With only a day to go until the curtain rises on the eighth edition of the Abu Dhabi Film Festival, its headquarters at twofour54 is a hive of activity, with staff and volunteers busy making final checks to the schedule and events.
In the midst of it all, literally, is Ali Al Jabri. The festival director’s glass office is in the centre of the room, the door permanently open as staff walk in and out with batches of forms requiring the Emirati’s final sign-off.
“I apologise for this, but this is simply the way I work,” he explains. “I want my staff to know that I am always available, even if I am having a meeting. The team here is like one big family, everybody here is important.”
It’s almost time for the festival to open. When did you begin working on this year’s edition?
The work began immediately after the 2013 edition. People sometimes ask me, does it really require such a long planning process? I reply that it does, as we want to present the festival in the best way possible and show how the UAE can produce a great event of such an international calibre. Naturally, as the time gets closer, we are under more pressure. I welcome it and I enjoy the stress as all of us take our jobs very seriously. That said, I feel more relaxed this year as we prepared very well and we executed all our objectives.
What do you look for when sourcing films for the festival?
When I am travelling to a film festival such as Berlin or Toronto, I am the same as anyone entering the theatre for a world premiere. I go with an open mind and no expectation. For me, the joy comes from the sense of discovery. But it’s not just about watching the films. There is also a lot of networking happening on the sidelines of these festivals, with meetings with producers and filmmakers. I also met people that we invited to previous Abu Dhabi Film Festivals. I always ask them about their experience and how we can improve.
How is the Abu Dhabi Film Festival viewed among your peers?
Praise be to God, the festival is very well received among the industry. When I meet people from other festivals, they tell us they’ve heard about us. They are impressed by our programming and the guests that we invite. For example, they heard about Forest Whitaker coming last year to receive the Black Pearl Award for his career. All of this makes it easier for us to source films, as producers and studios know the pedigree of the festival. This also makes it easier to invite big industry names to be part of the festival jury.
What comes first, selecting the films or the jury?
The right balance needs to be struck between the movies and the jury. The most important thing is the film programming. We have to lock that in first and we normally do that by August. While we are doing that we are also thinking about which people to invite to the jury based on their knowledge of the kinds of films we are screening this year. We don’t just invite anyone who is available. They jury are specifically selected according to the films.
What do you think you personally bring to the role as film festival director?
I first thank all the people who were here before me, as I am also continuing their hard work. When it comes to myself, I feel that what I bring to the festival is a sense of organisation and a teamwork spirit. I am very close to the festival staff and we all trust each other – it’s a family atmosphere here at the festival.