Diff365 brings Oscar-nominated films to Dubai

Dubai International Film Festival’s year-round showcase of award-winning films, indie and world cinema – Diff365 – will be celebrating the Oscars this weekend by screening five films from across this year’s categories, in their original, uncut format, from tomorrow until next Wednesday.

Lady Bird, Greta Gerwig’s coming-of-age comedy drama, is up for five Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Director, having already picked up an impressive haul of trophies at the Golden Globes. The film finally gets a UAE release through Diff365.

From the Best Foreign Language Film category, Ruben Östlund’s The Square won the Palme d’Or at last year’s Cannes Film Festival. This satire on the world of postmodern art has already been successfully released in several European territories and North America, while star Claes Bang has become something of an international celebrity on the back of the movie – he is currently preparing to star in the sequel to David Fincher’s 2011 thriller The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.

Best Picture nominee Get

Out needs little introduction, having won universal acclaim for both writer/director Jordan Peele and star Daniel Kaluuya. The provocative social commentary uses the trappings of a horror genre flick to offer a damning inditement on the state of race relations in the United States.

It’s back to the Foreign Language category for Russian director Andrey Zvyagintsev’s

Loveless. The bleak drama follows the effects of a particularly bitter divorce and its effect on 12-year old Alyosha. It won the Jury Prize at Cannes in May. Finally, Denis Villeneuve’s visually stunning

Blade Runner 2049 returns to cinemas following its critically acclaimed release last year. The sequel to Ridley Scott’s 1982 sci-fi classic is deservedly in the running for the Best Cinematography prize, as well as several other technical awards.

Screenings take place at Diff365’s theatre, Cinema

9, at Vox MoE (Mall of the Emirates). For timings and ticketing information, see uae. voxcinemas.com or call the box office on 600 599 905