Today in Abu Dhabi: Kiarostami, Julianne Moore
Two of the film world’s most distinguished personalities will interact with fans at red-carpet appearances at the Abu Dhabi Film Festival tonight.
Acclaimed Iranian director Abbas Kiarostami is set to attend the Middle East premiere of his latest film, “Certified Copy”, while Julianne Moore, the star of “Magnolia” (1999), “Far From Heaven” (2002) and “A Single Man” (2009), will participate in an afternoon encounter with the public before gracing the red carpet at the screening of Matt Reeves’ “Let Me In”, the night’s second gala event.
“Certified Copy” is Kiarostami’s first feature film shot outside of Iran and stars Juliette Binoche in a role for which she received the Best Actress Award at Cannes earlier this year. The film, which is shown as part of this year’s showcase section, tells the story of a gallery owner who meets an author on a book tour in Tuscany to promote his book on originals and copies in art. Their encounter isn’t a romantic comedy but rather an always-playful glance at how men and women relate to each other. This gala screening takes place at the Emirates Palace at 6.30pm.
“Let Me In” also celebrates its Middle East premiere with a gala screening at the Festival, with the award-winning American actress Julianne Moore expected to be among the event’s celebrity guests. This hotly anticipated Hollywood remake of the Swedish indie horror smash “Let the Right One” In arrives as the phenomenal popularity of fictional vampires reaches fever pitch. An unsettling tale of a lonely boy who befriends an adolescent girl vampire, the film elegantly transfers this supernatural horror story into Reagan-era small-town America. It is screened tonight at the Emirates Palace at 9.30pm.
But Moore is not just in town to attend film premieres. This afternoon, the actress is also participating in a special event, which sees her engaging in conversation with the festival audience. An Encounter With Julianne Moore takes place at the Festival Tent at 2.30pm.
Today’s offering of films from the Narrative Competition includes the highly anticipated Middle East premiere of the animated feature “Chico & Rita” by Tono Errando, Javier Mariscal and Fernando Trueba. “Chico & Rita” is a sweeping love story set amidst the turmoil of the Cuban Revolution, a wonderfully textured portrait of old Havana and a powerhouse tribute to 20th century jazz. It screens at 9pm at Marina Mall. The Narrative Competition also presents the acclaimed Danish filmmaker Susanne Bier’s new film “In a Better World”, as well as “The Life of Fish”, by Chilean director Matías Bize.
This afternoon and evening, the festival is also screening four films from the inaugural New Horizons / Afaq Jadida Competition. The first is the world premiere of “In/Out of the Room” by the Egyptian filmmaker Dina Hamza, which approaches the issue of capital punishment by following the life of an executioner in Cairo, who, at 63 years of age, claims some thousand executions to his name (Marina Mall, 3.45pm).
“Once Again” by Joud Said, is set against the backdrop of the Syrian military presence in Lebanon and tells the story of the son of a Syrian army officer, who loses his memory after a gun accident (Marina Mall, 7pm).
This evening, the festival also hosts the international premiere of “Bill Cunningham New York” by Richard Press, a touching profile of the now 81-year-old “hardest working reporter in New York", whose weekly columns continue to capture the rapt attention of the fashion and society scenes. Also being screened is “Gesher”, Vahid Vakilifar’s directorial debut, which depicts the toil and camaraderie in the daily lives of migrant labourers on the Gulf coast of Iran, at the Abu Dhabi Theater at 9.45pm.
Kim Longinotto’s “Pink Saris” and Mohamed Soueid’s “How Bitter My Sweet!” are part of this year’s Documentary Competition and provide insights into the lives of people on the fringes of society. While Longinotto zooms in on Sampat Pal, the volatile leader of a cohort of women advocating equality in India’s northern State of Uttar Pradesh, Soueid’s film is a freestyle poetic ode to everyday people overcoming life’s hardships that revolves around six characters, two cities and many homelands. Both screen at Marina Mall.
“To the Sea”, directed by Pedro González-Rubio, is a modest, achingly beautiful and poetic tale that sets the delicate interplay of parent and child against the stunning backdrop of Mexico’s Chinchorro coral reef. Selected for this year’s “What In The World Are We Doing To Our World?” programme of environmental films, “To the Sea” explores with minimalist perfection the deep bonds people share with each other and with nature. This film is shown at Marina Mall at 7pm.
The special programme Mapping Subjectivity continues today with a rare opportunity to watch the recenty restored 1972 film “Al-Yazerli” by Kais Al Zubaidi (Marina Mall, 6.30pm). Also part of this unique line-up is “Divine Intervention” by Abbas Kiarostami, screened tonight at Marina Mall at 9.45pm.
There are also several free public events today. The day begins with a Master Class with Nouri Bouzid, the Tunisian auteur and film professor, whose session is designed to explore and challenge the boundaries of traditional filmmaking (Festival Tent, 11am). In the afternoon, a Panel Discussion sees filmmakers from this year’s Short Film Competition and Emirates Competition coming together to relate some of the challenges they have faced in trying to establish themselves in the film business (Festival Tent, 5pm). Later in the evening, the Festival treats its audience and guests to a live music performance by Mestiza and Cassiano, followed by a DJ set, from 9pm.