Abu Dhabi, 12 October 2008: Day Four of the Middle East International Film Festival (MEIFF) on Monday 13^th October underlines the indomitable strength of the human spirit in the face of adversity - with a documentary on a group of young men stranded in the Andes for 72 days, a Russian sci-fi feature film, a movingly funny feature from Palestine which has been warmly received by global festival audiences and one of the decade's best vampire movies.

Stranded is the latest in a series of documentaries to come from multi-award winning Uruguayan director, Gonzalo Arijon. The gripping film has captivated festival audiences this year, scoring an official selection at Sundance Film Festival.

Superbly crafted, it recounts the remarkable, story of a group of young men who were forced to resort to cannibalism when their plane crashed onto a remote glacier in the Andes, leaving them stranded in the most brutal of conditions for 72 days.

Arijon uses a combination of vivid re-enactments and poignant interviews to illuminate the psychologically harrowing and physically torturous experiences the survivors were forced to endure. Competing in MEIFF's 'International Competition for Documentaries', Stranded is predicted to have a huge impact at this year's festival.

Terra Nova is a Russian sci-fi production directed by feature film debutant, Alexander Melnik. Set in 2013, this suspense thriller tells the story of a group of serial killers who have been banished to a dystopian island in the Arctic.

With a budget estimated to be in the region of $12million, a near record by Russian standards, Terra Nova marks an impressive debut for Melnik, a former journalist, documentary maker and producer.

A surreal, humourous and moving story about a Palestinian taxi driver just trying to get home in time for his daughter's birthday, Laila's Birthday is written and directed by Rashid Masharawi and continues his idiosyncratic exploration of Palestinian life.

An experienced judge forced to drive his brother's taxi for a living, Abu Laila (Mohammed Bakri) desperately tries to steer his way through a series of comical misadventures - ranging from a lost mobile phone, a stolen car and at one point an exploding taxi - in order to celebrate his daughter Laila's seventh birthday with her.

Born and raised in the Shati refugee camp on the Gaza Strip, director Rashid Masharawi is a self-taught filmmaker. His films portray his life under the Israeli Occupation in refugee camps as well as his constant reflection on cinema narrative.

Laila's Birthday gives a unique insight into Palestinian life that is rarely seen and is a sympathetic and unforgettable portrayal of ordinary people trying to live in extraordinary circumstances.

The final film for MEIFF Day Four is one that has charmed festival audiences worldwide - featuring in MEIFF's 'Festival of Festivals' programme, Swedish director Tomas Alfredson has hit the right note with his vampire flick Let the Right One In. 

Based on a book by John Ajvide Lindqvist, who has written the film's screenplay, the story centres on a 12 year old boy Oscar, who befriends a 200 year old vampire child called Eli.

Festival audiences have loved this film so much it won the 2008 Tribeca Film Festival 'Founders Award for Best Narrative Feature' and collected the 'Rotten Tomatoes Critical Consensus Award' at this year's Edinburgh Film Festival.

For more information and to purchase tickets visit www.meiff.com

-Ends-

MEIFF festival publicist contact details

For all press inquiries, please e-mail press@meiff.com

For interview with filmmakers and actors please contact:
International Competition Feature films:
Claudia Rische (Rische@bs-pr.de)

International Competition Documentary films:
Julie Trinchero (Julie@meiff.com)  

Regional PR inquiries:-
Doha Al Wazany,
Action UAE - Abu Dhabi
Mobile:  +971 50 662 7930
email: doha.w@actionprgroup.com

© Press Release 2008 from MEIFF

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