DIFF 2015: 10 movies you must watch

The 12th edition of Dubai International Film Festival kicks off tonight (Dec 9) with the UAE premiere of Lenny Abrahamson's celebrated drama 'Room'. It will set the pulse for the next eight days of continuous movie screenings, red carpet glamour and celeb spotting.

With a staggering line-up of 134 movies, of which 54 are world premiers, it can be a daunting task to choose your movie list. So, we step in, and give you a guideline by picking out our favourites this movie season.

'Room'

A young mother plots her escape with her five-year-old son after being held captive in a cramped room by a man for seven years. Whether they succeed in their plan forms the crux of the intense drama. Written by Emma Donoghue, based on her novel of the same name, the film stars Brie Larson, Jacob Tremblay, Joan Allen, Sean Bridgers, and William H. Macy.

Madinat Theatre on December 10 at 2200

'Dheepan'

Directed by Jacques Audiard, this French drama tells the story of three Tamil refugees who flee the civil war-ravaged Sri Lanka and come to France, in the hope of reconstructing their lives.
Mall of the Emirates on December 10 at 1815; and December 11 at 1800

'Concussion'

A medical drama focusing on how a forensic pathologist fights the national football league to expose the medical complications attributed to the sport. Directed and written by Peter Landesman, the movie, starring Will Smith, is based on a media expose titled Game Brain, which stress how professional footballers suffer from brain damage.

Madinat Arena on December 11 at 1800

'Jaws'

Forty years on, Steven Spielberg’s 1970s classic gets an opening at the Diff this year, and this time interestingly pitched at the beach. ‘Jaws’ gains distinction of altering the success module in Hollywood. Based on the 1974 novel by Peter Benchley about a seaside resort that was terrorised by a great white shark, ‘Jaws’ turned into an unconventional blockbuster.

The Beach on December 12 at 1930

'Waiting'

Exploring a special relationship between two people who are unlike each other is director Anu Menon’s second feature. Starring Naseeruddin Shah and Kalki, it’s pitted as a “warm and humorous life-affirming story representative of urban India and its ethos”.
Mall of the Emirates on December 12 at 2155

'Zinzana' (confinement)

Set in a prison cell, Emirati filmmaker Majid Al Ansari narrates the story of a man torn between his past and present as he awaits his fate.

Mall of the Emirates on December 12 at 2200

'3,000 nights'

Documentarian Mai Masri's first feature is about a wrongly-accused Palestinian woman who gives birth while serving her sentence in an Israeli prison.

Madinat Theatre on December 13 at 2130; Mall of the Emirates at 2200

'Spotlight'

Last year's Diff stunner Michael Keaton ('Birdman') returns this year with Mark Ruffalo and Rachel McAdams with the riveting story of how a team of investigative journalists crack on a Catholic Church over allegations of abuse. Directed by Thomas McCarthy, 'Spotlight' centres around the oldest operating newspaper investigative unit in the United States.

Madinat Arena on December 14 at 2200

'Truth'

Starring Hollywood veterans Cate Blanchett and Robert Redford, 'Truth' is "based on the story behind the story". The gripping political drama takes notes from American journalist and television news producer Mary Mapes' memoir 'Truth and Duty: The Press, the President and the Privilege of Power', and exposes the "Killian documents controversy".

Madinat Arena on December 15 at 2200

'The Big Short'

Adapted from a book of the same name, director Adam McKay, explores the financial crisis that unfolded in 2007-2010. Starring stalwarts Brad Pitt, Ryan Gosling and Christian Bale, the American drama explains how the US housing market crashed suddenly.

Madinat Theatre on December 16 at 2000

Tickets

Tickets available from Dh35 for a standard ticket or Dh100 for the red carpet gala screening. Tickets are available from the festival box offices in Madinat Arena, Madinat Theatre and Vox Mall of the Emirates, or by logging on to www.filmfest.ae