Press Conference - The Double
After last night's world premiere, the director, co-writer, star
and production company behind The Double sat down with ADFF Executive
Director Peter Scarlet and the press to do some more
Double talk. Mohamed Al Mubarak, chairman of ImageNation,
which co-produced the film, said his company became involved at the
script stage. ImageNation was drawn to the combination of a great
script with a hip, new director (from Michael Brandt, who makes his
directing debut after a successful career as a screenwriter) and a
great cast.
For one of the film's stars, Topher Grace, The Double
marked the first time he had worked with a novice director, but the
actor worried more about having two creative minds working behind
the scenes (Brandt wrote the screenplay with his long-time writing
partner Derek Haas, who was on the set at all times as well). In
the end Grace had nothing but praise for Brandt and Haas. Haas
discussed the openness of the process, noting that Grace and
co-star Richard Gere - whom Grace called "one of the CEOs of
acting" - met with the writers and were able to suggest changes.
"In a movie the best idea wins," Haas said, "and sometimes the best
idea comes from Topher."
Echoing some of the ideas expressed at this morning's panel on
the future of independent cinema in the region,
Al Mubarak said that in partnering on productions like The
Double, ImageNation is helping to set up building blocks for a
sustainable film industry in Abu Dhabi that extends beyond the
region. He pointed to Sea Shadow, Nawaf Al-Janahi's all-UAE
production that makes its world premiere on Wednesday at ADFF, as
an example of a local film that has the potential to resonate with
a broader audience, but international films like Contagionand The
Help, both co-produced by ImageNation and both No. 1
box-office hits in the United States, are also an important piece
of the puzzle. "The goal is to come up with the right scripts that
don't speak just for Abu Dhabi," said Al Mubarak, "but for the
world."
The Double screens outside at the
Fairmont Bab Al Bahr as part of ADFF's Waterfront Films series on Monday, October 17 at
7:30pm.