Acclaimed films The Birth of a Nation and Loving are among 14 films to be showcased at this year’s Cinema of the World segment at the Dubai International Film Festival (Diff).
American director Nate Parker’s period drama The Birth of a Nation tells the real-life story of Nat Turner, an educated slave who decides to use his position as a preacher to lead his people to rebellion.
Director Jeff Nichols’ inspiring historical drama Loving follows the legal and emotional journey of Richard and Mildred Loving who, after breaching a Virginia law that prohibits interracial marriage, take their case to the highest realm with the Supreme Court in the racially charged atmosphere of 1967.
British director Otto Bell’s The Eagle Huntress is about Aisholpan, a 13-year-old Mongolian girl determined to stake her claim in the male-dominated tradition of eagle hunting amongst the Altai mountain community.
French-Malian director Daouda Coulibaly makes his first feature film debut with Wulu. Set in Mali’s bustling capital, it follows Ladji who yearns for a better life and takes on a risky career opportunity.
The Teacher by Czech director Jan Hrebejk looks at moral dilemmas in a Bratislavan suburb where teacher Miss Drazdechova’s corrupted practices lead to a suicide attempt of one of the students. As the community rises against her, her close ties to the Communist Party threatens to sway the group’s resolve.
Critically acclaimed Australian filmmaker Ivan Sen, known for his fresh look at the struggles of Australia’s indigenous population, joins the line-up with his crime thriller Goldstone. The film follows Jay Swan, an Aboriginal police detective sent to investigate a missing person’s report in the frontier town of Goldstone. Against his own personal struggles and issues with the local police, Jay must rise above and reinforce the law when the ‘routine duty’ soon leads to web of corruption and crime.
The premiere of Wolf and Sheep marks the arrival of new talent with Shahrbanoo Sadat’s first feature film drawn from her childhood in Afghanistan. The story follows the isolated lives of two 11-year-old Afghan children, Sediqa and Qodrat, living within a confined village. Rejected by the community and frequent targets for humiliation, the children try to escape the daily torment and meet by chance one day in the secluded mountains surrounding the village, and an unlikely alliance is formed.
Singaporean filmmaker Junfeng Boo brings a story on justice and humanity with his drama Apprentice. Following Aiman, a 28-year-old Malay prison officer alone in the world except for his older sister, the film delves into the conscience and duty surrounding the world of a prison executioner. After striking up an unlikely friendship with the prison’s chief executioner, Koon, Aiman’s haunting past is revealed as he soon finds himself in line to become his new apprentice.
After The Storm, a family drama by celebrated Japanese auteur Hirokazu Kore-Eda is about Ryota, a divorced, formerly successful author, who clings to the hope of regaining his family. After alienating his relationships and squandering his wealth on gambling, Ryota attempts to rebuild his family ties after the death of his father. Ryota must let go of the past and focus on the future if only for the sake of his young son.
Like Crazy, from Italian director Paolo Virzi, is set to be one of this year’s most acclaimed exports. The touching story follows two very different women, Beatrice, a disillusioned power-hungry fantasist, and Donatella, a feeble, emotional wreck, who forge a comedy duo as they break free from their psychiatric institution.
Bulgarian filmmaker’s Kristina Grozeva and Petar Valchanov join the line-up with a socio-political masterpiece of corruption in Glory. Low-paid railroad worker Tsanko Petrov faces a potentially life-changing opportunity when he finds millions of banknotes on the track. However, his actions following the discovery leave him torn between the two worlds of hardworking employees and fraudulent authorities as they begin to collide.
Romanian filmmaker Cristi Puiu has created an intense scenario in Sieranevada centred around a family gathering to mourn the recent passing of a close family member. However the occasion does not pan out as smoothly as expected. Tensions and emotions rise as twisted secrets simmer into an argumentative, claustrophobic family outbreak as the truth surfaces.
Celebrated Polish director Andrzej Wajda brings a passionate biopic with Afterimage. The film follows the decaying life of a brave and inspirational contemporary artist who refuses to sacrifice his artistic freedom against the forceful power of the Communist regime.
The final film to be added to the Cinema of the World line-up in this round of announcements is Mexican filmmaker and Diff alumna Trisha Ziff, with her biopic on renowned photographer Enrique Metinides, The Man Who Saw Too Much. Metinides and his contemporaries opened a new door onto the crime-ridden world of Mexico City with their photography.
Registration is now open for the 13th edition of Diff, which will take place from December 7 to 14. Go to www.diff.ae for more.
