"Perspectives and Retrospectives" theme to highlight works by the early heroes of Arab documentary film making
Official launch of "The Champ of the Camp" trailer, documentary about the lives of labourers in the UAE
Abu Dhabi, 05 May 2013: The British Council has announced that it will be hosting for the first time in the UAE a six day documentary series from the 9th -14th May 2013 being screened at Vox Cinemas, Abu Dhabi Marina Mall that will feature works by early heroes of the Arab documentary film making genre together with UK documentaries.
The theme of this inaugural documentary series in Abu Dhabi is 'Perspective and Retrospective' highlighting the creative documentary form across space, time and culture with recent award winning documentary films from different regions.
The opening night on the 9th of May will have a local focus and feature films made by renowned Gulf film makers Khalifa Shaheen, Nujoom Alghanem, and Khalid Siddiq followed by the opportunity to participate in an interactive discussion panel including the talents and Khalid Al Budour.
Commenting on the unique forthcoming series, Carine Rizk, Project Manager - Arts and Creativity, British Council, explained: "This event is aimed at highlighting the great works from documentary film makers from the UK and the Arab World. We have handpicked films that capture a broad spectrum of topics and issues that our audience can relate to regardless of their background, age, or nationality."
"From the UK to the Middle East, audiences will be introduced to the revivals of some of the great old titles of our region and to the most recent award winning documentaries; it is paramount to pay homage to the commitment and creativity of previous generations to be able to pave the way for the new ones. We are certain that the Documentary Series in Abu Dhabi in its first year will be a great success and ensure that film goers are left with a highly thought provoking experience." She added.
Other highly anticipated screenings include a special tribute to Omar Amiralay, the Syrian documentary film director and civil society activist with showings of three of his most important and acclaimed works 'The Chickens', 'A Plate of Sardine' and 'There Still a Lot of Things to Talk About'. This will contrast with 'I Am Breathing' by Emma Davie & Morag McKinnon from the UK that will be shown on the same day and last month won Best Documentary Feature at the RiverRun International Film Festival in North Carolina.
Issues facing women in the region will be tackled by 'Divorce: Iranian Style', produced by internationally acclaimed director Kim Longinotto and Iranian Anthropologist Ziba Mir-Hosseini that provides a look into the lives of women in the Iranian society and 'In the Shadow of a Man'. This highly topical and recent film by Hanan Abdullah - winner of the Best Documentary film maker at the Doha Tribeca Film Festival in 2012-features four women from different cultural backgrounds and generations and documents the changes to their lives in Egypt during the revolution. There are a total of four Palestinian documentaries that will be shown including 'Scenes from under occupation in Gaza'; 'They don't exist' and 'Palestine in the eye' by Moustafa Abu Ali. The final showing of 'Children nevertheless' by Khadijeh Habashneh will take the audience on a retrospective of early Palestinian documentaries.
Other features for the Documentary Series in Abu Dhabi 2013 2013 include "How much does your building weigh, Mr Foster?" by Carlos Carcas, "Town of Runners" by Jerry Rothwell, "Layali bala noom (sleepless nights)" by Eliane Raheb that won the 2013 Bird's Eye View Award during the Film Festival in London and the most anticipated award winning 'Searching for Sugar Man' by Malik Bendjelloul winner of the BAFTA Award for Best Documentary at the 66th British Academy Film Awards in London. The film also won the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature at the 85th Academy Awards in Hollywood in 2013.
The Documentary series in Abu Dhabi will close with the official launch of a new and innovative documentary trailer about the lives of labourers in the UAE called "The Champ of the Camp" This is a highly anticipated documentary by Veritas films about the Bollywood singing competition in the labour camps of the UAE. The premier of the film be presented by award-winning filmmaker Mahmoud Kaabour and attended by Right Track Advertising, the company behind the "Western Union Camp Ka Champ" competition.
All the films will be presented to the audience prior to screening and followed by a discussion session moderated by Nezar Andary and Ozge Calafato (artistic directors) and Ian Hayden Smith (UK) journalist, academic and curator.
Panel discussions will be held following the Gulf film makers showing during the opening night, and the screening of 'Children nevertheless' and 'I Am Breathing'.
About British Council:
The British Council creates international opportunities for the people of the UK and other countries and builds trust between them worldwide. We are a Royal Charter charity, established as the UK's international organisation for educational opportunities and cultural relations.
Our 7000 staff in over 100 countries work with thousands of professionals and policy makers and millions of young people every year through English, arts, education and society programmes. For more information, please visit: www.britishcouncil.org/me.
For More information about The Documentary Film Series in Abu Dhabi , please contact:
Carine Rizk
Project Manager - Arts and Creativity |British Council
T: + 971 4 3135 572
E: carine.rizk@ae.britishcouncil.org
Taghreed Oraibi
Senior Account Manager | BPG PR
M: 050 7943528
E: Taghreed@bpgpr.com
© Press Release 2013
