Freida Pinto jets into Abu Dhabi today

A film considered one of cinema’s all-time classics leads the fare at the Abu Dhabi Film Festival on Thursday, with “Slumdog Millionaire” star Freida Pinto raising the glamour stakes.

The long-awaited full-length version of Fritz Lang’s classic 1927 silent film, “Metropolis”, widely considered one of the most influential films ever, is being screened at the Abu Dhabi Theatre today.

Almost immediately after its release, the epic film was cut from over two hours to a more commercially viable 90 minutes. Only when some of the film’s long-lost original footage was discovered in a Brazilian archive two years ago did it become possible to finally restore Metropolis to its full glory, set to a recording of Gottfried Huppertz’s powerful original score.

The event will also host a joint awards night for this year’s Emirates Competition and Short Film Competition today, with the complete list of Black Pearl Award winners in both competitions to be announced at the Festival Tent at 9.30pm.

Iraq, Che Guavara

In the afternoon, Doug Liman and Oday Rasheed take part in the special event Two Films in Iraq: the Unexpected Connection Between “Fair Game” and “Qarantina”, which sees the two directors engaging in an enlightening conversation about the differences – and surprising connections – between their films, which address the legacy of the invasion of Iraq from distinct perspectives.

While “Fair Game” is a Hollywood production starring Naomi Watts and Sean Penn, “Qarantina” is an independent film from Iraq, which was supported by the festival’s Sanad film fund. This event takes place at 4pm at the Festival Tent.

The schedule also features two Middle Eastern premieres. “Miral”, the new film by Julian Schnabel (of “The Diving Bell and the Butterfly” fame), is a sweeping multigenerational saga about four women living under the Israeli occupation of Palestine, a layered narrative that revolves around the Dar Al-Tifel Institute, the orphanage for street children set up by Hind Husseini in the Jerusalem of 1948.

The film’s star Freida Pinto attends the 6.30pm screening at Emirates Palace along with Julian Schnabel and the journalist Rula Jebreal, on whose semi-autobiographical novel the film is based. 

Tonight’s second gala is Doug Liman’s “Fair Game”, which is based on the events surrounding the politically motivated outing of secret agent Valerie Plame (played by Naomi Watts). Set to attend the 9.45pm event are the film’s director Doug Liman and actor Khaled Al Nabawy.

The New Horizons/Afaq Jadida Competition continues with two very different, but equally riveting features by new filmmakers from the UAE and the US. The first is the world premiere of “Sun Dress”, by Saeed Salmeen Al Murry, a sensitive depiction of the marginalization and prejudice experienced by people with physical disabilities in traditional societies. This screening takes place at Marina Mall at7pm.

“The Furious Force of Rhymes”, by Turkish-American director Joshua Atesh Litle, has its Middle East premiere tonight. An inspiring and inclusive tribute to global hip-hop, the film features rap music of all styles and origins, vividly portraying the diverse incarnations of a subculture that started out in inner-city America and went on to take the world by storm. Watch it at 9.45pm at the Abu Dhabi Theater.

In the Documentary Competition, today’s programme includes “Che – Un Hombre” nuevo, Tristán Bauer’s new look at the life of Che Guevara, the perennial rebel of the Cuban revolution. Using a variety of sources including historical footage and Guevara’s diaries, family albums and military records, Bauer reveals that the legendary revolutionary was also a thoughtful lover, disciplined writer and caring family man. At Marina Mall at 9.45pm.

The Festival’s popular Showcase section continues today with a screening of “Kings of Pastry”, by Chris Hegedus and legendary documentarian D. A. Pennebaker. This suspenseful film follows three finalists at the gruelling Meilleurs Ouvriers de France pastry competition, in which contestants are subjected to an impossibly elaborate series of tests to determine a world champion. Screening at 10pm at Marina Mall, it captures scenes of camaraderie, humour and exhaustion behind one of the world’s toughest culinary showdowns.

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