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ADFF @ The Pavilion Downtown - Dubai Mapping Subjectivity: Experimentation in Arab Cinema 1960 - Now
After a successful first two months of screenings, ADFF @ The
Pavilion Downtown Dubai continues with its next segment
featuring four films from Mapping Subjectivity:
Experimentation in Arab Cinema 1960-Now, a program co-curated
by The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) and ArteEast that traces
the largely unknown heritage of personal, artistic and
innovative cinema from the Arab world. In the 1960s,
galvanized by a broader global vanguard of
countercultural experimentation in the arts, filmmakers in the
Arab countries began to craft a language and form that broke
away from established conventions and commercial
considerations, ultimately clearing the ground for boldly
subjective cinematic expression. ADFF co-programmed and
presented several films from Mapping Subjectivity during its
fourth edition in 2010; the full program was presented at MoMA
in New York. The four films in this selection were among
those shown in New York in the fall of 2010.
Mapping Subjectivity: Experimentation in Arab Cinema
1960-Now is curated by Jytte Jensen, Curator, Department of
Film, MoMA and Rasha Salti, Curator and Artistic Director,
ArteEast.
Screening Schedule: Thursdays | 7:30pm; Fridays |
5:30pm & 7:30pm
Port of Memory
Kamal Aljafari | Arabic | Germany, France, Palestine, UAE | 2010
| 63 min. This 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.
Thursday, July 7 | 7:30pm; Friday, July 8 | 5:30pm
& 7:30pm.
Chronicle of a Disappearance
Elia Suleiman | Arabic, Hebrew, English, French | Palestine,
USA, Germany, France | 1996 | 88 min. In a series of
witty vignettes, some contemplative, others laden with satiric
humor and critique, Elia Suleiman expresses his emotions and
state of mind as he observes daily life in Palestine. Through
scenes of a Palestinian actress struggling to find an
apartment in West Jerusalem, the owner of the Holy Land souvenir
shop preparing merchandise for incoming Japanese tourists and
a group of old women gossiping about their relatives, Suleiman
leads us on a meditative search for what it means to be
Palestinian. Thursday, July, 14 | 7:30pm; Friday, July 15
| 5:30pm & 7:30pm
Divine Intervention
Elia Suleiman | Arabic, Hebrew, English | Palestine, Morocco,
Germany, France | 2002 | 92mins
Subtitled A Chronicle of Love and Pain, the film
follows a group of interrelated people as they struggle to
maintain the veneer of normal life in Nazareth, the West Bank
and Jerusalem. Observing that its characters are trapped in a land
that denies them basic human rights, the film defines the
Israeli occupation of Palestinian territory in painfully
explicit terms. Subversive humor abounds in a series
of expertly executed fantasy sequences and sight gags. In the
laughter created from such bleakness, there is a sensation of
triumph in the face of adversity. Thursday, July 21 |
7:30pm; Friday, July 29 | 5:30pm & 7:30pm
The Time That Remains
WINNER - BEST MIDDLE EASTERN NARRATIVE FILM - ADFF
2009
Elia Suleiman | Arabic, Hebrew, English | UK, Italy, Belgium,
France | 2009 | 109 min
Suleiman returns with an 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. Thursday, July 28
| 7:30pm; Friday, July 29 | 5:30pm & 7:30pm
* All non-English language films have English subtitles.
Entrance to the screenings is free of charge but seating is
limited and will be available on a first-come, firstserved basis.
Screenings start promptly at the specified time so please
arrive accordingly.
About ADFF @ The Pavilion Downtown Dubai
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 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.
Launched on May 13, ADFF @ The Pavilion Downtown Dubai
began with four films that have received ADFF's SANAD grants
which support Arab cinema, followed by a series featuring past
ADFF award winners. Future installments of the series
will focus on a selection of Emirati short films that have
been entered in the Emirates Film Competition, during the Holy
Month of Ramadan, as well as films that help broaden public
awareness towards significant environmental issues.
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 Downtown Dubai 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 4000
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