ADFF@The Pavilion Downtown Dubai - ADFF Award Winners

The awards ceremony is one of the most anticipated moments of ADFF, but once the excitement has passed, too often, wonderful films that participated in the festival never have a chance to be shown again in the UAE. This installment of the program celebrates ADFF award winners through a selection of four outstanding films - two narratives and two documentaries - representing a myriad of countries, cultures and cinematic styles.

ADFF Award Winners

El Ambulante, Best New Documentary - ADFF 2010

Directed by Eduardo De La Serna, Lucas Marcheggiano & Adriana Yurcovicha
Spanish | Argentina | 2010 | 84 min

Armed with a camera, a lamp and enough charm to persuade townspeople to join his dreams, a mysterious nomadic filmmaker moves from one Argentine village to another, turning out a feature film in 30 days and making a profound impression on those left in his trail.

Gesher, Best New Narrative Film - ADFF 2010

Directed by Vahid Vakilifar
Azeri, Farsi, Kurdish | Iran | 2010 | 84 min

A vivid and touching depiction of the grinding toil and camaraderie in the day-today lives of migrant laborers in the gulf region, this is the story of three men who drive a beat-up car to the coast of southern Iran to take menial, low-paying jobs at a natural gas refinery.

Pink Saris, Best Documentary - ADFF 2010

Directed by Kim Longinotto
Hindi | UK, India | 2010 | 96 min

The latest work by celebrated director Longinotto follows Sampat Pal, the volatile leader of the Gulabi Gang, a cohort of women in India’s northern state of Uttar Pradesh who advocate for women’s rights. The film ultimately suggests that emancipation is urgent work that requires the participation of individuals who are just foolish enough to defy the status quo.

10 To 11, Best New Middle Eastern Director - ADFF 2009

Directed by Pelin Esmer
Turkish | Turkey, France, Germany | 2009 | 110 min

The director relates the story of her uncle Mithat, focusing particularly on his passion for collecting memories from the randomness of daily details. It gets harder, however, once his deteriorating health begins to trouble him and impedes his efforts. Finally, he is forced to pass his errands on to his doorman, Ali, who resorts to a different path. NOTE: All screenings are now Thursdays and Fridays as opposed to Fridays and Saturdays.

The series runs through August 2011 with a screening every Thursday and two repeat screenings every Friday. All non-English language films have English subtitles. Entrance to the screenings is free of charge but seating is limited and will be available on a first-come, first-served basis. Screenings start promptly at the specified time so please arrive accordingly.

ADFF@The Pavilion Downtown Dubai

ADFF@The Pavilion Downtown Dubai is a four-month long series of film screenings presented by the Abu Dhabi Film Festival (ADFF) in collaboration with film producer Butheina Hamed Kazim and in partnership with The Pavilion Downtown Dubai. The initiative is a first for ADFF as it showcases highlights of the capital’s festival to the Dubai community as part of its commitment to a greater selection of screenings and activities in the UAE throughout the year. ADFF@The Pavilion Downtown Dubai aims to facilitate and encourage the increasingly active conversation among filmmakers, supporters, patrons and enthusiasts across the UAE, who are central to the exciting growth of the local film culture. Hosted at The Pavilion Downtown Dubai, the venue is a unique hub for a diverse range of arts events, offering a platform to promote an active cultural community to the public and to support the work of a rising generation of artists in the region. Along with the cinema where the films will be hosted, The Pavilion includes two galleries, a library, a café and a shisha lounge facing the Burj Khalifa.

Co-curator Butheina Hamed Kazim and the ADFF programming team have carefully selected from among highlights of the past two years to give an overview of several sections that are presented at the festival each October in Abu Dhabi. Launched on May 13, ADFF at The Pavilion Downtown Dubai began with four films that have received ADFF’s SANAD grants which support Arab cinema. Future installments of the series will focus on titles from The Museum of Modern Art (New York) and ArteEast’s groundbreaking program ‘Mapping Subjectivity’; and, during the Holy Month of Ramadan, a selection of Emirati short films that have been entered in the Emirates Film Competition, as well as films that help broaden public awareness towards significant environmental issues.

Abu Dhabi Film Festival

The Abu Dhabi Film Festival (formerly the Middle East International Film Festival) was established in 2007, with the aim of helping to create a vibrant film culture throughout the region. Presented each October by the Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture and Heritage (ADACH) under the patronage of H.E. Sheikh Sultan Bin Tahnoon Al Nahyan, Chairman of Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture and Heritage, the event is committed to curating exceptional programs to engage and educate the local community, inspire filmmakers and nurture the growth of the regional film industry.

With its commitment to presenting works by Arab filmmakers in competition alongside those by major talents of world cinema, the Festival offers Abu Dhabi’s diverse and enthusiastic audiences a means of engaging with their own and others’ cultures through the art of cinema. At the same time, a strong focus on the bold new voices of Arab cinema connects with Abu Dhabi’s role as a burgeoning cultural capital in the region and marks the festival as a place for the world to discover and gauge the pulse of recent Arab filmmaking.

The Pavilion Downtown Dubai

The Pavilion is the city’s newest dedicated non-profit contemporary art space providing a place to view, discuss and participate in works by local and international artists. Developed by the multi-divisional group Cultural Engineering, The Pavilion is a unique hub for a diverse range of art events offering a platform to promote an active arts community to the public and to support the work of a rising generation of artists in the region. The Pavilion’s programming will reinforce its role as a place for artistic discourse, research and education. The building itself reflects a unique interior that supports a dialogue between art and its audience.