Dickens on Film in Abu Dhabi

This year marks the 200th anniversary of Charles Dickens' birth and Abu Dhabi will be celebrating his work, part of a touring program and retrospective called Dickens on Film held at London’s BFI Southbank.

The British Council in the United Arab Emirates and the Abu Dhabi Film Festival have joined forces to screen film and television works adapted or inspired by Dickens’ work. The screenings will take place in Abu Dhabi at VOX Cinemas (Marina Mall) from 27th March till 2nd April.

 

Here's the schedule and full line up. Entrance is free, but you must register online in advance to attend. 

Tuesday, 27th March at 7pm
David Copperfield (1913) 
Director: Thomas Bentley
Duration: 8 minutes 

Oliver Twist (1922) 
Director: Frank Lloyd
Duration: 72 minutes 

 

Wednesday, 28th March at 7pm
Great Expectations (1946) 
Director: David Lean

Duration: 113 minutes 

Thursday, 29th March at 7pm
Pickwick Papers (1954)
Director: Noel Langley

Duration: 109 minutes

Friday, 30th March at 11 am
Oliver! (1968)
Director: Carol Reed 
Duration: 144 minutes 

Friday, 30th March at 4 pm
David Copperfield (1999)
Director: Simon Curtis 
Duration: 180 minutes 

Saturday, 31st March at 11 am
Scrooge: A Christmas Carol (1951)
Director: Brian Desmond Hurst
Duration: 86 minutes 

 

Saturday, 31st March at 4 pm
A Tale of Two Cities (1958)
Director: Ralph Thomas 
Duration: 141 minutes 

 

Sunday, 1st April at 7pm
Nicholas Nickelby (2002)
Director: Douglas McGrath  
Duration: 127 minutes 

 

Monday, 2nd April at 7pm
Oliver Twist (1948)
Director: David Lean
Duration: 110 minutes 

 

RSVP here if you'd like to attend any of the above screenings. 

www.dickens2012.org
www.abudhabifilmfestival.ae

www.britishcouncil.org/me-uae

Best of British Films and Emirati Shorts - Week 8

 

In the last week of the British Council's UK Film Season we have two films focusing on women, Made in Dagenham (UK) and Once (United Arab Emirates).

Details:
Dates: Till 15th March 
Venue: The Picturehouse at Reel Cinemas in Dubai Mall
Timings: 2:05pm, 4.35pm, 7:05pm, 9:35pm, 00:05am
Phone: +971 4 449 1988


Made in Dagenham
A dramatization of the 1968 strike at the Ford Dagenham car plant where female workers walked out in protest against discrimination. From the director of Calendar Girls, Nigel Cole - the film stars the award winning Sally Hawkins as Rita OGrady who is the catalyst for the 1968 Ford Dagenham strike by 187 sewing machinists which led to the advent of the Equal Pay Act.

Working in extremely impoverished conditions and for long arduous hours, the women at the Ford Dagenham plant finally lay down their tools when they are reclassified as unskilled. With humour, common sense and courage they take on their corporate paymasters, an increasingly belligerent local community, and finally the government itself. The leader of the womens struggle is fast-talking, no nonsense Rita whose fiery temper and occasionally hilarious unpredictability proves to be a match for any of her male opponents, and is echoed by Barbara Castle's struggle in the male-dominated House of Commons.

Once
This short film directed by Nayla Al Khaja takes place on the day when Hamda is to meet her boyfriend Saeed, for the first time. Scared of getting caught and full of excitement at seeing him, we watch Hamda's transformation from girl to beautiful young woman, taking risks and telling lies, in order to find what she imagines must be true love.

 
www.sonyclassics.com/madeindagenham
www.oncethefilm.com
www.naylaalkhaja.com

Film Screening - Pink Saris

To celebrate International Women’s Day on 8th March, the British Council will be organising free public screenings of the film Pink Saris by UK director Kim Longinotto, in Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Sharjah.

International Women’s Day is a global celebration of the economic, political and social achievements of women over the years and the British Council in the UAE will join organisations globally, and in the United Arab Emirates, to promote and create awareness of women’s issues.

“The British Council is passionately dedicated to raising awareness of social issues and how those could impact society at large. The film screenings of Pink Saris aim to do just that, by recognising the need to share experiences and approaches in order to tackle the continuing inequalities and discrimination faced by marginalised groups in societies worldwide.”
Michel Bechara, Director of Projects, British Council UAE

Event details:

Abu Dhabi
Cinestar in Marina Mall at 9pm (contact rsvp@adff.ae for seat reservation)

Dubai
Centrepoint Theatre, DUCTAC in Mall of the Emirates at 8pm (contact info@thesceneclub.com for seat reservation)

Sharjah
Shelter, Maraya Art Centre in Al Qasba at 8pm (contact marayaartcentre@gmail.com for seat reservation)

All three screenings are complimentary, but seats are limited, so make sure you make a reservation.

Internationally acclaimed director Kim Longinotto's Pink Saris is an unflinching and often amusing look at the all-woman vigilante Gulabi Gang in Northern India and their charismatic leader, Sampat Pal, who acts as judge and jury for girls and women who are being abused by outlawed patriarchal traditions and the caste system.

"A girl's life is cruel...A woman's life is very cruel," notes Sampat Pal, the complex protagonist at the center of Pink Saris, internationally acclaimed director Kim Longinotto's latest foray into the lives of extraordinary women (Sisters In Law, Divorce Iranian Style, Rough Aunties). Sampat should know -- like many others she was married as a young girl into a family which made her work hard and beat her often. But unusually, she fought back, leaving her in-laws and eventually becoming famous as a champion for beleaguered women throughout Uttar Pradesh, many of whom find their way to her doorstep.



www.internationalwomensday.com
www.britishcouncil.org/me-uae 

Best of British Films and Emirati Shorts - Week 7

I owe you an apology. I missed out on updating you on the films screened during the 5th and 6th week of the British Council's UK Film Season (you missed Topsy Turvy and White Lightenin').

But here I am back with an update for the 7th week, but you have two days left. This week's screening includes Looking for Eric and Noura's Apple. 

Details:
Dates: 3rd-8th March
Venue: The Picturehouse at Reel Cinemas in Dubai Mall
Timings: 12:05pm, 2:05pm, 4.35pm, 7:05pm, 9:35pm, 00:05am 
Phone: +971 4 449 1988 

Looking for Eric

Eric the postman is slipping through his own fingers. His chaotic family, his wild stepsons, and the cement mixer in the front garden don't help, but it is Eric's own secret that drives him to the brink. Can he face Lily, the woman he once loved? Despite outrageous efforts and misplaced goodwill from his football fan mates, Eric continues to sink. 
In desperate times it takes a spliff and a special friend to challenge Eric to journey into the most perilous territory of all - the past. As a certain frenchman says, "He who is afraid to throw the dice, will never throw a six."

Noura's Apple
Childhood friends Noura and Hamdan have grown up. As time passed, their paths too diverged from what was once a period defined by innocence.

Best of British Films and Emirati Shorts - Week 4

The fourth week of the British Council's UK Film Season brings us a music and dance themed selection of films with Streetdance (UK) and Heat the Beat 2 (United Arab Emirates).

Details:
Dates: 10th-15th February
Venue: The Picturehouse at Reel Cinemas in Dubai Mall
Timings: 2:05pm, 4.35pm, 7:05pm, 9:35pm, 00:05am
Phone: +971 4 449 1988

Streetdance
In order to win the Street Dance Championships, a dance crew is forced to work with ballet dancers from the Royal Dance School in exchange for rehearsal space. With no common ground and with passions riding high, they realise they need to find a way to join forces to win. The film features the cream of UK dance talent, including show-stopping performances from Britains Got Talent dance sensations Flawless, Diversity and George Sampson, as well as from Matthew Bourne protégé Richard Winsor and breakthrough Brit actress Nicholas Burley (Donkey Punch, Love & Hate). www.streetdancethemovie.co.uk

HEAT THE BEAT 2
Two brothers founded the first hip hop crew in the UAE. The film charts their journey towards becoming rappers and examines their motivations.

Best of British Films and Emirati Shorts - Week 3

Brassed Off and Sheikh Al Jabal (Mountain Sheikh) are screening during the third week of the UK Film Season brought to us by the British Council.

I went last week and saw Never Let Me Go and glad to say there were no technical problems that I reported two weeks ago. Happy they listened to the complaint and fixed the problem. Also just want to say that Never Let Me Go is a beautiful yet very depressing film and glad I got to see it on the big screen.

Details:
Dates: 3rd-8th February
Venue: The Picturehouse at Reel Cinemas in Dubai Mall
Timings: 2:05pm, 4.35pm, 7:05pm, 9:35pm, 00:05am
Phone: +971 4 449 1988

Brassed Off
In existence for a 100 years, Grimley Colliery Brass band is as old as the mine. But the miners are now deciding whether to fight to keep the pit open, and the future for town and band looks bleak. Although the arrival of flugelhorn player Gloria injects some life into the players, and bandleader Danny continues to exhort them to continue in the national competition, frictions and pressures are all too evident. And who's side is Gloria actually on?

Sheikh Al Jabal (Mountain Sheikh)
This 11 minutes  film directed by Naser El Yaqoobi depicts the life of an old Emirati man and his indominitable spirit of determination.  

Best of British Films and Emirati Shorts - Week 2

In the second week of the UK Film Season brought to us by the British Council, we have Never Let Me Go which will be preceded by a short film from the UAE called Amal's Cloud.

I talked about my experience of the first week here and I'm glad to say that the British Council got in touch with me saying the problem has been fixed. I will go to The Picturehouse over the next couple of days and hope I won't leave disappointed by the service.

Again, please do spread the word about this mini film festival, it's on till 15th March 2011 with new films every week.

Details:
Dates: 27th January - 1st February
Venue: The Picturehouse at Reel Cinemas in Dubai Mall
Timings: 2:05pm, 4.35pm, 7:05pm, 9:35pm, 00:05am (but I suggest you call before you go to double check)
Phone: +971 4 449 1988

Never Let Me Go
As children, Ruth, Kathy and Tommy, spend their childhood at a seemingly idyllic English boarding school. As they grow up, they find that they have to come to terms with the haunting reality that awaits them.

Amal's Cloud
Amal waits in the middle of the yard shifting between patience and hope; waiting for the jinx to melt and disappear.

My experience at The Picturehouse

Scenes from Nowhere Boy

My previous post was about the mini British and Emirati film festival brought to us by British Council in Dubai which was good news to me and many film fans here. I went to The Picturehouse (the arthouse cinema at Reel Cinemas in Dubai Mall on Saturday to watch Nowhere Boy and Solo and left feeling disappointed. It wasn't the films, they were very good, but it was lack of care and attention to the projection quality.

Basically, the top part of the two films were cropped off the cinema screen because of projection issues and bad alignment. I had to take a few photographs as evidence to share with you here and the cinema.

I complained during the screening to get it fixed. Nothing changed. After the screening, I spoke to the manager and he blamed the distributor (based on the information from the British Council website, I believe the distributor is Front Row Entertainment).

Scene from SoloScene from Solo

I don't know the technicalities of the projection room, but surely this isn't acceptable. It's not like Reel Cinemas just opened yesterday. They have over 20 screens and if this is the standard, I'm appalled. It's disrespectful to the filmmakers and audience.

Dear British Council, Front Row Entertainment, Reel Cinemas - I don't know who is at fault here, but please sort this out to avoid the same problem over the next seven weeks. We struggle to get non-Hollywood movies to screen at our cinemas, and if this is the effort that goes into this mini film festival, we're better off projecting films on a white sheet in our backyards.

More scenes from Nowhere Boy. See what I mean about the cropped parts at the top of the screen?