Cinema Akil's outdoor location reopens with free film screenings

Programme includes classic French film, AI documentary and Morrocan story about hip-hop

For the month of November Cinema Akil in 25hours will offer a programme of free films to watch. Photo: Cinema Akil

The second season of Cinema Akil in 25hours has officially reopened. The independent art house cinema platform in Alserkal Avenue is offering free films during November at its outdoor location in the Trade Centre area.

The open cinema theatre at the 25hours Hotel Dubai One Central, which can accommodate up to 72 people, had it’s opening screening on Saturday in line with the Palestine Cinema Days.

The annual film event is organised by Aflamuna, a Beirut-based cultural non-profit organisation which showcases independent Arab cinema to reflect pressing social, political and cultural movements in the region.

Palestine Cinema Days is a global event, held on the anniversary of the Balfour Declaration, a significant document issued by the British government on November 2, 1917 when the country officially announced its support for the establishment of a “national home for the Jewish people” in Palestine.

On this date, Aflamuna aims to amplify Palestinian voices around the world. This year, they have organised over 250 screenings of Palestinian films globally. Cinema Akil in 25hours was one of those locations, screening the part-animated documentary film, The Wanted 18, directed by Paul Cowan and Amer Shomali. The film tells the story of a Palestinian village during the First Intifada, whose inhabitants decide to start a local dairy industry in order to stop buying Israeli milk. However, the 18 cows which were bought for the purpose were considered a threat by Israeli authorities, who send hundreds of soldiers as well as military helicopters to to search for them.

A still from The Wanted 18. Photo: Wam

For the rest of the month, Cinema Akil in 25hours will offer a diverse programme of films, all of which are free but require prior booking.

Its collaboration with Goethe Institute and Institut Francais in the UAE is a film programme dedicated around the theme of dance and movement. Entitled Move On Screen, the programme includes two films about Pina Bausch, the renowned German dancer and choreographer who was a significant contributor to the neo-expressionist dance style and movement.

The first, Pina by Wim Wenders, is a homage to the dancer through performances of four her most-noted dance pieces. The second is Dancing Pina by Florian Heinzen-Ziob, which follows how a young generation of dancers from around the world are rediscovering Pina's choreography.

Anas Basbousi in Casablanca Beats, directed by Nabil Ayouch. Photo: Cannes Film Festival

Also on the programme is the Moroccan film Casablanca Beats, written and directed by the prominent filmmaker Nabil Ayouch. Morocco’s official submission to the 94th Academy Awards, the film follows Anas, a former rapper who is employed in a cultural centre and who attempts to teach a group of youth how to express themselves through the medium of hip-hop as they in-turn try to free themselves from the societal pressures and traditional expectations.

There will also be a classic offering on the programme for fans of musical and romantic comedies. The French film, Les demoiselles de Rochefort (The Young Girls of Rochefort) stars Catherine Deneuve and her older sister Francoise Dorleac alongside Gene Kelly. The 1967 musical comedy follows twin sisters Delphine and Solange who realise their dream of working on the stage while coincidently find love at the same time.

A still from Les demoiselles de Rochefort. Photo: Alliance Francaise Dubai

The programme will also include two screenings in collaboration with Museum of the Future, during the Dubai Future Forum which will take place on November 19 and 20. The first is Robot Dreams, an animated film set in the 1980s by Pablo Berger, which follows the adventures of a dog and his robot in New York City. The second is the American-German documentary, directed by Hans Block and Moritz Riesewieck, about start-ups using AI to create avatars that allow people to talk with their loved ones after death.

These films and others will be screened over the next month at various dates and times. Full listing and registration forms are available on Cinema Akil's website.