Top weekend picks at the Abu Dhabi film fest

It is a rare sight indeed that people in the UAE find something more innovative to do over the weekend than the usual weekend sleep-in, afternoon brunching, evening sheesha and a movie, followed by the late night clubbing.

So it is with renewed enthusiasm that we welcome the start of the Abu Dhabi Film Festival, which finally brings us culture-starved denizens a 10-day respite of good movies and a glimpse into world cinema; celebrity spotting is of course an added bonus.

Emirates 24|7 has put together a list of narrative features, documentaries, shorts and independent fare playing in the capital this weekend, which will not come to a cinema near you any time soon. So if you are reading this, we would suggest put down your coffee, grab your mate and get driving because tickets will sell out fast.
 
Friday October 15
 
Secretariat
4pm, Cinestar 1, Marina Mall
 
Those of you who missed the festival’s opening film have the chance to watch this emotional epic one last time, which feature Diane Lane

and John Malkovich in the lead and has been inspired by a true story.
Penny Chenery (Lane) takes over the racing stables of her ailing father and buys Secretariat, a horse that does not have a promising

track record.
It is through Chenery’s grit and determination that she manages to turn the sire into the first Triple Crown winner in 25 years. Watch it

for Lane’s stunning performance.
 
In Your Hands/Contre Toi
6.30pm, Abu Dhabi Theatre

Our personal favourite pick of the weekend marathon, this French film explores the Stockholm Syndrome, where Kristen Scott Thomas plays a

surgeon kept prisoner by a man (Pio Marmai) who blames her for the death of his wife.
But as the two protagonists spend more time with each other, a dark attraction develops between the two, with devastation consequences.

Also playing Saturday at 8.45pm, Cinestar 2, Marina Mall.
 
China, The Empire of Art?
7.15pm, Cinestar 1, Marina Mall.

This one-hour documentary captures the beauty of the Chinese contemporary art scene. Threw in-depth interviews with artists, curators,

photographers and other industry juggernauts, the film breaks the Western stereotype of Chinese “exoticism” and looks at how the arts

scene has developed in the two decades since the Tiananmen Square massacre. A must for art aficionados. Also showing on Saturday at

6.45pm at Cinestar 8, Marina Mall.
 
Wrecked
9.30pm, Emirates Palace

Adrien Brody stars in this indie thriller of a man who wakes up in car wreck in the middle of a desolate forest. Aside from suffering

from amnesia, he also finds a dead body in the backseat. As the protagonist struggles to remember who he is and what caused the accident

in the first place, a deeper and darker mystery surrounds the corpse that could point to a shocking climax. Not only does this see Brody

at his best, but the actor will be actually present at the screening and available for an audience Q&A in the end. The film also screens

on Saturday at 7.15pm at Cinestar 6, Marina Mall.
 
Taming/Rodage
9.30pm, Abu Dhabi Theatre

Produced in Syria, this Arabic film narrates the story two star-crossed lovers who escape the atrocities of their respective families,

only to be mysteriously separated in the desert.
The hapless man engages the assistance of an old hermit in the desolation, but is clueless to the psychological games the loner is

willing to play to get his own game. A thriller that promises to keep you at the edge of your seat.
 
Saturday October 16
 
Short Narrative Programme 1
1pm, Cinestar 4, Marina Mall

Those of you who are simply dying to see what are regional filmmakers have to offer than you simply must make time for one of the short

programmes playing during the duration of the festival. We have picked this collection of 10 shorts, which comprises filmmakers from the

UAE, Bahrain Oman and Saudi Arabia. If nothing else, come along to give them your support.
 
Back Door Channels: The Price of Peace
4pm, Cinestar 1, Marina Mall

This is political powerplay at its best, where we take a behind-the-scenes look at the hidden manoeuvring behind the Camp David Accords,

which lead to the landmark peace treaty of 1979 between Egypt and Israel. The story is of particular relevance to us of course and the

riveting interviews serve as a powerful eye opener.
 
The Mummy/The Night of Counting Years
4pm, Abu Dhabi Theatre

In the Resorted Classics segment of the film festival, this Egyptian masterpiece was once credited with contributing to the shaping of

the country’s cinematic identity. A high honour indeed, but this black and white epic by Shadi Abdel Salam tells the story of a fatal

predicament facing an ancient Horbat tribe with the discovery of the legendary cache of royal mummies in 1881. A true classic.
 
Bill Cunningham New York
7pm, Abu Dhabi Theatre

A must-see for any true blue New Yorker and a fashionsita, the film chronicles of the journey of The New York Times columnist Bill

Cunningham, an 83-year-old eccentric who captures the latest emerging fashion trends on his Nikon camera, atop a bicycle. It doesn’t get

quirkier than this.
 
West Is West
9.30pm, Emirates Palace

Our pick for the night is the sequel to the hilarious British comedy, East is East, where Om Puri reprises his role as the UK-based

Pakistani patriarch who is consumed by the knowledge that his children are so far removed from their roots as humanly possible.
To alter the life of one at least, the desperate father takes his son Sajid (Aqib Khan) on a journey to discover Pakistan, his heartland,

but signs on for more than he ever bargained for. Sure to draw forth laugh out loud moments during its screening.
 
 

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