Acclaimed Senna film leads pack of Grand Prix cinema entertainment

Formula One fans will have the chance to see the documentary Senna when it airs as part of the Yasalam festival in November.

Formula One fans watch the movie Speed Racer on the Abu Dhabi Corniche during the Cinema by the Sea event last year.

ABU DHABI // The award-winning documentary Senna on the F1 legend will be shown as part of celebrations for this year's Grand Prix.

The feature-length film about Ayrton Senna will screen for free at Yasalam's Cinema by the Sea on November 3.

Mohammed Al Junaibi, the head of a Mercedes F1 GP fan club, said he had seen the film but would watch it again on the Corniche.

"It's finally a great opportunity for the fans and non-F1 audiences to learn more about the legend and his explosive attitude to life," he said.

Phill Tromans, the deputy editor of EVO Middle East magazine, has also seen the documentary and said it would be great for the public.

"It's very powerful on the big screen and it's rare to see F1 on the big screen anyway. I hope people get out there and make the effort to see it," he said.

Senna has won audience awards at the Sundance, Los Angeles, Melbourne and Adelaide film festivals.

Senna won three Formula One world championships and raced for McLaren from 1988 to 1993. The Brazilian died when his car crashed into a concrete wall at 217kph as he was leading the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix in Imola, Italy.

Gulf Film, the local distributor for Universal Pictures, had said this year that it was not going to release the film in UAE cinemas, to the dismay of F1 fans across the country.

The documentary will be one of nine films screening during Yasalam, the month-long entertainment programme for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. The race weekend runs from November 11 to 13.

On October 31, Transformers 2 and Back to the Future will be screened and on November 1, The Blues Brothers and Taxi will be shown. Cars 2 and Cannonball Run will feature on November 2.

Tron: Legacy starts at 7.30pm on November 3, followed by Senna at 10pm. The final night will feature Tropfest Arabia, the world's largest short-film festival on November 4.