Screen dreams: the pick of Dubai International Film Festival

The top films to watch this weekend at the Dubai International Film Festival.

The Moroccan movie Starve Your Dog, which screens at Dubai International Film Festival tomorrow and Monday, centres on an interview between a washed-up TV journalist and the politician Driss Basri. Courtesy Diff
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Until Wednesday, the 12th ­Dubai International Film ­Festival is bringing 134 films from 60 countries to the screens of ­Madinat Jumeirah and Mall of the ­Emirates. Diff is now not only the biggest film festival in the region, but also the only one in the UAE after the Abu Dhabi Film Festival announced earlier this year that it would no longer be running. Diff’s international standing is now indisputable as the major platform for filmmakers in the Middle East.

Here’s a rundown of a few films worth catching on the big screen this weekend.

Made in the UAE

Sayer Al Jannah (Going to Heaven) (PG)

Arabic with English subtitles, 90 minutes

The acclaimed Emirati director Saeed Salmeen Al Murry presents the world premiere of this poignant coming-of-age film, which was supported by the local film organisations Enjaaz, Image Nation and Filmi.

Sultan, an Emirati schoolboy, likes to keep coloured fish, because they help him to forget the suffering inflicted on him by his cruel stepmother. The 11-year-old has dreams of the warmth of his absent grandmother’s love, and is determined to reunite with her to escape from his loneliness. Sultan and his friend embark on an extraordinary road trip from Abu Dhabi, through Dubai and Sharjah, to Fujairah, in search of Sultan’s late but ever-present grandmother.

The script for Sayer Al Jannah was shortlisted for last year's IWC Filmmaker Award and has also won the Ministry of Interior's Cinema Award.

World premiere, tomorrow, 6.45pm, Madinat Theatre; Monday, 10.30pm, Mall of the Emirates screen 3; Dh35.

Music-themed

Ya Tayr El Tayer (The Idol) (12+)

Arabic with English subtitles, 98 minutes

Fans of the singing contest Arab Idol will no doubt be familiar with the touching story of the Palestinian Mohammad Assaf, who captured the hearts of the regional TV audience to win the popular MBC show in 2013. This biopic focuses as much on his early days – set against the brutal backdrop of life in Gaza and the illness of his sister – as it does on the challenge Assaf has in trying to escape Gaza to take part in the Arab Idol auditions in Cairo. The acclaimed Palestinian ­director Hany Abu-Assad received Oscar nominations for Best Foreign Language Film in 2006 for ­Paradise Now and last year for Omar, which also won Best Film in Diff's Muhr Arab Awards. In Ya Tayr El Tayer, he cleverly balances Assaf's feel-good success with the harsh realities of life in Gaza. Assaf's life story was an obvious choice as a theme for a rags-to-riches movie, and by all accounts, the attention it has been getting so far has been well-deserved.

The UAE premiere at The Beach is followed by a live performance by Assaf. The singer’s entry onto the stage will likely be one of the most highly charged, unforgettable moments of the festival.

Free open-air screening, tonight, 7.30pm at The Beach, JBR; tomorrow, Mall of the Emirates screen 1, 9.30pm, Dh35.

Historical biography

The Man Who Knew Infinity (PG)

English with Arabic subtitles, 114 minutes

Mathematical superbrains might be hard to strike up a conversation with, but they do make great movie characters – as Good Will Hunting and A Beautiful Mind go to show. In this latest movie adaptation of the life of such a genius, the Indian ­Srinivasa Ramanujan is charmingly played by the Slumdog Millionaire star Dev Patel, and mentored at Cambridge University by the eccentric academic G H Hardy (Jeremy Irons). With the First World War looming, and the university's academic old guard against him, Ramanujan struggles to prove his theories. But Hardy gradually starts to appreciate his inner brilliance as it starts to shine through.

Those attending this screening, which is the Middle East premiere, will likely get a chance to catch a glimpse of Patel on the red carpet beforehand.

Tomorrow, 6pm, Madinat Arena, Dh100.

For the kids

The Peanuts Movie (G)

English, 93 minutes

The world of Charlie Brown and Snoopy has been catapulted into the 21st century by 20th ­Century Fox, as the much-loved comic strip celebrates its 65th anniversary. In this film version (which has just been nominated for an Annie Award), Charlie Brown aims to win the heart of the Little Red-Haired Girl, who has recently moved into the neighbourhood. Meanwhile, his loveable beagle Snoopy takes to the skies to face up to his arch rival, the Red Baron. The insecure Charlie gets his shortcomings pointed out by know-it-all Lucy, who then offers psychiatric help from her makeshift lemonade stand for a nickel a session. But Charlie gets back up from every knock-back, and ends up proving to the Little Red-Haired Girl that he’s a winner, in every sense of the word.

For parents, this 3-D animated movie offers a sugar-coated dose of nostalgia for the hapless Charlie and Snoopy – and for the days of simpler childhood pleasures.

Today, 2pm, Madinat Arena, Dh60.

Art-house/experimental

Starve Your Dog (15+)

Arabic, Berber and French with English subtitles, 94 minutes

This brave offering by the ­Moroccan director Hicham ­Lasri aims to bring to the surface a painful chapter in Morocco's recent history. It's the second of a trilogy of politically charged films with canine-themed titles by ­Lasri – the first was They Are the Dogs (2013). This one falls somewhere between being a docudrama, an art installation and an avant-garde theatre piece. The central thread of the movie focuses on an interview between a washed-up TV journalist and Driss ­Basri, the country's former interior minister, about his murky role in the country's past. The haphazard style makes Starve Your Dog confusing at times, but the film is also arrestingly beautiful. The message in the aftermath of an Arab Spring gone sour rings out loudly in this dazzling and refreshingly experimental film.

Tomorrow, 9.30pm, Mall of the Emirates screen 3; Monday, 3.15pm, Mall of the Emirates screen 6; Dh35.

Drama

Waiting (12+)

English and Hindi with English subtitles, 92 minutes

The world premiere of this Indian film brings to the screen – and to Diff's red carpet – the acting legend Naseeruddin Shah, as well as the rising star Kalki Koechlin (Margarita With a Straw) and Mani Ratnam's wife, Suhasini Ratnam (who has appeared in more than 50 South Indian films) in her Bollywood debut.

Two strangers meet in a hospital, where their respective partners lie in a coma. Their encounter triggers them to re-­examine what they want to do with their lives as they come to terms with the tragedy. Despite the grief, the film is punctuated with moments of humour as the two characters bond and learn to deal with their loss. Waiting is a warm and humorous life-­affirming story, which claims to be representative of urban India and its ethos. The film, which also features ­Rajat ­Kapoor and Arjun Mathur, is the director Anu Menon's second movie after her hit comedy ­London, Paris, New York (2012).

Friday, 10.15pm, Madinat Theatre, Dh35; Saturday, 9.15pm Mall of the Emirates screen 17, standby tickets only.

Comedy

La Giovinezza (Youth) (18+)

English, German, Spanish with English subtitles, 118 minutes

This critically acclaimed film by Paolo Sorrentino features Michael Caine as a retired composer on a spa holiday with his old friend, the scriptwriter Mick Boyle (Harvey Keitel), and their dysfunctional families. The men deliberate on their lost youth and the painful process of growing old, while a host of other characters holidaying at the resort provide a sprinkling of humour – from an obese man sporting a Jesus pendant and a giant Karl Marx tattoo on his back, to a masseuse (Luna Zimic Mijovic), dancing with her Wii. There’s even a cameo by the pop singer Paloma Faith, playing a parody of herself.

Tonight, 6.30pm, Mall of the Emirates screen 1, standby tickets only; Tuesday, 3.30pm, Mall of the Emirates screen 1, Dh35.

Diff highlights next week

Song of Lahore, a documentary from Andy Schocken and his co-director, the Oscar-winner Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy, delves into the world of a group of passionate, skilled musicians in Pakistan, who risk their safety to inspire listeners from all over the globe. Since the time of Pakistan's independence in 1947, Lahore has been world-renowned for its music. But with the Islamisation of Pakistan in the 1970s, many of the city's musicians struggled to continue their life's work. Song of Lahore turns the spotlight on the brave musicians who kept on playing. The free screening at The Beach, JBR, on Monday at 7pm, is followed by a live performance from the musicians. It also screens on Wednesday, 2.45pm, at Mall of the Emirates screen 6. Tickets cost Dh35.

On Wednesday, the Hollywood heartthrob Jake Gyllenhall (Nightcrawler, Southpaw, Everest and Demolition) will be "In Conversation" at 6pm, Madinat Theatre, Dh35.

Two hours later, the Madinat Arena will screen Diff's closing film, The Big Short. Adam McKay's comedy-drama, based on Michael Lewis's best-selling novel, features Brad Pitt, Christian Bale, Ryan Gosling and Steve Carell as four outsiders from the world of high finance who predict the mid-2000s credit and housing collapse, and decide to take on the big banks. Tickets cost Dh100.

For more information, visit www.dubaifilmfest.com.

weekend@thenational.ae