Merzak Allouache, director of Madame Courage. Courtesy twofour54
Merzak Allouache, director of Madame Courage. Courtesy twofour54

Sanad helps showcase Arab talent at Venice film festival



Sanad, the film development and post-production fund of twofour54, will have a strong presence at the Venice Film festival this year.

Two of its films, Madame Courage by Merzak Allouache and Leyla Bouzid’s As I Open My Eyes, will be premiered at the festival. Madame Courage, in the Orizzonti Competition, is about a drug-addicted teenager who goes on a crime spree in Algeria.

It is Allouache’s first film since The Rooftops won the Variety Middle East Filmmaker of the Year award at the Abu Dhabi Film Festival in 2013.

As I Opened My Eyes will play in the Venice Days category. Set in Tunis in the summer of 2010, a few months before the revolution, Bouzid’s tale focuses on Farah, an 18-year-old graduate who sings in a political rock band, much to the chagrin of her mother.

Sanad is also collaborating with Final Cut in Venice, a two-day workshop supporting films from the Middle East and North Africa, where work-in-progress versions of movies are shown to producers, distributors and festival heads. The winning film will receive a cash prize of €10,000 (Dh40,439).

Of the 50 films submitted, six projects were selected to participate: Ali, the Goat and Ibrahim by Sherif Elbendary (Egypt); House in the Fields by Tala Hadid (Morocco); Path of Paradise by Atia Al Daradji (Iraq); Roosters of Beirut by Ziad Kalthoum (Syria); Separation by Hakar Abdulqadir (Iraq); and Zaineb Hates the Snow by Kaouther Ben Hania (Tunisia). “Arab films and filmmakers are making strong strides towards international recognition; not only are they being featured and screened at various film festivals, they are also competing and winning prominent accolades,” says Sanad director Ali Al Jabri.

“Our partnership with the Final Cut in Venice workshop will provide Arab filmmakers with another level of support and exposure internationally.”

• Final Cut at Venice is on September 7 and 8 during the Venice Film Market. The 72nd Venice International Film Festival runs from September 2 to 12

artslife@thenational.ae

Joker: Folie a Deux

Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Lady Gaga, Brendan Gleeson

Director: Todd Phillips 

Rating: 2/5

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THE SIXTH SENSE

Starring: Bruce Willis, Toni Collette, Hayley Joel Osment

Director: M. Night Shyamalan

Rating: 5/5

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

SPECS

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Power: 630hp
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Transmission: 8-speed Tiptronic automatic
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
 
Started: 2020
 
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
 
Based: Dubai, UAE
 
Sector: Entertainment 
 
Number of staff: 210 
 
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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COMPANY%20PROFILE%20
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Ipaf in numbers

Established: 2008

Prize money:  $50,000 (Dh183,650) for winners and $10,000 for those on the shortlist.

Winning novels: 13

Shortlisted novels: 66

Longlisted novels: 111

Total number of novels submitted: 1,780

Novels translated internationally: 66

Sarfira

Director: Sudha Kongara Prasad

Starring: Akshay Kumar, Radhika Madan, Paresh Rawal 

Rating: 2/5

Day 3, Dubai Test: At a glance

Moment of the day Lahiru Gamage, the Sri Lanka pace bowler, has had to play a lot of cricket to earn a shot at the top level. The 29-year-old debutant first played a first-class game 11 years ago. His first Test wicket was one to savour, bowling Pakistan opener Shan Masood through the gate. It set the rot in motion for Pakistan’s batting.

Stat of the day – 73 Haris Sohail took 73 balls to hit a boundary. Which is a peculiar quirk, given the aggressive intent he showed from the off. Pakistan’s batsmen were implored to attack Rangana Herath after their implosion against his left-arm spin in Abu Dhabi. Haris did his best to oblige, smacking the second ball he faced for a huge straight six.

The verdict One year ago, when Pakistan played their first day-night Test at this ground, they held a 222-run lead over West Indies on first innings. The away side still pushed their hosts relatively close on the final night. With the opposite almost exactly the case this time around, Pakistan still have to hope they can salvage a win from somewhere.

PRESIDENTS CUP

Draw for Presidents Cup fourball matches on Thursday (Internationals first mention). All times UAE:

02.32am (Thursday): Marc Leishman/Joaquin Niemann v Tiger Woods/Justin Thomas
02.47am (Thursday): Adam Hadwin/Im Sung-jae v Xander Schauffele/Patrick Cantlay
03.02am (Thursday): Adam Scott/An Byeong-hun v Bryson DeChambeau/Tony Finau
03.17am (Thursday): Hideki Matsuyama/CT Pan v Webb Simpson/Patrick Reed
03.32am (Thursday): Abraham Ancer/Louis Oosthuizen v Dustin Johnson/Gary Woodland

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