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based inventor, attempts to solve one of the greatest mysteries of art. How did the 17th century Dutch master Johannes Vermeer (Girl with a Pearl Earring) manage to paint so photo-realistically — 150 years before the invention of photography? Cinema of the World MOE 1
19:00 THE SELFISH GIANT
(UK) 93mins. Drama. Dir: Clio Barnard. Cast: Sean Glider, Shaun Thomas, Conner Chapman. Fourteen-year-old Arbor and his best friend Swifty, excluded from school, are outsiders in their own community. The two meet local scrap merchant Kitten, and the boys collect metal for him using a horse and cart. Swifty has a natural gift with horses, while Arbor has a sound business acumen and a way with words. They make a good team and work well together, until Arbor becomes as greedy and manipulative as Kitten. Cinema of the World MOE 6
20:00 YOUNG DETECTIVE DEE: RISE OF THE SEA DRAGON
with her co-workers. She is clearly under the spell of Salah, the factory’s new supervisor, who has expressed his admiration for her. She believes love can transcend the class differences between them. However, when a pregnancy test is found in the factory, her family and friends accuse her of sinning. Muhr Arab Feature Madinat Arena
20:45 ANT STORY
(Bangladesh) 93mins. Comedy, drama. Dir: Mostofa Sarwar Farooki. Cast: Noor Imran Mithu, Sheena Chohan, Sabbir Hasan Likhon, Mohini Mow. Every day on the way back to his suburban home, Mithu, a struggling young graduate, looks towards the dazzling city of Dhaka. As he feels he has no chance of being a part of that world, he embarks on a journey of fakery, lies and fantasy. He finds immense pleasure in his own world, because “truth is what one has, while lies are what one creates”. Muhr Asia Africa Feature MOE 1
THE VOIDING SOUL
(China, Hong Kong) 133mins. Action, crime. Dir: Tsui Hark. Cast: Mark Chao, Angelababy, William Feng, Carina Lau, Lin Gengxin. Follows detective Dee Renjie as he investigates reports of a sea monster that is terrorising the city.
(India) 146mins. Fiction. Dir: Shaji N Karun. Cast: Lakshmi Gopalaswamy, Jayaram, Kadambari, Siddique, Aswani Ranga, Vineeth.
Cinema of Asia Africa Burj Park
CAMPAIGN 2
20:30 FACTORY GIRL
(Egypt, UAE) 92mins. Drama, romance, social. Dir: Mohamed Khan. Cast: Yasmine Raees, Hani Adel, Salwa Khatab, Salwa Mohammad Ali, Ibtihal Elserety, Hanan Adel. Hiyam, a young factory worker, lives in a lower-middle-class neighbourhood, along
Celebration of Indian Cinema MOE 2
21:00
(Japan, US) 149mins. Documentary. Dir: Kazuhiro Soda. Cast: Kazuhiko Yamauchi, Sayuri Yamauchi, Yuki Yamauchi. In response to the Fukushima disaster, Yama-san is running an election campaign with an anti-nuclear message. However with no funds, it seems unlikely he stands a chance of winning. This film examines the impact of a disaster on
the political landscape in Japan. Muhr Asia Africa Documentary MOE 7
MY RED SHOES
(France) 80mins. Family. Dir: Sara Rastegar. Cast: Panthea Kian, Roxana Rastegar, Ava Rastegar, Fariba Rastegar, Kaveh Rastegar, Azita Fariva Sadri, Guita Fariva Sadri. In 1979, two 20-year-old Iranian Marxists, Kaveh and Fariba, are students of architecture and metallurgy respectively. The Iranian Revolution turns their country and their ideals of revolution and liberty upside down. Muhr Asia Africa Documentary MOE 5
21:15 SOTTO VOCE
(Morocco, UAE) 94mins. Historical, drama. Dir: Kamal Kamal. Cast: Ahmed Benaissa, Khaled Benaissa, Jihane Kamal, Mohamed Bastaoui, Amal Ayouch, Mohammed Khoyi. During the Algerian war, the road to Beni Boussaid on the Morocco-Algeria border is obstructed by the Morice line, a 430-mile long belt that is electrified and heavily mined. Moussa, a Moroccan friend of the revolution, helps refugees across the mountains. However, he must travel through Beni Boussaid when he finds out the path he usually takes is no longer safe. Hans, a Communist militant of the GDR, loses a leg on the way, while trying to remove a mine from a passageway. Normally, the wounded and sick are put to rest, but Hans is not a Muslim and cannot be a martyr. Muhr Arab Feature MOE 12
THE UGLY ONE
(France, Japan, Lebanon) 101mins. Drama. Dir: Eric Baudelaire. Cast: Juliette Navis, Rabih Mroue, Rodney El
Haddad, Fadi Abi Samra, Manal Khader. On a Beirut beach littered with washed-up cans, Lili and Michel meet. Perhaps they know each other from before. As they struggle to piece together the fragments of an uncertain past, memories emerge: an act of terrorism, an explosion and the disappearance of a child, Elena. Woven throughout these fragments is the voice of the legendary film-maker Masao Adachi, who recounts his own experience of a weeping Beirut. Arabian Nights MOE 8
21:30 13:37
(UAE) 18mins. Drama, Psychodrama. Dir: Eisa Al Sabousi. Cast: Amer Al Kamel, Fatima Al Taei. Highlights the struggles of Mariam, a young wife and mother. As her arguments with her husband continue, she soon discovers a deeper reason behind her marital woes. Muhr Emirati MOE 9
BAHAR
(UAE) 23mins. Film Noir. Dir: Abdullah Aljunaibi, Humaid Alawadi. Cast: Humaid Alawadi. A man finds himself on a beach after a tragic accident. He then begins the process of searching for his son. Muhr Emirati MOE 9
DON’T LEAVE ME
(UAE) 13mins. Drama. Dir: Khalid Al Mahmood. Cast: Meera Al Midfa, Saeed Mohammed, Fatima Al Taei, Abdullah Aljunaibi. Layla and Aisha, in their early twenties, first met when they were at school. Layla is now on the verge of losing her eyesight while Aisha is on medication to prevent her from losing her memory. While they don’t recognise each other, they share a connection. Muhr Emirati MOE 9
MY LOVE AWAITS ME BY THE SEA
(Jordan, Germany, Palestine, Qatar) 80mins. Dir: Mais Darwazah. Cast: Mais Darwazah. Follows the director’s journey as she returns to Palestine, exploring it through the poems and drawings of Palestinian artist Hasan Horani — a lover she never met. Muhr Arab Documentary MOE 11
NAFAF
(UAE) 10mins. Drama. Dir: Hamad Al Hammadi. Cast: Khadija Al Taii, Mohamed Garoon. Nora wakes up to the sound of rain. Muhr Emirati MOE 9
THE RAILWAY MAN
(Australia, UK) 115mins. Biography, drama. Dir: Jonathan Teplitzky. Cast: Colin Firth, Nicole Kidman, Stellan Skarsgard, Jeremy Irvine, Sam Reid, Tanroh Ishida, Hiroyuki Sanada. Eric Lomax was one of thousands of Allied prisoners of war forced to work on the construction of the Thai-Burmese railway during the Second World War. His experiences left him traumatised. Years later, Eric falls in love with the beautiful Patti. When she discovers the young Japanese officer who tormented her husband is still alive, she is faced with a terrible decision. Should Eric be given a chance to confront his past? Cinema of the World Souk Madinat Theatre
21:45 THE SHEBABS OF YARMOUK
(France) 78mins. Documentary. Dir: Axel Salvatori-Sinz. The Shebabs are a group of teenagers who have known each other since they were young boys and girls. Now on the eve of adulthood, they are faced with tough life-choices. Arabian Nights MOE 6
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December 8, 2013 Screen International at Dubai 15 n