Let’s address the elephant in the room: attending film festivals can be a daunting, confusing and downright terrifying experience for a novice.
Where do you start? Which films do you see? How do you make sure you don’t stick out like a sore thumb as you flick through your festival guide and frantically circle films you’ve never even heard of?
Well, we’re here to hold your hand whether it’s your first time attending Dubai International Film Festival or your eleventh. In preparation for this year’s jam-packed schedule, tabloid! asked Shivani Pandya, the festival’s managing director, to pick a movie a day that you shouldn’t miss.
December 10: St Vincent
St Vincent is a heart-warming comedy — an unconventional coming of age movie that teaches us you’re never too old to grow up. The irritable lead, Vincent (Bill Murray), is a man set in his anti-social ways. He’s suddenly plagued by the presence of his young neighbour, Oliver, whose mother, Maggie (Melissa McCarthy) is forced to leave in his company for a few hours. An unusual, oft humorous friendship blossoms.
Where to watch it:
Free film screenings are being held at The Beach, opposite JBR, between December 10 and December 16 starting at 7.30pm each evening.
December 11: Dukhtar
Dukhtar, Pakistan’s official entry in the category for Best Foreign Language Film, is a road-trip thriller from Pakistani filmmaker Afia Nathaniel. In a remote village in the mountains of Pakistan, a young mother’s worst fear comes true when her 10-year-old daughter is promised in marriage to an old tribal leader in order to settle a blood feud. Desperate, the mother feels she has no option but to take her daughter and run.
Where to watch it:
Thursday, December 11: 9.30pm at Screen 12, VOX Cinemas, Mall of the Emirates
Friday, December 12: 5.45pm at Screen 7, VOX Cinemas, Mall of the Emirates
December 12: Dolphins
Dolphins, directed by Emirati Waleed Al Shehhi from Ras Al Khaimah, secured funding from Diff’s post-production fund Enjaaz (in cooperation with Watani and Filmi) before going on to win the IWC Filmmaker Award during the 2013 edition of the Festival. In its world premiere, the film follows the intricately intertwined stories of three people within a twenty-four hour period.
Where to watch it:
Friday, December 12: 9pm at Red Carpet Gala at the Madinat Arena
Sunday, December 14: 6.15pm at Screen 9, VOX Cinemas, Mall of the Emirates
December 13: A Most Violent Year
A Most Violent Year is a thriller set in New York City during the winter of 1981, statistically one of the most violent years in the city’s history. The film follows the lives of an immigrant (Oscar Isaac) and his family trying to expand their business and capitalise on opportunities as the rampant violence, decay, and corruption of the day drag them in and threaten to destroy all they have built.
Where to watch it:
Saturday, December 13: 2pm at the Madinat Arena
December 14th: Birdman
Directed by Academy Award nominated director Alejandro G. Inarritu, Birdman or The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance is a black comedy that tells the story of an actor (Michael Keaton) — famous for portraying an iconic superhero — as he struggles to mount a Broadway play. Michael Keaton, Zach Galifianakis, Edward Norton, Andrea Riseborough, Amy Ryan, Emma Stone and Naomi Watts star in what promises to be one of the most original films of the year.
Where to watch it:
Sunday, December 14: 10pm at the Madinat Arena
Tuesday, December 16: 6pm at Screen 2, VOX Cinemas, Mall of the Emirates
December 15: Mommy
Xavier Dolan’s fifth feature, Mommy, won the Jury Prize at the Cannes Film Festival, and has been selected as Canada’s entry for the Oscars in the Best Foreign Language category. The film follows a feisty, widowed, single mum as she finds herself burdened with the full-time custody of her rambunctious 15-year-old son with ADHD.
Where to watch it:
Monday, December 15: 9pm at the Madinat Theatre
Wednesday, December 17: 2.45pm at Screen 10, VOX Cinemas, Mall of the Emirates
December 16: The Price of Fame
Following his success in winning the Cannes Grand Prix in 2010 with Of Gods and Men, director Xavier Beauvois has returned to the big screen with The Price of Fame. Starring Benoit Poelvoorde, Roschdy Zem and Nadine Labaki, this comedy follows the true story of two crooks who exhume Charlie Chaplin’s body to hold it ransom. It is a film made in the spirit of caper and adventure that pays homage to Chaplin himself.
Where to watch it:
Tuesday, December 16: 9.30pm at the Madinat Arena
December 17: Court
Indian writer-director Chaitanya Tamhane’s debut feature film Court won the Lion of the Future award and the Orizzonti Award for Best Film at the Venice Film Festival. The story begins with the discovery of a sewerage worker’s body inside a manhole in Mumbai. An ageing folk singer is arrested and accused of performing an inflammatory song, which may have incited the worker to commit suicide. The trial unfolds in a lower court, where the hopes and dreams of the city’s ordinary people play out.
Where to watch it:
Wednesday, December 17: 6pm at Screen 12, VOX Cinemas, Mall of the Emirates
For film schedules and tickets, go to dubaifilmfest.com.
