Dubai: Emirates Airline Festival of Literature and Dubai International Film Festival are teaming up for a second year to bring UAE audiences an insightful session on the journey from written book to adapted film.
Under the spotlight this year is the latest reincarnation of the beloved children’s novel Swallows and Amazons by English author and illustrator Arthur Ransome. The film will be making its UAE debut as part of DIFF’s Cinema for Children programme on Saturday, December 10 at VOX Cinemas, Mall of the Emirates. The film’s screenplay writer Andrea Gibb and producer Nick Barton will be discussing the transition from page to screen at the ‘Great Adaptations: From Novel to Screen’ panel discussion from 6pm following the screening.
The session will be moderated by Paul Blezard, Literary Director of Firebird Poetry Prizes.
Ransome’s book was the first in a series of 12, featuring children’s adventures during their holidays, each one set against picturesque backdrops, such as the stunning Lake District and Norfolk Broads in England. The stories have become part and parcel of generations of children’s reading and have been adapted for film and television several times.
The film stars popular British television and film personalities Kelly Macdonald (Brave, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2), Rafe Spall (The BFG and The Big Short) and Andrew Scott (Sherlock’s Moriarty and Spectre), and is an ideal outing for the entire family.
‘It is always a pleasure to see a treasured work come to life on screen, especially when it is a children’s book,’ said Isobel Abulhoul, OBE, CEO and Trustee of the Emirates Literature Foundation and Director of the Emirates Airline Festival of Literature. ‘Books provide a rich source of material for films and shine a different light on many of our old favourites. Books and films are different but integral methods of storytelling and these two Festivals, the Emirates Airline Festival of Literature and the Dubai International Film Festival, celebrate the alliance of these two organisations in Dubai. It is such a delight to engage with a varied audience on such a dynamic discussion as the journey travelled from the written word to the giant screen.’
Shivani Pandya, DIFF Managing Director, reiterated the significance of the partnership, ‘The film industry relies heavily on books, especially when it comes to children’s films. Ransome’s books are enchanting tales the entire family can enjoy, and the film will be no different. We are delighted to partner with the Emirates Airline Festival of Literature to discover the joys of adapting the story from page to screen with the film’s writer and producer. I hope all our Festival visitors are able to attend the session and enjoy the journey with us.’
The DIFF box office is now open at www.diff.ae.