Sunday, October 11
Festival Daily Family Gala Day Saturday was kids’ day at MEIFF as the Emirates Palace Hotel was the scene of a special party for area children before the Middle East premiere of Robert Rodriguez’s new family film Shorts. Hundreds of children and their families filled the MEIFF Festival Tent and were entertained by jugglers, magicians, face painting, arts and crafts, and storytelling. One highlight was an interactive workshop called Filmmakers’ Little Secret. Kids learned about filmmaking from Benh Zeitlin, Ayten Amin, and Mark Albiston – all directors in MEIFF’s Short Film Competition. Later, before the screening, MEIFF rolled out the red carpet and let kids strut their stuff in front of the cameras and be stars for an afternoon! Shorts was sold out – the Emirates Palace Auditorium was filled with excited families – and even MEIFF Executive Director Peter Scarlet was jumping around onstage like a kid before he introduced the film (which was funded with assistance from local production company Imagenation Abu Dhabi). It was a reminder that film festivals can also be fun for the whole family.
What to Watch Cooking with Stella
Goodbye, How Are You?
(NARRATIVE FEATURE COMPETITION)
(DOCUMENTARY FEATURE COMPETITION)
Cooking with Stella is a culinary comedy sure to have broad appeal. Set in the Canadian diplomatic compound in New Dehli, it’s about the odd friendship between a laid-back, stay-at-home dad, who desparately wants to learn how to prepare Indian food, and his wily cook, Stella. The film was directed by Dilip Mehta and co-produced and written by his sister Deepa Mehta of “Elements Trilogy” fame. Dilip Mehta will be on hand for an introduction and Q&A after the screening. (Deepa Mehta is also attending MEIFF as a juror for the Short Film Competition.)
Goodbye, How Are You? is a unique and wonderful blast of wit and black humor from Serbian prankster Boris Mitić. Part essay, part travelogue, the film (which happens to be a favorite of the MEIFF team!) juxtaposes footage of Serbian life with cutting, hilarious aphorisms dismantling the absurdity of war and modern life: “The best government is one that has yet to come... provided it never comes.” “The longer the war, the closer we are to peace.” Director Boris Mitić will be present for a Q&A after the screening.
The Shock Doctrine
New Cinema from Turkey
(DOCUMENTARY FEATURE COMPETITION)
The Shock Doctrine marks the return of British duo Michael Winterbottom (24 Hour Party People, Wonderland) and Mat Whitecross. Their previous awardwinning film, The Road to Guantánamo, was an innovative re-creation of the unjust imprisonment in Guantánamo Bay of three Pakistani British citizens. The Shock Doctrine finds the team tackling bestselling author Naomi Klein’s hard questions about the interventionist policies of U.S. government and business. Whitecross will answer questions about the film after the screening. Sunday, Oct. 11: Program Title
Starts
Run Time
SHORTS PROGRAM 2: EMOTION
3:30
137 mins *
Cinestar 2
Theater
Code C22
NEIGHBORS
3:45
105 mins *
Cinestar 1
NE2
10 TO 11
3:45
110 mins *
Cinestar 4
102
THE SHOCK DOCTRINE
4:00
78 mins *
Emirates Palace
SD1
THE LONG NIGHT
6:30
94 mins *
Emirates Palace
LO1
MILK + The Waiting
6:30
102 + 15 mins
Cinestar 1
MI1
SHORTS PROGRAM 3: STRUGGLE
7:00
117 mins *
Cinestar 3
C31
WHITE MATERIAL
7:00
100 mins
Grand Abu Dhabi Mall
WH2
ALL MY MOTHERS
7:15
60 mins *
Cinestar 2
AL1
MY ONLY SUNSHINE
9:15
121 mins
Cinestar 4
MY1 CO1
COOKING WITH STELLA
9:30
103 mins *
Emirates Palace
LAST RIDE
9:30
100 mins *
Cinestar 1
LA1 BO2
BOMBAY SUMMER
9:45
103 mins *
Grand Abu Dhabi Mall
GOODBYE HOW ARE YOU?
9:45
60 mins *
Cinestar 2
GO1
RED RIDING 1983
10:00
100 mins
Cinestar 3
R83
Ten Days. One City. A Crossroads of Cinema October 8-17
On Sunday, MEIFF’s special program of Turkish cinema is in full swing with three presentations. Milk, the second installment in Semih Kaplanoğlu’s “Yusuf Trilogy,” is a moody but gentle reflection on a young man who ponders leaving home. Milk is preceded by the short film The Waiting, directed by Emine Emel Balcı. My Only Sunshine, directed by Reha Erdem, is a meditation on the state of mind of a troubled adolescent girl – rendered powerful with its innovative manipulation of sound and music. Pelin Esmer’s 10 to 11, in its second and final screening, is one of the best films in the entire festival (and also an entry in the Narrative Feature Competition). It’s a humorous and touching but subtly profound character study of the director’s own uncle, an eccentric Istanbul collector. Featuring a restrained but often gorgeous visual palette and a hypnotic soundtrack, 10 to 11 represents the best independent film of Turkey or anywhere. MEIFF’s team loves this film! (Esmer will be present for a Q&A after the screening, conducted by the editors of Altyazı magazine, who curated the program.)
Galas Narrative Feature Competition
Documentary Feature Competition New Cinema from Turkey
* Filmmakers to speak at Q&A after the screening.
Box office Locations: Emirates Palace (Lobby and Auditorium) Cinestar Cinemas (Marina Mall) Grand Cinema (Abu Dhabi Mall)
Let’s Tent... Join us every day from noon to 2 am on the main terrace at the Emirates Palace.
www.meiff.com