Abu Dhabi Film Festival opens with a home made feature

Gulf News

Abu Dhabi Film Festival opens with a home-made feature. The UAE capital’s celebration of global cinema rolls out red carpet, featuring a UAE film on opening night for the first time. See more at: http://gulfnews.com/gntv

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00:00The 8th edition of the Abu Dhabi Film Festival kicked off with a local twist.

00:16For the first time, the festival opened with a local feature film, Ali Mustafa's From

00:21A to B, occupying a slot usually reserved for big-budget Hollywood films.

00:27From A to B marks the first time an Emirati feature has opened the festival in its near

00:31decade of operation.

00:33Arab stars and other international stars in the cinema world graced the red carpet on

00:38opening night, led by the man of the hour himself, Mustafa, who was joined by Fadi Irifai,

00:44Shadi Alphonse and Fahad Albutairi, who played the film's lead roles as spouse on a road

00:49trip from Abu Dhabi to Beirut to honor their best friend who was died.

00:54I was very happy I was chosen to be the opening film here.

00:58I actually haven't seen the movie yet, so I'm super excited.

01:01I'm a bit nervous as well.

01:03This is my first feature film, so I'm very, very excited.

01:07Industry heavyweights included Cheryl Boone Isaacs, the two-term president of Academy

01:11of Motion Picture Arts and Science.

01:14Although she said she hasn't seen much from the Arab film industry, she told Tabloid she

01:19believes the representation of Arabs in Hollywood is improving.

01:22I think everyone around the world is opening up, you know.

01:27The world's getting smaller.

01:28We can travel around a lot more.

01:30We're able to experience other people's storytelling and dreams.

01:35And I think it's all going to be good.

01:37It's all going to get more.

01:39Last year, Indian actor Irfan Khan was here for the premiere of his hit film, The Lunchbox.

01:44This year, he is president of the festival's narrative features competition jury.

01:49Movie has to give you experience.

01:51You cannot look for a particular thing in a movie.

01:54It has to give you experience, it has to engulf you in its own world, and you should be engrossed

01:59in that world.

02:00And that world should be able to reveal things to you, to tell you, to give you emotional

02:07experience or intellectual experience.

02:10So all this thing, it's a new world which you get out of a film, an experience.

02:16While French-Algerian director Rashid Boukharib and American producer Edward Pressman were

02:20recipients of ADFF's Career Achievement Awards, which was awarded during the opening ceremony.

02:27Pressman is known for his films such as The Crow, American Psycho, and Wall Street.

02:32Boukharib's most recent film, Two Men in Town, stars Forrest Whitaker as a Muslim convert.

02:37When I decided to make a movie in America, I like so much the actor Forrest Whitaker.

02:45And when I wrote the script, I would like to have something that can connect to me.

02:54My character is converted to Islam.

02:56It's interesting for me, why I made this movie in America.

03:01I'm looking forward tonight to seeing this Emirati film, A to B.

03:06And do you think in the future you would collaborate and work with Arab filmmakers?

03:12I hope so.

03:13We've worked all around the world in many areas, and I think there's some great talent here.

03:20And as the film community here grows, that's why it's good.

03:24We also had a chance to talk with the granddaughter of Charlotte Choplin, Carmen,

03:28who revealed the legendary actor was a visitor in the Middle East.

03:32I think he visited the Middle East, so I think he'd be very curious to come back and see what's changed.

03:39And he'd be delighted to be here with the film festival, because he loves movies.

03:43So I think he'd be very excited to see some movies here.

03:47The Abu Dhabi Film Festival runs until November 1, screening a total of 197 films,

03:53including nine feature-length world premieres and 48 short film premieres.

03:58Irish Idin Belieza for tabloid.

04:09.

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