UAE flag flies high at Cannes

The Emirati flag will be flying high at the Cannes film festival this year as the UAE’s film entities and personalities come together as one for the first time in the event’s history. The 12-day event, often regarded as the world’s most prestigious film festival, opened yesterday, and will see the best of the UAE brand promote the country’s film industry, attract productions and showcase Emirati talent to the world.

“For the first time, I am happy that all cities in the UAE including Dubai and Abu Dhabi and their film commissions will come under one roof,” said Jamal Al Sharif, the chairman of Dubai Film & TV Commission (DFTC) and managing director of Dubai Studio City and Dubai Media City.

“It’s about time that we all came together in a global festival such as Cannes. Both Dubai and Abu Dhabi have attractive sets of incentives and now we are going to attract filmmakers with the tag ‘Made in UAE’.”

Al Sharif, a regular at the 65-year-old festival, said he has meetings with major Hollywood and Bollywood directors and producers lined up and hopes to make some major announcements soon.

For Dubai International Film Festival (Diff), which will be celebrating it’s 10th anniversary later this year, it will be a celebration of milestones, more film shopping and the forging of new collaborations, said managing director Shivani Pandya.

“Both DIFF and Cannes Film Festival’s Producers Network will be celebrating 10 years this year. We’ve both come a long way and have had close collaborations over the years. So one of the things we will be doing is to further that relationship,” said Pandya, who’s been attending the festival for the last decade.

“Cannes is a great place to start conversations. We are talking to producers, directors and studios to see what’s in the pipeline and obviously we are interested in films we might like to bring to Dubai.”

Pandya said she was excited for Dutch-Palestinian director Hany Abu Assad, whose film Omar will be screened in the official Un Certain Regard segment of the festival.

The film, set is Palestine, was part-funded by DIFF’s Enjaaz post production support programme. Abu Assad’s film Paradise Now won the Golden Globe for Best Foreign Film in 2006 and was nominated for the Oscar in the same category that year. “It’s interesting to see how we are making a difference and that’s always very exciting,” added Pandya.

Ali Al Jaberi, the director of the Abu Dhabi Film Festival, said he was looking forward to shopping for films to bring to his festival.

“We will be focusing on the films in competition along with the many wonderful films that are part of the market screenings. There are films and filmmakers to be discovered for the 2013 Abu Dhabi Film Festival,” Al Jaberi said.

“I will be attending a very large number of screenings with our international team of programmers who will be joining us.

“We have already prepared our schedules to attend all of the films that will be important this year. I am especially looking forward to seeing the films selected for the Un Certain Regard section.”

The UAE Pavilion, Al Jaberi added, will bring international exposure to Emirati filmmakers, encourage artistic collaboration and provide opportunities for learning.

Emirati director Abdullah Al Ka’abi said it will be a reunion of sorts with his “film friends” from all over the world. The young director is due to start filming his first feature film with an international cast.

“We will hopefully pick up where we left off last year and discuss how we are doing with each of our projects,” said the 26-year-old.

But it won’t be just about Emirati films and directors. One Dubai-based entrepreneur’s name will also figure in three Indian films showcased at the festival.

Arun Rangachari co-produced Monsoon Shootout starring Nawazuddin Siddiqui and Tannistha Chatterjee, which will have a midnight screening while kidnap drama Ugly will be showcased on the sidelines of the main festival during the Director’s Fortnight segment.

Dabba (Lunch Box), starring Irrfan Khan and Siddiqui, has been selected for the Cannes Critics Week.

“It’s a proud moment for all of us. We expected Dabba and Ugly to be at Cannes. But the third one, Monsoon Shootout, was a bonus and a wonderful surprise. India has come such a long way,” said Rangachari, the chairman of DAR Motion Pictures.

“We backed these projects because their concepts interested us.”

Qatar will also be making some noise at Cannes. Doha Film Institute (DFI), which recently announced the end of its four-year partnership with Tribeca Enterprises, will be announcing its new festival format.

While tightlipped about the new festival, DFI recently released a statement by CEO Abdul Aziz Al Khater.

partnership

“Through the past four editions of the Doha Tribeca Film Festival, which were organised in cultural partnership with Tribeca Enterprises, we achieved our fundamental goals of creating a vibrant grassroots film industry in Qatar.

“We are thankful to them for their invaluable insights that helped elevate the film festival initiative of DFI to a truly global level,” it said.

Both Al Ka’abi and DIFF’s Pandya said they are looking forward to watching the new film by the Coen brothers, Inside Llewyn Davis, which has been selected to compete for the Palme d’Or, the festival’s highest prize; and Iranian director Asghar Farhadi’s new French film The Past.

Farhadi’s film, A Separation, won the Best Foreign Film Oscar last year.

“I seldom have the time to watch the screenings but there’s a re-run of films on the last day of the festival, which is when I catch up as much as I can,” said Pandya.

The Cannes film festival runs until May 26.