik Saleh’s Metropia, with its peculiar technique and an eerie visual motif, is an askewed look into a dystopian future. The over-sized heads and two-dimensional movements mixed with photo-real faces and skin create a bizarre effect. This surreal effect does not wear off as the movie progresses but instead complements the mystery that the movie’s story presents. The movie raises many questions, answers too few, but it is eventually not about intellectualizing the story. Metropia is about how it is made. Nonetheless, this does not stop the director from making a jab at our increasing fascination with voyeurism.

Day 3 has plunged me deeper into the 2009 Dubai International Film Festival. Having seen 10 movies till now, and four movies lined up for tomorrow, it will be easy to be overly critical towards movies that find it hard to hold the audience’s interest. However, it is usually on such days that the best of the festival is discovered. Plus, there’s the rain…

The film has a sprawling narrative with multiple stories, all taking place within the cultural melting pot of one city — for Paul Haggis’ Crash it was Los Angeles, for Mostafa’s City of Life it is Dubai. The similarities between the two films are nakedly apparent in a pivotal scene concerning a massive car crash. Though City of Life does not break new ground in narrative terms, like Crash (which itself borrowed heavily from Robert Altman storytelling technique), it is sensitively performed by an ensemble cast.

City of Life depicts the lives of a young, privileged Emirati (Faisal played by Saoud Al Kaabi) in the process of discovering his cultural identity, an embittered Indian taxi driver (Basu played by Sonu Sood) that dreams of being an actor and a quietly suffering ex-ballet dancer now a stewardess (Natalia played by Alexandra Maria Lara, last seen in Coppola’s Youth Without Youth). Their lives will “collide” and catharsis will be reached for the audience. Despite the more-or-less conventional nature of the plot, director Mostafa gets good performances from his actors – Iraqi MC turned actor The Narcicyst is particularly memorable as the zippy Khalfan whose character provides a sly commentary on urban Emirati life. Actually, City of Life is most effective when it is honest: without being condescending, Mostafa sneaks in everyday truths of living as both a citizen and expatriate in the United Arab Emirates; and he is savvy to not out to grandstand or preach to the choir. Yet this does not mean the film is free of stereotypes — one character, Guy Berger (played by Jason Flemyng) who is the European “hi-roller” undergoes a dramatic transformation that borders on caricature (brace yourself for a memorable line from him: “I will f*cking break you!”). Then there are those arbitrary montages and time lapses that lend a commercial/ music video feel to the otherwise filmic visual aesthetic of both cinéma vérité and moving camera on steadicam or cranes. Director of Photography Michael Brierley paints the nighttime of Dubai with stunning colors using cool and warm lights, especially during the night scenes; Brierley’s beautiful camerawork is one of the strongest elements of the film.

City of Life is not an art film and does not break new ground in story, but that may not be Ali F. Mostafa’s agenda: he seems to have set out to create a mainstream film that engages viewers emotionally, without undermining their intelligence. The film is the product of a young and talented filmmaker that pays homage to Emirati culture and values, but does not forget to include the rich cultural diversity that exists in his country. Above all, it is fun to watch, which is something not every film in a film festival can lay claim to. A must-see especially for the residents of the UAE.

City of Life had its World Premiere on Dec 11 at the 2009 Dubai International Festival. It was also the opening night film for the 2010 Gulf Film Festival.

WearetheMovies.com is a non-profit website inspiring film discussion and independent filmmaking in Dubai, UAE and across the Middle East. (And we love email.)

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Amreeka
by writer/director Cherien Dabis

It’s no wonder that Americans can relate to the universal immigrant themes in Amreeka. America is a country of immigrants after all, some who arrived centuries ago, others who are arriving as you read this. But despite where they came from and when they arrived, they all seem to understand what it means to struggle. And perhaps it’s precisely because they have their own coming-to-America stories that they’re inspired to ask me how autobiographical Amreeka is. The question usually goes something like this: “The story feels so personal. What inspired it? Is it autobiographical at all?” It’s a double question really, two questions that go hand-in-hand. And in order to best answer it, I’ll tell you my story.

The year is 1975. My Palestinian father who just finished medical school in Cairo and my Jordanian mother brave the trip from Amman, Jordan, to—of all places— Omaha, Nebraska, where my father has landed a pediatrics residency. My mother—tremendously homesick—cries everyday and learns about American culture by watching “Days of Our Lives.” My studious father assimilates out of necessity, takes a liking to college football (Go Cornhuskers!) and softens the back-of-the-throat guttural syllable of our last name so that it sounds remarkably similar to Davis. My older sister (three-years-old at the time) is either so bored or so lonely that she literally takes up conversation with a nail in the wall, and they fast become friends. Then I come along, the first in my family born in the U.S.

Four years later, a small town in Ohio is in need of a pediatrician, and my father is recruited. The place has a zero crime rate and when my parents visit, they think it’s charming and quaint; the perfect place to raise children. Thus, we move to the middle of nowhere, where it’s obvious from my parents’ accents and our three-month-long summer trips to Jordan that we don’t belong. My mother, refusing to raise Americans, proves to be a particular challenge, making us eat green slimy foods that our blonde-haired, blue-eyed counterparts can’t pronounce and bribing us to speak Arabic at home. My sister and I rebel, simply wanting to fit in. Meanwhile, my father builds a relatively successful practice and is known by some as the town hero for saving so-and-so’s life.

Cut to: 1991—As American troops enter Baghdad, fear and paranoia enter the heartland. And we’re rendered the enemy virtually overnight. My father’s patients barge into his office, ask for their medical records and leave. We receive death threats on a daily basis: We’ll get Saddam, and we’ll get you too. And: We know what to do with you Saddam-lovers. The local newspaper publishes letters to the editor about how “those Arabs should leave town.” Then the secret service shows up at my high school on rumors that my now 17-year-old sister has allegedly threatened to kill the President. My sister, terrified that she’s in serious trouble with the government for something she never threatened to do, comes down with a 104 fever. My parents sit at the kitchen table, whispering about what to do and browsing brochures of Cleveland. My father, whose name Nazih (pronounced Nuh-ZEE) lands him the unfortunate label “the Palestinian Nazi,” buys two baseball bats just in case. And that’s it. Somewhere between Saddam-lovers, the Secret Service and a so-called friend approaching me at my freshman locker, telling me that her brother could die because of me, I wake up. The world as I know has been turned upside down. So I go with it. I start to speak Arabic at home. I pay close attention to the news. I realize that there are no depictions of Arabs anywhere other than when we’re referred to as terrorists. I see that we’re referred to as terrorists often, not just on the news but also in Hollywood movies like True Lies and The Siege. So at the age of 14, I decide to make it my mission in life to change that, to make some effort toward integrating Arab Americans into the fabric of American popular culture.

As fate would have it, a decade later, I move to New York City to start film school at Columbia University. It just so happens to be days before 9/11. It’s like déjà vu, especially because shortly thereafter, another President Bush is invading Iraq again. That’s when I know it’s time to start writing my story, a story born out of my own family’s struggle but inspired by the love and strength that kept us going, the friends who stuck by us, the pride that only a mother can instill and the hope that one story can—in some small way—change the world.

Of course the short answer is that the movie is semi-autobiographical. And the best part of sharing it with you is that many of you have been inspired to share your own coming-to-America stories. So please. Do tell. It’s your turn.

WearetheMovies.com is a non-profit website inspiring film discussion and independent filmmaking in Dubai, UAE and across the Middle East. (And we love email.)

Celebrities at DIFF 2009

Hollywood:
Gerard Butler (receiving Variety’s International Star of the Year Award; but the most pertinent question is, will he DINE IN HELL?!?)
Matt Dillon (remember him?)
Mandy Moore (party prime rib)
Christopher Lambert (who? okay, we jest; we love this duke of B-cinema!)
…more ‘celebrities’ you’ll need to google to remember!

Indian Cinema:
Amitabh Bachchan (receiving Lifetime Achievement Award)
Other Bachchans (Jaya Bachchan, Abhishek Bachchan; yup, it’s a family affair)
Ranbir Kapoor (described by DIFF as “teenybopper sensation,” which is *not* a compliment)
Manisha Koirala (she’s judging the Muhr Arab and AsiaAfrica awards)
M.F. Hussain (he too is judging the Muhr Arab and AsiaAfrica awards)
Mammootty (the stalwart of cinema from Kerala)
…more of them will be seen around the city (shopping for clothes and gold, we’re sure)

Arab World:
Her Majesty Queen Noor of Jordan
Omar Sharif (receiving Lifetime Achievement Award)
Hala Sarhan
Somayya Al Kashab
Mostafa Fahmy
…and more, lost count, there are so many!

Panels & Workshops
Vive Le Cinema: co-producing fiction features with France
Against the Odds: a case study of filmmaking in Palestine
Variety-DIFF Spotlight: for filmmakers and producers in the Arab world
Screenwriting Workshop: in association with TorinoFilmLab
DIFF Young Journalist Award: in association with MBC and Funding in the Middle East

A staggering 168 movies from 55 countries will be playing over the week-long film festival (but then again, this is Dubai, so you only get more of more).  Only 2 days remain until the opening night of the 2009 Dubai International Film Festival. Excited?

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Dubai International Film Festival 2009

WearetheMovies.com has been diligently covering the festival since last year (our writers are pretty comprehensive and brutal; see links on the right), and this year we will once again jump into the fray, all guns blazing. Dubai is a city we love and we love it even more during the film festival. (Wait, I think I hear Bloomberg and Financial Times nerds crying foul, screaming “standstill” and “meltdown” — screw ‘em, what do philistines know about art.) The DIFF website has just unveiled the entire roster of films, schedule and price details. The information is a bit dense there, so here is a snapshot summary:

Films
The festival films have been split up into 16 programmes. You can navigate the selections by these categories, or become a film militant and scroll through each page, film by film (if you do this,  you will earn our greatest respect). I hand counted 168 films films in there, which is kinda insane and awesome. Ready? Now click these:
A Celebration of Indian Cinema (3 films)
Arab-French Rendez-Vous (5 films)
Arabian Nights (14 films)
Cinema for Children (7 films)
Cinema of Asia-Africa (11 films)
Cinema of the World (26 films)
Gulf Voices (10 films)
In Focus: France (6 films)
Lebanese Night (4 films)
Lifetime Achievement (4 films)
Muhr Arabic Documentary (14 films)
Muhr Arabic Feature (10 films)
Muhr Arabic Short (15 films)
Muhr AsiaAfrica Documentary (12 films)
Muhr AsiaAfrica Feature (15 films)
Muhr AsiaAfrica Short (12 films)

Ticket Prices
Regular tickets are AED 25 ($6.80), but if you’re a Student then it is only AED 10 ($2.70) which is nice of them. Tickets for the Red Carpet Gala Screenings, if you’re into that sort of thing, are AED 80 — only requirement is that they ask you wear “formal or national dress — no jeans.” Else they might kick you out, or worst… actually let you in where snobs in black ties and gowns will really make you feel at home. If you buy tickets in bulk (which we always recommend), then there are special discounted packages. Do the math yourself: let your brain and wallet pick the right deal here.

Box Office
They have counters at the Madinat Jumeriah, Mall of the Emirates and Dubai Media City. Check out this page for the operation hours and contact numbers. Hopefully, the young turks working the phones have a clue.

And you’re done.

(P.S. Need recommendations on what to see or avoid? We have something in the works. Meanwhile, read the early rants and raves from our feisty members on the WM Forum.)