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Stars Shine on Abu Dhabi Film Festival Red Carpet
Festival opens tonight with Gala Screening of
Arbitrage
Packed Festival schedule for Friday October
12th
Everyone attending the star-studded Opening Night Gala of the
Abu Dhabi Film Festival tonight will get a taste of movie star
glamour when they join film stars and movie makers on the red
carpet at Emirates Palace.
Screen legend Richard Gere, the star of the opening night
thriller Arbitrage, will be joined by co-star Nate Parker,
one of Hollywood's rising stars, along with the films' director
Nicholas Jarecki, and producers Mohammed Al Turki, Brian Young and
Kevin Turen.
Leading lights of Arab cinema will join the audience for the
screening, including Menna Shalabi, Bassem Samra, Elham Shahin,
Carmen Lebbos, Jamal Soliman, Bassel Khayat and Hatem Ali.
Attending from the Gulf region will be Ibrahim All Moulla, Mohammad
Al Mansour, Abdel Aziz Jasimm, Daod Husein, Bothaina Al Rais, Salah
Al Moulla and Zahara al Khargi.
Indian cinema icon Mammootty and his wife are also flying in
especially for the Festival opening.
The public will also get their first sight of some of the
filmmakers whose films will screen over the 10 days of the
Festival, as well as the jury members who will awards prizes to
films in competition.
From the Narrative film jury, film stars Shabana Azmi and Niki
Karimi will join Cédomir Kolar, Samir Farid and Ismaël Farroukhi on
the red carpet, along with Documentary jury members Miguel Littin,
Carles Bosch, Safinez Bousbia and Mohamed Hefzy.
Visitors from the New Horizons jury, Françoise Bonnot and
Vimukthi Jayasundara, will feel the warmth of Emirati hospitality
in the company of Nawaf Al-Janahi, a leading local talent.
Emirates Film Competition Jury members Rida Behi, Ahd Kamel, Ali Al
Ali, Suha Salem and Bader Ben Hirsi will also be at the film.
Representatives of films screening during the Festival who will
walk the red carpet include: Actor Khaled Nabawy and Director Sam
Kadi for US production The Citizen; Doaa Eladi and Hazem
Al Hamwi for As if We Were Catching a Cobra; Algerian
Director Moussa Haddad and Producer Amina Haddad representing
harraga blues; Mumbai's King's Director Manjeet
Singh from India; Italian Director Enzo D'Alo and Producer Maricla
Affatato for the feature animation film Pinocchio,
Producer Jub Clerc from Australia for Satellite Boy and
the Director of Malaysian production Songlap, Effendee
Mazlan.
LOOKING AHEAD TO DAY 2 - OCTOBER 12
Members of the public have their opportunity to hear from the
cast and crew of Arbitrage at a special event from
14:30-15:30, also at Emirates Palace. This intimate conversation
will be hosted by Josh Dickey, Variety.
Members of the public are also welcome to attend the two free
masterclasses offered in the evening. At 17:00 Frank Ash from the
BBC Academy will lead 'From Mockumentaries to Docudramas:
Successfully Blending Genres', a seminar on combining genres to
create new formats. At 20:00 Angus Finney, author and consultant to
the film industry, will lead 'Management Skills in the Film
Business: Your Film, Your Business, Your Success' a seminar about
the business side of film production. Both masterclasses take place
at Emirates Palace.
The first film screens at 15:30 at Marina Mall, a double bill of
films about environmental artists Christo and Jeanne-Claude.
Christo and Director Antonio Ferrera will attend the screening.
Other films with guests in attendance screening on 12 October
include: Narrative Feature Competition entry it Was the
Son, attended by Director Daniele Ciprì; as well as
Mumbai's King presented by Director Manjeet Singh and
songlap, attended by Director Effendee Mazlan.
The first screening in the Documentary Feature Competition is
As if We Were Catching a Cobra, attended by Director Hala
Alabdalla as well as artists featured in the film: Doaa Eladl,
Hazem Al Hamwi and Ali Ferzat.
In the Showcase section the screening of American
Empire will be attended by Patrea Patrick, Director and Jack
Tucker, Producer, while Director Benjamín Ávila will present his
film Clandestine Childhood.
The red carpet gala screening for Friday 12 October is After
the Battle, the latest film by veteran Egyptian Director
Yousry Nasrallah, who will attend the screening along with two of
the film's stars Bassem Samra and Menna Shalabi. A drama straight
from the headlines, the film follows the fortune of a poor horseman
who has a political awakening after he's duped into attacking
protesters in Tahrir Square.
This is the first year the Abu Dhabi Film Festival has been
presented under the management of twofour54, as part of the plan to
strategically align the festival alongside Abu Dhabi's other media
initiatives and related events, reinforcing Abu Dhabi as the
creative hub for the region supporting film production.
Contact thePress Team