Sir Ben Kingsley was honoured for his Oscar-winning portrayal of Gandhi last night on the second day of the Middle East International Film Festival (MEIFF).
The British actor was presented with the honorary Black Pearl award for cross-cultural contribution to cinema during a private dinner at the Emirates Palace hotel after a screening of the 1982 movie Gandhi in Arabic. Organisers of the festival, which has attracted a host of international stars, said the award was a special recognition of both the importance of the film and Kingsley's performance. The festival, in its second year, opened on Friday night as film fans gathered for a glimpse of the stars,- including Antonio Banderas and his wife, Melanie Griffith.
Meg Ryan was cheered as she made a surprise entrance to open the gala showing of The Brothers Bloom, directed by Rian Johnson, while some of the region's biggest names, including Serine Abdel Noor, the Lebanese actress, model and singer; Yousra, the Egyptian actress; and Ahmed El Jasmi and Samira Ahmed, the Emirati actors, joined the guests. Jane Fonda is also to be honoured during the 10-day festival, and Susan Sarandon and Catherine Deneuve will take part in a discussion panel.
"Abu Dhabi shone in the spotlight at MEIFF's official opening ? and it's our aim to continue this focus on the nation's capital as the centre stage of the region's film industry," said Mohammed Khalaf al Mazrouei, director general of Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture and Heritage, who is the festival's vice chairman. Nashwa al Ruwaini, its director, added: "Cinema has no religion, it has no nationality and it has no colour or language. It is a great manifestation of how culture breaches all boundaries and unites the world."
Banderas and Griffith are in Abu Dhabi to promote filmmaking in the region and to drum up support for Banderas's new film about the last Arab king in Andalusia, Abu Abdallah Al Sagheer. Behind the scenes, Imagenation Abu Dhabi, a subsidiary of the Abu Dhabi Media Company (ADMC), the parent company of The National, announced that it has joined with National Geographic Entertainment to invest $100 million (Dh368m) to produce 10 to 15 feature films over the next five years.
Jake Eberts, producer of Gandhi and chairman of National Geographic's film division, said the focus of the partnership will be on true stories. "The films that we typically try to make are challenging," he said. "That's the niche that we are going for." Kingsley, 64, received his award alongside Nacer Khemir, the Tunisian director, whose film The Dove's Lost Necklace closed yesterday's events. He was also honoured with an award for his contribution to film. Gandhi, directed by Sir Richard Attenborough, earned Kingsley an Academy award for best actor. The film also won Oscars for best picture and best director.
Youssef Chahine, the late Egyptian film director, was also honoured at the festival yesterday with an exhibition. Chahine's family and Arab stars came to pay homage to the director who died on July 27. The Youssef Chahine Company announced that it will soon open an establishment in Egypt to archive and show Chahine's work, with the possibility of offering training for up-and-coming directors. Chahine won the lifetime achievement award at the Cannes Film Festival's 50th anniversary.
Marianne Khoury, Chahine's niece, speaking at the Youssef Chahine photo exhibition at the Emirates Palace hotel, said: "I feel he can see us now. I never felt he left. He remains with us, and our project will immortalise his ideas, traditions and philosophy." Chahine discovered stars such as Omar Sharif and was a prolific director. His work often rocked the establishment by highlighting taboo subjects. Yousra, a friend of Chahine's and a star of his 2004 film Alexandria-New York, said: "I can't believe he is gone."
* The National