Director of the Abu Dhabi Film Festival (ADFF) Ali Al Jabri takes time out from his hectic schedule to talk to Abu Dhabi Week about the upcoming festival
What’s new at ADFF this year?
ADFF is in its sixth edition and has already established a reputation and its own personality. The festival not only provides a unique opportunity to watch engaging films from all over the world, it’s also a great place to meet and establish fruitful exchanges of ideas, projects and dreams. This year we will be encouraging that exchange more than ever, not only thanks to a series of networking activities, but also by organising special Meet the Filmmaker sessions.
Tell us more about the opening film Arbitrage.
I’m very excited to welcome Richard Gere at ADFF. His performance, as always, is excellent. I was wondering, when the financial crisis exploded in 2008, how could the likes of Bernie Madoff deceive hundreds of people? Gere, with his fine performance puts us in the difficult situation of loving the bad guy, as unfortunately can happen in real life. His character Miller is clearly a monster, responsible not only for massive-scale white-collar crime, but also for an innocent woman's death. Every move he makes to protect himself puts the livelihood of others in jeopardy, yet Gere is so smooth that we cannot help but hope that he will get away with everything. I really like the way Jarecki avoids the clichés of the financial thriller, delivering instead a smart, candid and surprisingly non-judgmental adult thriller.
Which celebrities are you looking forward to meeting at the ADFF?
Gere of course, and Nate Parker who co-stars in Arbitrage, and the amazing actresses who will receive our Lifetime Achievement Award; Sawsan Badr and Claudia Cardinale. I also cannot wait to welcome the president of our narrative jury, the fabulous actress Shabana Azmi, plus Menna Shalaby, Carmen Lebbos and all the actors, actresses, film directors and professionals who will be gathering in Abu Dhabi and will give the festival its
unique atmosphere.
What criteria makes a winning film?
There are many different ways of judging films, one of the reasons why often enough there are films people love or hate. Also a film that is considered a masterpiece by one film critic may get a poor reception from another. There is no such a thing as a magic formula for a winning or successful film. We strive to present films to our audience that have strong stories to tell, films that are made with creativity and expertise, that can engage our audience and at the same time be at the highest artistic level. The winners? That’s are in the hands of our jurors, whom we carefully select from the best representatives of the cinema community. I’m sure they will do an amazing job.
How did you get involved in working in the film industry?
As a child I had a passion for theatre and that is where it started for me in 1988 with my debut play Ghurabaa Fel Watan. Then I met Abdulla Al Ustad, who offered me my first acting gig. Since then I’ve acted for stage directors like Jawwad Al Asadi, Auni Karoumi, Ahmed Al Ansari, Saleh Karama and Naji Al Hayy. I was also voice cast for a number of radio dramas. Then I started acting for television and getting offers for cinema work and I was cast in several short films and three feature films – Dream by Hani Al Shaibani, and The Circle and Sea Shadow by Nawaf Al Janahi. I also directed my own short films including Smoke, Solo, Consultant, and Calendar, which have all been in a number of film festivals.
Who should we look out for in terms of local talent?
Giving a voice to local filmmakers has always been important for us as we provide a foundation for them to showcase their talent alongside the cream of world cinema. One of the most pleasing aspects of the festival programme is the Emirates Film Competition, which I hold in high regard. Over the past three years we have seen a consistent rise in Emirati talent and in the quality and quantity of submissions. One of the highlights is the phenomenal increase of female filmmakers in the programme who currently make up over 50 percent of the competition this year. Some of the most inspiring filmmakers are those competing in the student competitions, with projects by filmmakers from Bahrain, Kuwait, Saudi and the UAE competing for awards.
Catriona Doherty
