The Abu Dhabi Film Festival (ADFF) has announced it will close with Disney film Big Hero 6 on November 1. But in an unprecedented move to champion regional cinema, it will open with an Emirati film.
The October 23 screening of Ali Mustafa’s From A to B will mark the first time a locally produced film opens the festival in its eight years of operation.
“It is a privilege to celebrate the world premiere in our capital city and I am proud to have the first Emirati film to ever open the festival,” said Mustafa in a statement. “This is another testament to our growing industry, as the festival has proven to be a great platform for launching Arab films to an international audience.”
Mustafa is known for his 2009 feature film City of Life, a big-budget effort which took in Dh746,305 in its opening weekend, and became one of the most successful Emirati films to see the light of day. In 2010, it opened the Gulf Film Festival.
From A to B, co-produced by Abu Dhabi-based Image Nation and twofour54, is a road trip story that centres around three Arab youths as they embark on a 1,500 mile (2,400 kilometre) journey from Abu Dhabi to Beirut in memory of their late friend who passed away half a decade prior.
Cast
The movie was filmed in Abu Dhabi and Liwa in the UAE, as well as Amman, Petra and Wadi Rum in southern Jordan. It stars a slew of Palestinian, Saudi, Syrian and Egyptian talents, as well as Hollywood actress Madeline Zima, known for portraying Mia in the hit TV show Californication.
Ali Al Jabri, director of ADFF, said that “high-calibre Arab filmmakers” such as Mustafa point to the vibrancy of filmmaking in the region.
“This year’s festival will highlight the growth of the film industry in the region and showcase the best Arab filmmaking talent alongside the best in world cinema,” he added.
In 2013, ADFF hosted another world premiere of a local film when it screened the Emirati-American horror film, Djinn, receiving mixed reviews. In its opening weekend in cinemas across the UAE, Djinn broke Dh1 million. However, ADFF’s 2013 opening film slot was reserved for the Hollywood crime comedy Life of Crime, starring Jennifer Anniston, John Hawkes and Yasin Bey.
Animation
The festival will end its 10-day run with the Disney film, Big Hero 6. Directed by Don Hall and Chris Evans, the animation tells a family-friendly tale about “the special bond that develops between Baymax, a plus-sized inflatable robot, and robotic prodigy Hiro Hamada, who join forces with a team of crime fighters to save San Fransokyo.”
The film, which was created by the same team behind the megahit Frozen, will screen in Abu Dhabi shortly after its world premiere in Tokyo.
“We are very happy to close the festival with a film that is not only a lot of fun, but also brings to superhero movies the same heart-wrenching emotions that Frozen brought to princess stories,” said Al Jabri. “This choice shows the wide range of great films the festival brings year after year.”
