Disney and Marvel’s animation film, Big Hero 6, will close this year’s Abu Dhabi Film Festival (ADFF) on November 1, organisers announced yesterday.
The film’s screening will be the second internationally, just a few days after the premiere in Tokyo.
Organisers announced earlier that Emirati director Ali Mustafa’s film From A to B will open the festival on October 23. This will mark the first time that ADFF opens with a locally-produced film.
The eighth annual ADFF will also feature films such as Difret, produced by Hollywood actress Angelina Jolie, based on human trafficking.
At a press conference to announce details on the festival, organisers said ADFF will feature world premieres of various films including Imperial Dreams, Entangled, Young Tiger, Um Gayeb and Emirati films As One: The Autism Project and Sounds of the Sea among others.
Also among the films screening at this year’s festival is Miss Julie, starring Hollywood actress, Jessica Chastain.
Organisers announced they have collaborated with director Martin Scorsese’s foundation, ‘The World Cinema Project,’ to present newly restored films from across the world. The films include The Colour of Pomegranates and Manila in the Claws of Night.
“This year’s festival will see an increase of 12 per cent in the number of films screening. We also increased the number of competitions as we studied the audiences’ wants and found out that they would like to participate more in the festival,” said Ali Al Jabri, director of ADFF.
A collaboration between the International Showbiz Expo and ADFF will bring industry experts such as Cheryl Boone Isaac, president of the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences, and Edward Pressman, an independent film producer, who will speak at panel discussions.
Discussing Arabic cinema, Intishal Al Tamimi, director of Arabic programmes at ADFF, said there have been increased efforts to bring more Arabic films to the festival.
“Arab cinema has seen a lot of production problems in the past 10 years, and this has led to a drop in the number of films being produced, especially when compared to western film production. This year’s ADFF sees a 33 per cent increase in the number of Arabic films as we raised the number from 12 to 16 films,” Al Tamimi said.
Organisers said they attended various international festivals including Venice Film Festival, Cannes Film Festival and Berlin Film Festival, to select the films for Abu Dhabi.
The full line-up of star attending the festival will be announced before the opening, but Al Jabri said organisers this year have been focused on inviting actors whose films are showing.
Last year’s festival saw actors Forest Whitaker and Mark Boone Junior on the opening night, as well as Arab stars, Mervat Amin, Hend Sabri, and Ahmad Ezz, among others throughout the duration of ADFF.
ADFF runs from October 23 to November 1. For a full list and schedules, go to adff.ae.
