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Two per day: Films to see this week at ADFF

The Abu Dhabi Film festival is underway, and, so far, 39 films have been screened at Marina Mall and the Emirates Palace. For the seventh consecutive ...

Oct 26, 2013

The Abu Dhabi Film festival is underway, and, so far, 39 films have been screened at Marina Mall and the Emirates Palace. For the seventh consecutive year, the festival brings films, filmmakers and fans from around the world to Abu Dhabi for an explosive eight days.
To help you make the most of the festival without causing too much grief to your workload, here’s a quick schedule of films to see in the upcoming week.
If you haven’t purchased your tickets yet, show your NYU ID at the box office to receive a 10 AED discount. Although tickets are available either online or at the door, the student discount is only available with in-person purchases.
[embed width="480 height="270"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=siPDDrxxZDg[/embed]
“Enemy”
6:30 p.m.
Director: Denis Villeneuve
Canada, Spain 2013
In an adaption of Portuguese Nobel laureate José Saramago’s novel “The Double,” Jake Gyllenhaal plays a professor whose life takes a dramatic turn when he meets his doppelgänger. Described in Variety as possessing a “rich, sinister vibe” by Variety, “Enemy” is expected to be a gripping psychological thriller.
[embed width="480 height="270"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d9ZU0_RFiDQ[/embed]
“Like Father, Like Son”
9:15 p.m.
Director: Hirokazu Kore-eda
Japan, 2013
“Like Father, Like Son” is a subtle emotional drama about two families realizing that their sons were switched at birth. Described by The Guardian as a “beautiful, melancholic paean to paternity,” the film is making its debut in the Middle East.
Monday, Oct. 28
[embed width="480 height="270"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y6ou5DqfkZ8[/embed]
“Blackfish”
4:15 p.m.
Director: Gabriela Cowperthwaite
USA
A compelling and searing investigation into the consequences of killer whale captivity, “Blackfish” spans the history of this practice to create a compelling commentary on man’s tenuous relationship with nature. “Blackfish” is competing in the documentary film competition as well as the environmentalism-themed Our World competition.
[embed width="480 height="270"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KiUty3nIhZo[/embed]
“Cairo Drive”
6:45 p.m. and Friday at 3:00 p.m.
Director: Sherief Elkatsha
Egypt
Shot from 2009 to 2012 in Egypt, this film traces the causes and complications of political turmoil in one of the largest metropolises in the world. Partially a product of an extensive crowd funding campaign, “Cairo Drive” is making its world premiere at the Abu Dhabi Film Festival.
Tuesday, Oct. 29
[embed width="480 height="270"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vqgwt3eD0Ns[/embed]
“Peace after Marriage”
9:15 p.m., as well as Thursday at 3:30 p.m.
Director: Ghazi Albuliwi
USA
An Arab comedy set in New York City, “Peace After Marriage” follows a lonely Palestinian-American man living with his parents who desperately craves companionship. When he gets involved in a green-card marriage with an Israeli woman, he and his family grapple with marriage, sex and cultural identity.
The Emirates Film Competition Narrative, which features eight films produced in the UAE, as well as other shorts competitions will be playing at three different times.
3:00 p.m. — EFC Narrative competition, UAE
6:15 p.m. — Shorts Competition 3, Tunisia, Korea, UAE, Croatia, Denmark
9:15 p.m. — Shorts Competition 4, Iran, Germany/Mexico, Palestine/Egypt/Qatar, Nepal, Canada
Wednesday, Oct. 30
[embed width="480 height="270"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Olv5LnC9OCQ[/embed]
“The Rooftops”
3:45 p.m.
Director: Merzak Allouache
Algeria, France, Qatar, 2013
From the man described as “Algeria’s most important living director” comes a documentary looking in on communities in five different neighborhoods in Algiers, showing the contradictions and complexities of this microcosm of Algerian society. This is the film’s Middle East premiere.
[embed width="480 height="270"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c9uMa8ztGGk[/embed]
“The Kill Team”
9:15 p.m., as well as Saturday at 2:45 p.m.
Director: Dan Krauss
USA
This documentary follows the true story of an American soldier who, after attempting to notify his superiors of the atrocities committed by his platoon in Afghanistan, finds himself at the center of an extensive war crime investigation. This is the film’s Middle East premiere.
Thursday, Oct. 31
[embed width="480 height="270"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BCni8utWHB8[/embed]
“Hide Your Smiling Faces”
6:30 p.m. and Monday at 9:15 p.m.
Director: Daniel Patrick Carbone
USA, 2013
Director Daniel Patrick Carbone developed and filmed his first feature “Hide Your Smiling Faces” while working as an instructor of the Arts and Media at NYU Abu Dhabi. Since then, his film has been shown at the Berlin, Tribeca and London Film Festivals. Now, with its Middle East premiere Monday evening in addition to Thursday’s showing, NYUAD gets the chance to see work from a former instructor and budding independent film director. Set in rural New Jersey, “Hide Your Smiling Faces” is a subtle yet striking exploration of two young brothers as they face the world after the death of a friend.
[embed width="480 height="270"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o_1wLBm1LBM[/embed]
“My Stolen Revolution”
6:30 p.m. and Monday at 9 p.m.
Director: Nahid Persson Sarvestani
Sweden, 2013
During the 1979 Iranian revolution, Nahid Persson Sarvestani fled the country, leaving behind her imprisoned brother and friends. Now, as a filmmaker ridden with guilt for leaving, Sarvestani pieces together what happened to those she left behind. This is the film’s Middle East premiere.
Friday, Nov. 1
“The School of Babel”
3:00 p.m., and Wednesday at 6:30 p.m.
Director: Julie Bertuccelli
France, 2013
In a junior high school of Paris lies a crucible of multicultural immigrants, all grappling to adjust to a new life and language together. Over the course of a year, director Julie Bertuccelli films these 11-to-15-year olds through their growth and challenges living together in a new environment — perhaps an experience that will resonate for some students at NYUAD. This is the film’s Middle East premiere.
[embed width="480 height="270"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MjIjXuIZ16E[/embed]
“Bastardo”
3:15 p.m., and Wednesday at 6:15 p.m.
Director: Nejib Belkadhi
Tunisia, France, Qatar, 2013
A twisting tale transcending genres of film noir and magic realism, “Bastardo” follows an out-of-luck orphan in a Tunisian ghetto. The Toronto International Film Festival’s website describes it as “a contemporary allegory on the corruptive nature of power.”
Saturday, Nov. 2
[embed width="480 height="270"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xWhikLYeSQ0[/embed]
“The Double”
5:45 p.m., and Wednesday 9:15 p.m.
Director: Richard Ayoade
United Kingdom, 2013
The second doppelgänger film of the festival, Jesse Eisenberg of “The Social Network” notoriety, plays an office worker in the midst of an existential crisis when he discovers a more confident self has taken over his life. Based on the famous novella by Dostoyevsky, “The Double” is both dark and comedic.
[embed width="480 height="270"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ORO6Zp0oHDU[/embed]
“Quissa”
9:00 p.m.
Director: Anup Singh
India, Germany, Netherlands, France, 2013
The film, set in postcolonial 1947 India, follows a Sikh whose family and home life changes when he must flee his home village in order to escape ethnic cleansing. The film stars Irrfan Khan from "Life of Pi."
Alistair Blacklock is editor-in-chief. Email him at editorial@thegazelle.org. 
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