Inspired by the Dubai International Film Festival movie A Story of Children and Film, we asked directors and moviegoers about their favourite films when they were kids. Here’s a list you can catch up on over the holidays
Tarzan: I loved all the original Tarzan films when I was a boy. And Hatari!, with John Wayne, about a group of men who trap wild animals in Africa and sell them to the zoos. If you watch it again now, it’s still so funny.
Shekhar Kapur, the director of Elizabeth and the popular 1987 Bollywood movie Mr India
Grease: It was my favourite film when I was young. I loved the feeling that something had happened that summer, before school began again. In my teenage years, my favourite was probably Hitchcock’s Psycho. It scared me, of course, but fear was like love for me. It was an emotion I wanted to be close to. Maybe growing up in Belfast made that the case.
Mark Cousins, the director of A Story of Children and Film
Anastasia: I remember watching this animation film. It wasn’t like any other cartoon I had seen before. She’s so brave, even though she’s an orphan. I like strong characters.
Fatima Musharbek, the organiser of Sharjah International Children’s Film Festival
Weird Science: I loved this film, which is about two nerdish boys who attempt to create the perfect woman. It seemed to be really ahead of its time. But actually, when you watch it now, it’s horrendous. It was the first movie I remember with a female heroine.
Mike Jobling, a Dubai resident from the UK
ET the Extra-Terrestrial: How could anyone forget this one? I had ET sticker albums and lunch boxes. It was the first time I ever saw my dad cry. Whether you’re five or 70, it’s hard not to get a little choked up. I was a bit obsessed with BMX bikes afterwards.
Stuart Robertson, a Dubai resident from Scotland
Mr India: Growing up in Dubai, on channel 33 every Friday at 10pm, there would be a Hindi movie that would play, which was such a big deal for us – it was like our saviour. I remember watching this film together as a family. Those were the times we’d all have be there in front of the TV at a certain time, so it was a shared experience. I also remember that KFC would give out free 20-minute-long cartoons on VHS cassettes, with the kids’ meals. I think I still have some of those at home.
Rashid Ahsan, a student and DIFF volunteer
Titanic: This was the first English movie that we as a family went to see – before that we only saw Indian films. I was so excited about it, because it was about 15 to 20 members of our family – cousins, grandparents – we all went to see it together, it was like a picnic. And that never happened again, so it’s a special memory. I remember me and my mum, we cried like babies at the end.
Amrutha Pushparajan, a student and DIFF volunteer
The Lion King: I just loved the story, and I do love lions. There were some real tear-jerking moments and the music was very effective. It was the first film of its kind, in my opinion.
Sara Abdulla, an Emirati
Grave of the Fireflies: I loved this Japanese animation film, but it’s the saddest film in the world. It’s set in Japan during the Second World War, and tells the story of Seita, a young boy who has to take care of his sister Setsuko when their mother dies.
Wael Hattar, a Dubai resident from Jordan
Planet of the Apes: I recollect watching this as a kid, especially the last scene, where Leo lands on Earth in his own time to find it run by the apes. What a shock. I also really liked Salaam Bombay!, which is a gritty movie about street kids in Mumbai.
Hind Mezaina, an Emirati photographer
Les Aventures du Baron de Münchausen: Literally, The Adventures of Baron Münchausen, this is the film I remember the most. It was very dreamlike, and very strange. There were moments in the film where you didn’t know if it was real or fantasy.
Mathilde Serhan, a Dubai resident from France
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