The closing-night showing of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story will grab many of the headlines following yesterday's announcement of the full line-up for the 13th Dubai International Film Festival.
However, it is just one of 156 movies – including 57 world premieres – that will be shown during next month’s event.
It all kicks off on December 7 with Shakespeare in Love director John Madden's political drama Miss Sloane, starring Jessica Chastain and Mark Strong.
The festival’s managing director, Shivani Pandya, says she is just as excited about this opening-night film as she is about the intergalactic epic closer.
“We are getting the international premiere here, and we think it’s really pertinent,” she says. “It’s a film about gun rights, and we feel people will really connect with it after watching the US elections and the associated lobbying, and see it as a fantastic film. John Madden will be coming to present the film and he’s really excited to be coming.”
Other Hollywood highlights include: Nocturnal Animals, starring Jake Gyllenhaal and Amy Adams; David Frankel's Collateral Beauty, starring Will Smith, Edward Norton and Helen Mirren; and Kenneth Lonergan's critically acclaimed Manchester by the Sea, starring Casey Affleck and Michelle Williams, which has been an unexpected box-office hit since its limited release in the United States last week.
Rogue One star Felicity Jones makes it a Diff double with Juan Antonio Bayona's visually stunning fantasy A Monster Calls, also starring Liam Neeson and Sigourney Weaver.
The red carpet is expected to be busy throughout the eight-day event, with celebrity guests and daily gala screenings at Madinat Arena.
In addition, the In Conversation programme will include a talk with Hollywood legend Samuel L Jackson, who will also receive the festival's Lifetime Achievement Award. Shifting the focus from big to small screen, Jeffrey Wright and Luke Hemsworth, two of the stars of HBO's acclaimed sci-fi drama Westworld, will discuss the show.
Other stars who will attend include Hollywood star Andie MacDowell, who will present an acting masterclass in association with broadcasters SundanceTV and OSN, British actor Bill Nighy (The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, Pirates of the Caribbean), Will Poulter (The Maze Runner, The Revenant, War Machine) and Eva Longoria (Desperate Housewives).
Looking closer to home, the Muhr Awards will feature 62 films from the Arab world.
Thirteen UAE films are in the running for the Muhr Emirati prize, including Ali F Mostafa's thriller The Worthy, which had its premiere at last month's London Film Festival, and Lisa, a comedy from director Ahmed Zain who enjoyed regional box-office success with the 2014 comedy-horror Grandmother's Farm.
Nayla Al Khaja, winner of the 2010 Muhr Emirati prize for Malal, returns with family drama Animal, while Fujairah filmmaker Abdullah Al Kaabi – who cast French star Jean Reno in his 2010 short The Philosopher – will return to Diff with his debut feature, Only Men Go to the Grave.
Highlights from the region include the world premiere of Still Burning by Lebanese director Georges Hachem, who won the Muhr Arab award for 2010's Stray Bullet, and A Day for Women, the acclaimed film by Egyptian director Kamla Abouzekri, whose 2009 film One-Zero was the first by female Egyptian director to screen at the London Film Festival.
Hindi cinema is well represented, too, not least with the world premiere of Aditya Chopra's Befikre, a romantic comedy starring Ranveer Singh and Vaani Kapoor.
Outdoor cinema at The Beach, JBR, also returns, with highlights including: Iman Kamel's dance/documentary/musical fusion Egyptian Jeanne d'Arc, which will be accompanied by a live musical performance, Otto Bell's Eagle Huntress, a 50th anniversary screening of the 1966 Batman movie, a spin-off from the US TV series, and a digitally restored print of the 1964 Sergio Leone/Clint Eastwood classic A Fistful of Dollars.
New this year is a dedicated Virtual Reality section, which will feature 18 films and a unique, 20-seat VR cinema space that will attempt to challenge traditional notions of VR film watching as a solitary activity.
With more than 150 films, as well as talks, panels, awards and industry events taking place over the festival’s eight days, we’ve barely scratched the surface here, so we suggest visiting www.dubaifilmfest.com to start planning the week.
• Diff runs December 7 to 14 at Madinat Arena, Madinat Theatre, Vox MOE and The Beach, JBR. Tickets cost from Dh30, with a range of packages also available. They are available at the venues and from www.dubaifilmfest.com
cnewbould@thenational.ae
TRAP
Starring: Josh Hartnett, Saleka Shyamalan, Ariel Donaghue
Director: M Night Shyamalan
Rating: 3/5
Blackpink World Tour [Born Pink] In Cinemas
Starring: Rose, Jisoo, Jennie, Lisa
Directors: Min Geun, Oh Yoon-Dong
Rating: 3/5
Gertrude Bell's life in focus
A feature film
At one point, two feature films were in the works, but only German director Werner Herzog’s project starring Nicole Kidman would be made. While there were high hopes he would do a worthy job of directing the biopic, when Queen of the Desert arrived in 2015 it was a disappointment. Critics panned the film, in which Herzog largely glossed over Bell’s political work in favour of her ill-fated romances.
A documentary
A project that did do justice to Bell arrived the next year: Sabine Krayenbuhl and Zeva Oelbaum’s Letters from Baghdad: The Extraordinary Life and Times of Gertrude Bell. Drawing on more than 1,000 pieces of archival footage, 1,700 documents and 1,600 letters, the filmmakers painstakingly pieced together a compelling narrative that managed to convey both the depth of Bell’s experience and her tortured love life.
Books, letters and archives
Two biographies have been written about Bell, and both are worth reading: Georgina Howell’s 2006 book Queen of the Desert and Janet Wallach’s 1996 effort Desert Queen. Bell published several books documenting her travels and there are also several volumes of her letters, although they are hard to find in print. Original documents are housed at the Gertrude Bell Archive at the University of Newcastle, which has an online catalogue.
Biography
Favourite Meal: Chicken Caesar salad
Hobbies: Travelling, going to the gym
Inspiration: Father, who was a captain in the UAE army
Favourite read: Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki and Sharon Lechter
Favourite film: The Founder, about the establishment of McDonald's
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BORDERLANDS
Starring: Cate Blanchett, Kevin Hart, Jamie Lee Curtis
Director: Eli Roth
Rating: 0/5
About RuPay
A homegrown card payment scheme launched by the National Payments Corporation of India and backed by the Reserve Bank of India, the country’s central bank
RuPay process payments between banks and merchants for purchases made with credit or debit cards
It has grown rapidly in India and competes with global payment network firms like MasterCard and Visa.
In India, it can be used at ATMs, for online payments and variations of the card can be used to pay for bus, metro charges, road toll payments
The name blends two words rupee and payment
Some advantages of the network include lower processing fees and transaction costs
Racecard
6pm: Mina Hamriya – Handicap (TB) $75,000 (Dirt) 1,400m
6.35pm: Al Wasl Stakes – Conditions (TB) $60,000 (Turf) 1,200m
7.10pm: UAE Oaks – Group 3 (TB) $150,000 (D) 1,900m
7.45pm: Blue Point Sprint – Group 2 (TB) $180,000 (T) 1,000m
8.20pm: Nad Al Sheba Trophy – Group 3 (TB) $200,000 (T) 2,810m
8.55pm: Mina Rashid – Handicap (TB) $80,000 (T) 1,600m
Specs%3A%202024%20McLaren%20Artura%20Spider
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How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
Left Bank: Art, Passion and Rebirth of Paris 1940-1950
Agnes Poirer, Bloomsbury
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Company%20profile
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If you go
- The nearest international airport to the start of the Chuysky Trakt is in Novosibirsk. Emirates (www.emirates.com) offer codeshare flights with S7 Airlines (www.s7.ru) via Moscow for US$5,300 (Dh19,467) return including taxes. Cheaper flights are available on Flydubai and Air Astana or Aeroflot combination, flying via Astana in Kazakhstan or Moscow. Economy class tickets are available for US$650 (Dh2,400).
- The Double Tree by Hilton in Novosibirsk ( 7 383 2230100,) has double rooms from US$60 (Dh220). You can rent cabins at camp grounds or rooms in guesthouses in the towns for around US$25 (Dh90).
- The transport Minibuses run along the Chuysky Trakt but if you want to stop for sightseeing, hire a taxi from Gorno-Altaisk for about US$100 (Dh360) a day. Take a Russian phrasebook or download a translation app. Tour companies such as Altair-Tour ( 7 383 2125115 ) offer hiking and adventure packages.
The specs
Engine: 2.7-litre 4-cylinder Turbomax
Power: 310hp
Torque: 583Nm
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Price: From Dh192,500
On sale: Now
How much of your income do you need to save?
The more you save, the sooner you can retire. Tuan Phan, a board member of SimplyFI.com, says if you save just 5 per cent of your salary, you can expect to work for another 66 years before you are able to retire without too large a drop in income.
In other words, you will not save enough to retire comfortably. If you save 15 per cent, you can forward to another 43 working years. Up that to 40 per cent of your income, and your remaining working life drops to just 22 years. (see table)
Obviously, this is only a rough guide. How much you save will depend on variables, not least your salary and how much you already have in your pension pot. But it shows what you need to do to achieve financial independence.
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Company%20Profile
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THE SIXTH SENSE
Starring: Bruce Willis, Toni Collette, Hayley Joel Osment
Director: M. Night Shyamalan
Rating: 5/5
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Top tips
Create and maintain a strong bond between yourself and your child, through sensitivity, responsiveness, touch, talk and play. “The bond you have with your kids is the blueprint for the relationships they will have later on in life,” says Dr Sarah Rasmi, a psychologist.
Set a good example. Practise what you preach, so if you want to raise kind children, they need to see you being kind and hear you explaining to them what kindness is. So, “narrate your behaviour”.
Praise the positive rather than focusing on the negative. Catch them when they’re being good and acknowledge it.
Show empathy towards your child’s needs as well as your own. Take care of yourself so that you can be calm, loving and respectful, rather than angry and frustrated.
Be open to communication, goal-setting and problem-solving, says Dr Thoraiya Kanafani. “It is important to recognise that there is a fine line between positive parenting and becoming parents who overanalyse their children and provide more emotional context than what is in the child’s emotional development to understand.”
MATCH INFO
Europa League semi-final, second leg
Atletico Madrid (1) v Arsenal (1)
Where: Wanda Metropolitano
When: Thursday, May 3
Live: On BeIN Sports HD
Results
5pm: Reem Island – Conditions (PA) Dh80,000 (Turf) 1,600m; Winner: Farasah, Antonio Fresu (jockey), Musabah Al Muhairi
5.30pm: Sir Baniyas Island – Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 1,400m; Winner: SSR Ghazwan, Antonio Fresu, Ibrahim Al Hadhrami
6pm: Wathba Stallions Cup – Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 (T) 1,400m; Winner: Astral Del Sol, Sean Kirrane, Ibrahim Al Hadhrami
6.30pm: Al Maryah Island – Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 2,200m; Winner: Toumadher, Dane O’Neill, Jaber Bittar
7pm: Yas Island – Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 2,200m; Winner: AF Mukhrej, Tadhg O’Shea, Ernst Oertel
7.30pm: Saadiyat Island – Handicap (TB) Dh80,000 (T) 2,400m; Winner: Celestial Spheres, Gary Sanchez, Ismail Mohammed
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Where can I submit a sample?
Volunteers can now submit DNA samples at a number of centres across Abu Dhabi. The programme is open to all ages.
Collection centres in Abu Dhabi include:
- Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (ADNEC)
- Biogenix Labs in Masdar City
- Al Towayya in Al Ain
- NMC Royal Hospital in Khalifa City
- Bareen International Hospital
- NMC Specialty Hospital, Al Ain
- NMC Royal Medical Centre - Abu Dhabi
- NMC Royal Women’s Hospital.
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Lamsa
Founder: Badr Ward
Launched: 2014
Employees: 60
Based: Abu Dhabi
Sector: EdTech
Funding to date: $15 million
Company Profile
Name: Thndr
Started: 2019
Co-founders: Ahmad Hammouda and Seif Amr
Sector: FinTech
Headquarters: Egypt
UAE base: Hub71, Abu Dhabi
Current number of staff: More than 150
Funds raised: $22 million