Cinema of World unveils stellar line-up

DIFF showcases best of global talent

DUBAI, Nov 12: A further line-up of stellar titles has been announced for the Dubai International Film Festival’s ‘Cinema of the World’ programme to be presented from Dec 9-16. Showcasing the best global talent, ‘Cinema of the World’ covers an array of genres from some of the most prestigious filmmakers in the industry, handpicked by DIFF to captivate audiences and take them on an unforgettable journey across cultures and perspectives.

‘Spotlight’ is a searing drama from Academy Award-nominated filmmaker Thomas McCarthy and stars Mark Ruffalo, Michael Keaton and Rachel McAdams. It is based on the work of the ‘Spotlight’ investigative team at the Boston Globe newspaper that uncovered and reported the systemic abuse in the Catholic Church that was swept aside by those in power for decades. ‘Spotlight’ pulls no punches in examining the depth of corruption and holds a mirror to those who allowed evil to flourish by doing nothing.

With his harrowing and emotional drama, ‘Wednesday, May 9’, acclaimed Iranian actor and director Vahid Jalilvand tells a captivating story. After the loss of his son, Jalal feels compelled to make a change within the community and places an ad that catches the eye of Leila, whose husband suffers from a debilitating medical condition, and Setareh, an orphan who would do anything to get her husband out of jail. The film follows the intertwining lives of the three characters resulting in an emotional and revealing snapshot of Iranian society.

Factual war drama’ Land of Mine’, directed by esteemed self-taught Danish filmmaker and writer Martin Zandvliet, tells the true story of a group of young German Prisoners of War forced to deactivate two million mines in Denmark in the immediate aftermath of World War II. Faced with extreme bitterness and contempt from the overseeing superintendent Sergeant Rasmussen, the film explores the changing face of the ‘enemy’ when a catastrophic incident sends the group and the sergeant into unknown territory.

Compelling

The debut film from writer and director Slávek Horák, ‘Home Care’ takes audiences on a compelling journey through emotional crisis and self-discovery. An overly selfless and dedicated nurse, spouse and mother is suddenly diagnosed with a terminal illness and must accept that her well-being is just as crucial as that of her loved ones. Inspired by his own mother, Horák’s feature film is a moving combination of humour and drama.

The chilling feature debut ‘The Childhood of a Leader’ from director Brady Corbet, starring Liam Cunningham and Robert Pattinson is an unsettling portrait of emerging evil. Set in France in 1918, the film tells the tale of the terrifying influence of fascism in an unsure world. After witnessing his father help shape the Treaty of Versailles, ‘The Childhood of a Leader’ follows a young boy’s chilling rise from impressionable child to the cruel and calculating leader he will become.

Based on the bestselling novel by Levin Wilson, acclaimed actor and director Jason Bateman presented ‘The Family Fang’earlier this year at the Toronto International Film Festival to stellar reviews. With an all-star cast including Nicole Kidman, Christopher Walken and Bateman himself, the comedydrama follows two siblings who reunite and visit the home of their artistic parents, only to find out that they have mysteriously disappeared.

Chinese documentarist and multimedia artist Zhao Lian, known for his exhilarating artistic works, brings his documentary ‘Behemoth’ to DIFF. A documentary about mining in China, ‘Behemoth’ will take audiences through the tormented and darkened days of the miners while detailing the destruction of the earth as beautiful landscapes are maimed for valuable and irreplaceable resources.

Critically acclaimed director Sebastian Schipper’s award winning ‘Victoria’ is a film unlike any other this year. Captivating and breathless, it tells of Victoria, a young Spanish woman who gets caught up with the wrong crowd outside a German nightclub and becomes an accomplice to their wrongdoings. All shot in a single take ‘Victoria’ is a singular cinematic experience that has been praised for its innovation and daring in pushing the limits of cinema.

Success

First time feature director Celso Garcia brings his film ‘The Thin Yellow Line’ to DIFF 2015 on the back of success at international film festivals and multiple audience awards. The film follows a misfit group of five men who are hired to paint the ‘yellow line’ stretching along a desert highway. The humour, compelling characters and beautiful landscape drive the story to unlikely places as the groups painstakingly slow progress forces introspection upon the disparate lives of each man.

Multi-award winning Portuguese filmmaker Miguel Gomes, will present his breath-taking epic: ‘Arabian Nights: Volume 1. The Restless One’, ‘Arabian Nights: Volume 2. The Desolate One’, and ‘Arabian Nights: Volume 3. The Enchanted One’. Interweaving genres and styles of film and culture from Andalusian-influenced Portugal to ancient Arabian traditions, the insightful trilogy links the past to the present under the compelling narration of Shahrazad.

An adaptation of writer Alan Bennett’s iconic and celebrated memoir, ‘Lady in the Van’ is directed by Nicholas Hytner and stars acclaimed actress Maggie Smith. Miss Shepherd, played by Smith, is an elderly eccentric woman who after falling on hard times decides to temporarily reside in her old van in front of a playwright’s driveway — for fifteen years. The unique and witty story takes us on a journey of a very odd long-term friendship.

Commenting on Cinema of the World lineup, Nashen Moodley, Programme Director, said: “Having such a culturally diverse set of films to introduce at DIFF is a great opportunity for movie enthusiasts to experience cinema and cultures from all over the world. We look forward to sharing these wonderful films with our audience.”

Sharing his thoughts on the programme, DIFF’s Artistic Director, Masoud Amralla Al Ali said: “Since its inception, connecting cultures and showcasing talent from across the world have been at the heart of the Dubai International Film Festival, and this year’s line-up for the Cinema of the World programme brings a unique offering of exceptional feature films from all genres. I’m sure audiences will enjoy all they have to offer.”

The ‘Cinema of the World’ programme will be showcased at the 12th annual Dubai International Film Festival, Dec 9-16, 2015.

The Doha Film Institute has announced the competition line-up for the third edition of the Ajyal Youth Film Festival, comprising feature films from 20 countries and a series of short filmprogrammes to be screened from Nov 29 to Dec 5 at Katara.

More than 500 young people from the ages of 8 to 21 who make up the Ajyal Competition Jury will watch and analyse a dynamic programme of films under three competitive sections — Mohaq, Hilal, and Bader — followed by discussions and events including panels, workshops and Q&A sessions with filmmakers.

Each of the three Ajyal Juries awards a Best Film prize to their favourite short and feature-length films, for a total of six awards. The directors of the winning films are awarded funding toward their next film, so jurors are empowered to support and promote future content that is relevant and important to them, in a proactive way.

More than 500 jurors are registered for the programme including 24 international jurors who will travel to Doha for the event from 12 countries including Australia, Bahrain, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Iraq, Italy, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Serbia, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates.

Fatma Al Remaihi, Festival Director and CEO of the Doha Film Institute, said: “By providing young people with access to international cinema, filmmakers from around the world, and the space to discuss their ideas and develop critical thinking, Ajyalem powers the youngest members of our community and develops their understanding of the world around them.”

“We are very proud of this year’s programme and look forward to sharing this outstanding selection of films with our jurors in a few weeks time. Each section is carefully curated based on the themes and cinematic language we feel will resonate with each age group. Our competition films are also part of our public programme and I am certain that Doha’s film-lovers will find a wealth of choices to entertain, enlighten and inspire.”

Mohaq means ‘New Moon’ in Arabic, and these are Ajyal’s youngest jurors, aged 8 to 12. These jurors will watch one programme of short films and four feature-length films, marking the first year that competitive feature films are included in this category. They are: Celestial Camel (Russia) by Yury Feting about a young sheepherder living in the desolate Kalmyk Steppe, who sets off on an epic journey after his father is forced to sell the family’s beloved camel calf; The Greatest House in the World (Guatemala, Mexico) by Ana V. Bojórquez and Lucía Carreras-a film about the never-ending circle of life told through the story of a young girl in the isolated highlands of Guatemala; Paper Planes (Australia) by Robert Connolly — a tale of friendship, creativity and the bonds of family which centers around an 11-year-old boy with an exceptional talent for creating paper airplanes; and Phantom Boy by Jean-Loup Felicioli, Alain Gagnol (France, Belgium) a heartwarming animated film about an 11-year-old boy whose illness allows him to have out-of-body experiences and mysterious powers.

Ajyal’s jurors aged 13 to 17 are the Hilal jury — the term means ‘Crescent Moon’ in Arabic. Five feature films and a programme of shorts make up this jury’s film selection. The feature films competing in this section are: Lamb (France, Ethiopia, Germany, Norway, Qatar) by Yared Zeleke, a beautifully crafted portrait of a young Ethiopian boy trying to find his way in the world; Landfill Harmonic (USA) by Brad Allgood and Graham Townsley, a documentary that tracks the astounding rise of a Paraguayan youth orchestra who live next to one of South America’s largest landfills and make their instruments from recycled materials; Mina Walking (Canada, Afghanistan) by Yosef Baraki, a powerful tale of a 12year-old girl in war-torn Afghanistan struggling to make ends meet for her family; Scarecrow (The Philippines) by Zig Madamba Dulay which explores the complicated relationship of social injustice and familial expectations through the story of a young mother in a rural town; and Wolf Totem (China, France) by JeanJacques Annaud.

The most mature of Ajyal’s juries, Bader (Arabic for ‘Full Moon’) jurors are aged 18 to 21 and will select their favourite films from five features and two programmes of short films. The feature films vying for top honours in this section are: An (Japan, France, Germany) by Naomi Kawase is a graceful drama about a lonely baker whose life is reinvigorated when he hires an elderly woman with a special culinary skill; The Second Mother (Brazil) by Anna Muylaert which is an exploration of the bond between mothers and their children told through the story of a house-

Feting

keeper in Sao Paulo; Taxi Tehran (Iran) by Jafar Panahi in which the celebrated Iranian director places himself in the driver’s seat of a cab, taking fares to their destinations in a wonderful portrait of contemporary Iran; Very Big Shot (Lebanon, Qatar), a bold and insightful dark comedy by Mir-Jean Bou Chaaya that skewers political corruption and the media circus that goes with it; and Walls (Spain) — a fascinating documentary by Pablo Iraburu and Migueltxo Molina that follows several subjects on both sides of three contemporary international borders, demonstrating that the people on each side of the barriers are not as different as they may believe.

Fatma

Premiere

The third annual Ajyal Youth Film Festival, presented by the Doha Film Institute, will close with the world premiere of animated feature film Bilal on Dec 5 at Katara. The latest release from Pixar Animation Studios, two films from international master directors, one of the final anime sensations from Japan’s Ghibli Studios and a Qatari short round out the Special Screenings section that includes films from Qatar, the United States, Japan, India and Italy.

The Ajyal Family Weekend will feature the regional premiere of The Good Dinosaur (USA/2015), the new film from Pixar Animation Studios and the team behind beloved Pixar classics Finding Nemo and Inside Out. Taking place on Friday Dec 4, the film’s first screening in the region will feature a special ‘kids red carpet’ for all families and young people from the community to participate.

Fatma Al Remaihi, Chief Executive Officer of Doha Film Institute and Festival Director of Ajyal Youth Film Festival, commented, “Since our first edition, animated films have formed a core part of the Ajyal programme and I am delighted that this year, we will premiere three incredibly diverse examples of the artform. Pixar’s ‘The Good Dinosaur’, Studio Ghibli’s When Marnie Was There and Barajoun Studios’ Bilal, an impressive debut from our own region, represent the highest levels of animated filmmaking from three corners of the globe.”

When ‘Marnie Was There’ (Japan/2014), screening on Dec 4 is one of the final anime sensations from Ghibli Studios and is based on the novel ‘When Marnie Was There’ by Joan G. Robinson. Directed by Hiromasa Yonebayashi, the film is about a young girl Anna who explores a long-abandoned villa and meets a mysterious blonde girl only she can see.

“Making the line-up even more memorable is our special inclusive screening of Qatari animation Hero and the Message that highlights our efforts to use cinema as a medium to raise awareness and foster inclusion of people with different abilities and I would like to thank the Translation and Interpreting Institute for their partnership in bringing this event to the festival this year.”

Activities

The third annual Ajyal Youth Film Festival, presented by the Doha Film Institute, will host a range of activities at its ‘Creativity Hub’, designed to entertain, educate and inspire creativity & innovation.

The ‘Ajyal Creativity Hub’ will offer guests an opportunity to explore an out-of-cinema experience, helping them discover the latest in technology, the media arts and world cultures. Running from Nov 30 to Dec 5, the Ajyal Creativity Hub will host specially curated workshops, performances and fun activities devised to spark the imagination and promote creativity. Key components of the Ajyal Creativity Hub, which is free for the public to attend, include the popular Sandbox digital exhibition space, Family Weekend activities, and the festival’s special 2015 initiative — Geekdom: Video Game Exhibition.

Geekdom: Video Game Exhibition is a special initiative for Ajyal 2015 that celebrates gaming and links video games to cinema with screenings and panels that discuss the impact of visual storytelling in contemporary media. The exhibition features a gaming lounge and a space for Qatari collectors and video-game lovers to share their interest with others. Participants include the Qatar Animation Centre, ‘The Gaming Lounge’, AnimeQtr, the Qatar FIFA Players, Khalasta Gaming and the Youth Hobbies Center.