Dubai Film Fest tickets selling out fast

UAE residents approaching the Dubai Film Festival with typical last-minute langour could well be disappointed when they finally rock up to the box-office to buy tickets for the films they want to watch.

On Sunday, the opening day of this year's event, festival-goers were already being asked to await standby tickets ahead of the screening of over 20 films, with seats selling out for controversial and award-winning films, box-office staff said.

"We've already sold out 'An Unfinished Letter' and 'Honey'," said one volunteer who spoke on condition of anonymity. "The popular films are selling out quickly."

Media professional Sushmita Charkraborty told Emirates247.com she was disappointed at not being able to get tickets to 'Iti Mrinalini' (An Unfinished Letter). "I guess I've left it too late," she said. "But I'm so keen to see this film, I'm going to line up for standby tickets at Tuesday's screening."

Standby tickets are made available on a first-come, first-serve about 15 minutes before screening time, factoring in no-shows and returns. In previous years, popular films have seen standby queues form upto an hour in advance.

Tickets for many films this weekend are still on sale, however, box-office volunteers said, but many films with recognisable names are going quickly, such as 'Biutiful', which stars Javier Bardem.

Part of the reason tickets are selling well is a programme of award-winning films. "Honey", for instance, won the Golden Bear at this year's Berlinale, a rare honour for a Turkish film. The final part of Semih Kaplanoglu's triology about a young poet, it seeks to explore how random quirks of fate shape our lives and destinies.

The wonderfully named "Uncle Boonmee who can Recall his Past Lives", by Thai auteur Apichatpong Weerasethakul, took the Palme d'Or at this year's Cannes film festival, winning critical acclaim for its esoteric themes and inventive structure is a dreamily paced film about the effects of war in Asia.

And Hesham Issawi's "Cairo Exit" shines a light on contemporary Egypt, echoing themes of inter-religious marriage, illegal immigration and teenage pregnancy.

“The DIFF Box Office is gaining good response from movie lovers, who are offered the opportunity to watch never-before-seen films at the festival," says Shivani Pandya, DIFF Managing Director.

A new initiative this year to package films across six genres – Cultural Bridge, Documentary films, Comedy films, Family films, Experimental/Cutting Edge films, and Travelogue/Exploring new worlds – is also pushing up sales.

The thought-provoking Cultural Bridge package, for instance, comprises Kaouther Ben Hania’s "Imams Go To School" (December 13, 6.30pm); Ebrahim Saeedi’s "Mandoo" (December 15, 10.15pm); and Ashvin Kumar’s "Inshallah, Football" (December 18, 4pm).

The clash of cultures is explored in a deal that clubs together Mahmoud Al Massad’s "This is My Picture When I Was Dead" (December 14, 10pm); "Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives" (December 15, 9.45pm); and John Akomfrah’s "The Nine Muses" (December 18, 1.30pm).

And a comedy selection packages three varied films: Wi Ding Ho’s "Pinoy Sunday" (December 16, 9.30pm); Meng Zhang’s "The Piano in a Factory" (December 18, 12:00pm) and Roger Michell’s Morning Glory (December 17, 7.15pm).

"The introduction of the special genre-specific ticket packages will help audiences to make their selection easily, as well as plan their schedules conveniently,” Pandya said.  

Diff 2010 box offices are located at Cinestar Mall of the Emirates, Souk Madinat Jumeirah, the CNN Building in Dubai Media City and The Walk at Jumeirah Beach Residence. Tickets can also be purchased from the website www.dubaifilmfest.com.

The event runs until December 19.