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ADFF @ The Pavilion Downtown Dubai
Co-Curated by Butheina Hamed Kazim
May 13 - August 3, 2011
ADFF @ The Pavilion Downtown Dubai is a four-month long series
of film screenings presented by the Abu Dhabi Film Festival
(ADFF) in collaboration with film producer Butheina Hamed
Kazim and in partnership with The Pavilion Downtown Dubai. The
initiative is a first for ADFF as it showcases highlights of
the capital's festival to the Dubai community as part of its
commitment to a greater selection of screenings and activities in
the UAE throughout the year.
ADFF @ The Pavilion Downtown Dubai aims to facilitate and
encourage the increasingly active conversation among
filmmakers, supporters, patrons and enthusiasts across the
UAE, who are central to the exciting growth of the local film
culture. Hosted at The Pavilion Downtown Dubai, the venue is a
unique hub for a diverse range of arts events, offering
a platform to promote an active cultural community to the
public and to support the work of a rising generation of
artists in the region. Along with the cinema where the films will
be hosted, The Pavilion includes two galleries, a library, a
café and a shisha lounge facing the Burj Khalifa.
Co-curator Butheina Hamed Kazim and the ADFF programming team
have carefully selected from among highlights of the past two
years to give an overview of several sections that
are presented at the festival each October in Abu Dhabi.
Launching on May 13, ADFF @ The Pavilion Downtown Dubai will
begin with four films that have received ADFF's SANAD grants which
support Arab cinema. Through the coming months, future
installments of the series will focus on past ADFF award winners; titles
from The Museum of Modern Art (New York) and ArteEast's
groundbreaking program 'Mapping Subjectivity';
and, during the Holy Month of Ramadan, a selection of Emirati short
films that have been entered in the Emirates Film
Competition, as well as films that help broaden public
awareness towards significant environmental
issues.
"Over the past few years, the Abu Dhabi Film Festival has helped
to create a fertile ground for film culture to take root in
the UAE and our screenings at The Pavilion Downtown Dubai mark
an exciting partnership that we hope will inspire more
collaborations and initiatives to connect audiences and
filmmakers across the UAE," said Eissa Saif Rashed Al
Mazrouei, Director of Special Projects, ADACH. "We are
also happy that this series, which shows the diversity and
quality that is at the heart of our program each year, includes a
number of films by Emiratis whose work is too often seen only
in festivals."
"Film lovers in the UAE rarely have the chance to see the kinds
of films we show at ADFF except during the festivals in Abu
Dhabi and Dubai, so we are delighted to present this series of
outstanding films all through the coming summer. Having one
of Dubai's most exciting contemporary art spaces as the home
for our first long-running series is an ideal way to allow a
wider audience to discover some of the most engaging works of
local, regional and international cinema," said Peter Scarlet,
Executive Director of the Abu Dhabi Film Festival.
The series runs from May through August 2011 with a premiere
screening every Friday and two repeat screenings every
Saturday. All films that are not in English are screened
with English subtitles. For a full program of films, please
visit www.pavilion.ae or www.abudhabifilmfestival.ae
SANAD Projects - New Arab Cinema
Screening Schedule
Son of Babylon - Mohamed Al Daradji | Arabic, Kurdish | Iraq,
UK, UAE | 2009 | 100min
May 13, 7:30pm
May 14, 5:30pm & 7:30pm
OK, Enough, Goodbye - Rania Attieh & Daniel Garcia | Arabic
| Lebanon, UAE | 2010 |
92min
May 20, 7:30pm
May 21, 5:30pm & 7:30pm
We Were Communists - Maher Abi Samra | Arabic | Lebanon, France,
UAE | 2010 | 85min
May 27, 7:30pm
May 28, 5:30pm & 7:30pm
Here Comes The Rain - Bahij Hojeij | Arabic | Lebanon, UAE |
2010 | 100min
June 3, 7:30pm
June 4, 5:30pm & 7:30pm
About Abu Dhabi Film Festival
The Abu Dhabi Film Festival (formerly the Middle East
International Film Festival) was established in 2007, with the
aim of helping to create a vibrant film culture throughout
the region. 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, Chairman of Abu Dhabi
Authority for Culture and Heritage, the event is committed to
curating exceptional programs to engage and educate the local
community, inspire filmmakers and nurture the growth of the
regional film industry.
With its commitment to presenting works by Arab filmmakers in
competition alongside those by major talents of world cinema,
the Festival offers Abu Dhabi's diverse and
enthusiastic audiences a means of engaging with their own and
others' cultures through the art of cinema. At the same time,
a strong focus on the bold new voices of Arab cinema
connects with Abu Dhabi's role as a burgeoning cultural
capital in the region and marks the festival as a place for
the world to discover and gauge the pulse of recent Arab
filmmaking.
About Butheina Hamed Kazim
Kazim is the producer of the independent documentary film
Letters to Palestine, which has screened across Palestine and
premiered at the Dubai International Film Festival (DIFF)
in December 2010. She was a juror for the iEmmys Asia &
Africa competition and a curator for an independent films
program at the Shelter in Dubai and is currently working on a
series for Al Jazeera Documentary Channel.
Kazim represented the UAE at the Berlinale as part of the Abu
Dhabi Film Commission delegation attending the European
Producers Club Forum, a talent workshop, which invites young
and emerging filmmakers from all over the world. Kazim is
regular commentator on issues of media, culture and
communication and co-hosts Dubai Tonight a radio talk show on
Dubai Eye 103.8. Kazim is currently the Strategy & Business
Development Manager at Dubai Media Incorporated, which
operates six pan-Arab TV channels and other media platforms
including print, publishing and radio.
About The Pavilion Downtown Dubai
The Pavilion is the city's newest dedicated non-profit
contemporary art space providing a place to view, discuss and
participate in works by local and international artists.
Developed by the multidivisional group Cultural Engineering,
the pavilion is a unique hub for a diverse range of art events
offering a platform to promote an active arts community to the
public and to support the work of a rising generation of
artists in the region.
The Pavilion's programming will reinforce its role as a place
for artistic discourse, research and education. The building
itself reflects a unique interior that supports a dialogue
between art and its audience.
Media Contacts
For inquiries on Abu Dhabi Film Festival:
William Royce
Abu Dhabi Film Festival
T +9712 556 4590
press@adff.ae
For inquiries on The Pavilion Downtown
Dubai:
Tarané Ali Khan
t h r e e | Communications & Consulting
T +9714 3411 367
tarane@three-pr.com
Contact thePress Team