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After
a flying start in 2004, the organizers of the second
edition of the Dubai International Film Festival (DIFF)
managed to deliver in December 2005 a bigger and better
event, which was a resounding success with both, cinema
goers and film industry professionals.
The festival
managed to attract a significantly larger audience
compared to the last year. More than 30,000 admissions
were recorded during the seven-day festival, which ran
from 11 - 17 December, with admission numbers more than
doubling compared to the inaugural edition. Some 23
films, nearly a fourth of all 98 movies shown, were
completely sold out. In addition to the enthusiastic
support of UAE residents and visitors, the festival
attracted audiences from abroad with ticket sales being
reported from as far away as Australia, Germany, the
United Kingdom, the United States and Canada, as well as
Qatar, Yemen, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Kuwait.
“The response to
our second festival has been very positive, and these
high numbers are only one part of the picture,” a press
release distributed by the organizers quoted Festival
Director and CEO, Neil Stephenson. “We’ve received great
feedback from our international and regional guests, our
filmmakers and local festival-goers, who were thrilled
not only with the diversity of films and opportunities
to interact with the filmmakers and industry
representatives, but also with the breadth of their
experience in Dubai.”, added Stephenson.
A diverse
selection of features, retrospectives and short films
from 46 countries from all five continents explains why
the festival appealed to such a large audience. DIFF
audience had the chance to enjoy an excellent selection
of European films, including Michael Haneke’s Cache
(Hidden) and the Cannes Festival Palme D’Or winner
L’Enfant (The Child).
An excellent
selection of movies from India, Sri Lanka and the rest
of the Indian Subcontinent as well as a selection of
African films, such as The Hero and Carmen in
Khayelitsha, also added to the festival’s global
appeal. Some of the films that generated a high degree
of interest were those presenting original viewpoints.
Examples include the documentary Women of the
Algerian War (Algeriennes), which looks at
the Algerian war of independence against France through
the memories of three women who fought for the Algerian
National Liberation Front. Attention, a short
film from Saudi Arabia about the impact of terrorism on
children, also attracted a great deal of attention, as
did the haunting British drama Shooting Dog,
which tells the tale of the early days of the Rwandan
genocide.
Moviegoers
responded particularly well to the Arabian Nights
selection, which featured films from the Middle East
region. The bold festival opener, Palestinian drama,
Paradise Now, saw halls packed with people. The
award-winning film tells the story of two Palestinian
childhood friends who had been recruited for a suicide
strike. The plot focuses on their last days together.
The impact of war
and conflict on women and children, the role of the
modern woman in traditional Arab society and other
issues of contemporary concern were tackled in the array
of compelling Arabic films.
Films such as
Massaker, a chilling documentary about the slaughter
of Palestinians in Lebanon’s Sabra and Chatilla camps,
received enthusiastic support from viewers. Cinemas were
also packed for the screenings of A Perfect Day,
a film about contemporary Beirut and One Night,
the directorial debut of famed Iranian actress, Niki
Karimi. Audiences were also treated to Alliance,
the first short science fiction film produced by an Arab
which made its debut during the festival. These movies
satisfied the thirst for good Arabic cinema and also led
critics to believe that DIFF could emerge as an
alternative to the Cairo Film Festival and a hub for
Arab cinema.
Hollywood
superstar, Morgan Freeman, even went as far as saying
that he expects that the festival would become big
enough to rival Cannes in the years to come. “The
festival is only going to get bigger and better, and it
will keep growing until it rivals the Cannes film
festival,” he told a local newspaper, adding that in a
few years down the line people would be scrambling over
to be present in Dubai. Freeman had come back to Dubai
after attending the inaugural festival in 2004. This
year, he was in Dubai to promote his new film Edison,
in which he plays a jaded newspaper editor. The movie
stars musicians Justin Timberlake and LL Cool J as well
as his Seven co-star, Hollywood heavyweight,
Kevin Spacey.
In addition to
Freeman, Hollywood stars Orlando Bloom and Sarah
Michelle Gellar attended 2004’s event. This year the
celebrity line-up was equally impressive featuring close
to 100 celebrities from around the world, in addition to
420 filmmaker, talent and industry guests. This year
Freeman was joined by Egyptian superstar Adel Imam and
Indian cinema doyen Yash Chopra, among many others.
The festival also
emerged as a good place for cinema industry
professionals to network and to do business. A series of
interactive panel discussions between the public,
filmmakers and industry specialists were held at the
Knowledge Village auditorium.
“In its second
year, our festival has really registered with some of
the top people in the international film industry,”
Stephenson was quoted as saying. “Some of the biggest
industry executives in the world – including Barrie
Osborne, Sumner Redstone and Alan Ladd Jr - are very
interested in DIFF, and will be watching our next steps
keenly.”
More than 150
guests from the leading film festivals around the world
as well as distributors, sales agents, film institutes
and production companies were present at DIFF. Key
producers from the United Kingdom, the United States,
Canada, France, Lebanon, Jordan and Egypt were out in
force, liaising with their counterparts from the region
at the specialized networking events organized as part
of the festival.
Organisers
appeared to have come one step closer to their goal of
nurturing the growth of the UAE’s film industry.
“The Festival was
very well received by both, the UAE and international
community, and has been a very strong catalyst for the
future of filmmaking and production here in Dubai,” Dr.
Amina Al Rustamani, Executive Director of Media for the
Dubai Technology and Media Free Zone, was quoted as
saying.
International
filmmakers and distributors who attended the Festival
have also expressed interest in using Dubai as a
shooting location and a base of operations for this part
of the world, she said.
“We at Dubai
Studio City have already received six proposals for film
production here in Dubai, including two from Hollywood
and two from Egypt, in addition to strong interest from
investors in establishing facilities here in Dubai,” she
said.
Dubai-based
documentary film maker, Dhruv Dhawan, agreed with Dr. Al
Rustamani, saying he was confident that the fast-growing
talent pool of UAE-based film makers could be the
catalyst that develops the film industry in the UAE. All
the movie making stages from concept to story-boarding
to post-production could be easily accomplished by the
talent and facilities within the UAE, he said. “My film
has been made with UAE-based talent from start to
finish. I did not need the skills or expertise from any
external cinema centre. In fact, when artists here
realised that mine was an independent project, a
non-commercial venture, they came forward to help with
their skills and expertise. I am sure that many more
films will be made by the UAE this year,” he said.
Dhawan was
talking on the sidelines of a screening of his
documentary, From Dust, which tells the story of
three men who endured the full impact of the Tsunami in
Sri Lanka.
A lot of effort
went into making sure the event ran smoothly. More than
350 volunteers worked tirelessly behind the scenes to
make the festival a success. They included students,
professionals and budding actors from the UAE and across
the world. Their tasks included greeting festival goers,
arranging seating and booking tickets but also exciting
and rare chances to meet some of the stars attending the
festival. The volunteers were joined by 250 members of
staff, among whom there were 20 volunteers from the
inaugural festival who were this year hired as paid
staff.
Visitors also
praised the festival’s venues – the Madinat Jumeirah and
Mall of the Emirates. The third venue, the Media City
amphitheatre, where the free open-air screenings were
held, was also enthusiastically received from audiences.
More than 3,000 people attended the ‘Screen on the
Green’ series of family films shown at the amphitheatre
over five festival days, with capacity crowds every
evening. Another incentive programme was the Six-Tix
special scheme which offered six tickets for the price
of five. The programme was particularly well received,
with 2,800 festival-goers enrolling in it.
The event also
made headlines around the world, with more than 650
members of the press covering the festival. The
international media turned out in full force, spreading
word about the festival to readers, listeners and
viewers from as far a field as Sri Lanka, Egypt, the
United Kingdom, Switzerland, South Korea, India, France
and the United States. |
