Entertainment | Film & Cinema
Reel magic
e+ brings you a list of movies you must not miss during this year's fest.
- By Krita Coelho, Sub-Editor
- Published: 23:39 December 10, 2008
- Image Credit:
e+ brings you a list of movies you must not miss during this year's fest.
Opening night gala film
W
Starring: Josh Brolin, Elizabeth Banks, Richard Dreyfuss, Thandie Newton, Ellen Burstyn, Sayed Badreya
The Dubai International Film Festival has announced that its opening night gala film will be W., the controversial biopic of George W. Bush by maverick Hollywood director Oliver Stone. Stone has described W. as an attempt to trace seminal events in the American president's life, offering a behind-the-scenes view of Bush's development as a person and as a politician.
Cinema of the world
Slumdog Millionaire
Starring: Anil Kapoor, Dev Patel, Freida Pinto, Madhur Mittal
A pleasing tale of Jamal, an 18-year-old tea boy at a call centre in Mumbai who is one question away from the top prize in the Indian version of Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? So unbelievable is the prospect of Jamal's win that the authorities interrogate him, and embark on a colourful journey through his life, learning how he answered all the questions correctly.
Blindness
Starring: Julianne Moore, Mark Ruffalo
An arresting tale of a world paralysed by a blindness epidemic. Only the wife of a doctor is immune to the illness. As the government tries to stop the spread of contagion, sufferers are sent to prisons, where as the only sighted prisoner, the doctor's wife witnesses the horrific effects of social breakdown.
Rhythm & reels
U2 3D
Starring: Bono, Adam Clayton, Larry Mullen Jr
The 3-D film recreates all the passion and excitement of a U2 concert, with breathtaking visuals as the band tear through the South America leg of their 2006 Vertigo tour.
Cadillac Records
Starring: Beyoncé Knowles, Adrien Brody, Mos Def, Jeffrey Wright
Go on a trip down memory lane to 1950s Chicago, where the iconic record label Chess grew into a multimillion dollar company. With a stellar cast, the film evokes the raw, gritty atmosphere of 1950s Chicago, along with a blistering blues and soul soundtrack that will have you dancing in your seat.
Muhr Asia Africa Documentaries
More Than Just A Game
Starring: Az Abrahams, Grant Swanby, Merlin Balie, Ramey Short, Tyrone Keogh
The movie catches up with the founding members of Makana FA, the football club for prisoners at South African's notorious Robben Island prison in a touching exploration of how the sport provided team spirit and sense of self-respect.
Mental
Starring: Masatomo Yamamoto
This frank and forthright documentary introduces patients undergoing progressive and humane therapies at Chorale Okayama, a mental health unit in Japan.
Screen on the Green
Harara (Heat)
Starring: Bracha Van Doesburgh , Nabila Marhaben
A Dutch-Moroccan co-production, Harara is about two women planning to open a henna salon in Holland. They decide to travel to Morocco to source authentic supplies, leading them to an encounter with two apparently friendly men who will change their lives forever.
The Sky Crawlers
Voices: Kase Ryo, Kikuchi Rinko, Kuriyama Chiaki
This film blends 2 and 3-D animation with a compelling futuristic love story that tells the story of a generation of 'kildren', perpetual teenagers destined never to grow up.
Amazing women
Apron Strings
Starring: Jennifer Ludlam, Jodie Rimmer, Laila Rouass, Leela Patel, Scott Wills
A New Zealand film that probes the relationships between mothers, children and food. Tara, aligned to her traditional Sikh heritage, is queen of her no-frills curry house. Her estranged sister Anita holds court on her stylish Indian cooking programme, but her perfectly controlled world crumbles when her son Michael discovers Tara and ignites a confrontation between the sisters.
Marina of the Zabbaleen
The poetic documentary introduces 11-year old Marina, who lives amidst the squalor of Zabbaleen village, where over 2,000 tonnes of refuse arrive each day to be sorted. Marina's powerful imagination and curiosity transcend the reality and offer a perspective on the lives of the workers and their families.
Love stories
A Fiance for Yasmina
Starring: Francisco Olmo, Jose Luis Garcia Perez, Sanaa Alaoui
This is a tender-hearted story set in Spain that charts the star-crossed relationships of a group of friends at an immigrant centre. Lola is a sunny, optimistic girl who suspects that her fiancé Jorge's eyes are on Yasmina, who is in need of a visa to stay in Spain, but Yasmina is impatient to marry her policeman fiancé, Javi, who proves slow at fixing a date.
Al Mor Wa Al Rumman (Pomegranates and Myrrh)
Starring: Yasmine Al Masri, Ali Sulaiman and Hiam Abbass
A passionate story of free spirited dancer Kamar, whose husband is in prison in Ramallah. The only place where she can be free is the stage, so when sparks fly between Kamar and handsome dancer Kais, neither knows where the steps will lead.
EVENT DETAILS
- Date: December 11 to 18
- Venues: Grand Festival City, Souq Madinat Jumeirah, Madinat Arena, the lobby of the CNN building at Dubai Media City and Cinestar at Mall of the Emirates.
- Time: All box offices are open from 10am to 10pm; CNN Building will open from 10am to 6pm
- Tickets: Dh25 (Adults); Dh20(Students and children); Gala screenings tickets: Dh80 (Adults); Dh50 (Children)
- Contact: For more information log on to www.dubaifilmfest.com
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