Could the Gulf become home to an international edition of the renowned Sundance Film Festival? The festival already runs international events in Hong Kong and London, as well as Sundance Labs all over the world – including a Screenwriting Lab in Amman and a Theatre Lab in Marrakech – and with plans to extend the international festivals further afield, the Middle East is very much in the reckoning, says Sundance Institute's executive director Keri Putnam.
“We want to bring public events to the world to showcase the work we curate, but also to take part in an exchange,” she says. “We already have a festival in Hong Kong; we’ve been in London five years now; and in concert with the Lab programmes, we already run in many regions – we’ll continue to have public events in other regions, including the Middle East and North Africa.”
Putnam adds that we shouldn't get too excited just yet, though – the next Sundance international festival isn't confirmed. "There are no definitive plans for where the next region will be, and I should point out that we do our regional events with partners, and they're smaller, four-day events – we don't just move the Sundance fest to another region, we wouldn't have capacity," she cautions. "The key is to find the right partners and the right region that we can bring our curatorial work to, but also to be able to showcase works from that region and make the Sundance Festival unique to that region."
Putnam was in Abu Dhabi attending the CultureSummit, and that theme of exchange is clearly something she feels is crucial, both at her own events and events such as the CultureSummit. "It's absolutely critical," she says. "If we can understand each other through stories that we tell as individuals, rather than through a polarising media or in a commercial context; if we can create frameworks where we can hear one another's stories more authentically and give space to have real dialogue, that's what's going to allow us to get past the superficial divisions that prevent us from listening to one another."
Sundance itself is very much about giving a voice to the unheard, and even though it is now the world's most successful independent film festival and market, achieving a perfect blend of critical and commercial success, Putnam insists that, as a non-profit organisation, the Sundance Institute is all about the creativity, not the commercial success that has sprung up around it. "Well, look, the main way to get a film seen is by having some sort of distributor relationship, of course, but we don't judge the work from our festival or labs on what those market outcomes are, we just try to offer the best curation we can and the best collection of artists we can," she says.
For Putnam, Sundance is all about getting unknown films seen in the first place. If bigger audiences come as a result, that is simply a bonus, she insists. "I see giving a platform to that non-commercial work as vital to our non-profit mission, because if storytelling isn't received by an audience, then what's it for? Being able to be that conduit between independent artists and a curious marketplace that wants to find new work from voices they haven't heard about, that's what our curation is about and that's what we take a lot of pride in," she says. "Of course it's great if work from Sundance finds its way to a wider audience, too, but that's not our focus and we'd never try and push an artist towards a certain distributor or platform. The media focuses on the big acquisitions that take place at Sundance, but we're really all about the community and the artists."
And that's what brings Putnam to Abu Dhabi – seeking new artists, new communities, perspectives and voices, and that all-important exchange. "It's been a great few days," she says. "I've met people from about 80 countries, which is a great experience, and I've had some great conversations," she says. "It's good to be able to lift out of the myopic context of whatever country or position or organisation you come from. Being at an event with people from really different contexts, and sit across a table and have a conversation, is a great position to be in."
Putnam cites gender issues as one particular area where her horizons have been broadened during her time in Abu Dhabi, and she hopes she can take home some useful lessons. "The way the gender debate is playing out in the US in film and media, that's very important to me, and something we work on a lot, but it's very different for women in Africa or the Middle East – I'm going to take home an eye-opening awareness of how gender plays for women in those regions, and that's important," she says. "I'm definitely going back with a very different awareness."
_______________________
Read more:
Can Rampage break the streak of video game adaptation duds?
From the wilderness to the mountaintop: man behind myth of Martin Luther King
The stars of Netflix's reboot 'Lost in Space' discuss the new show
_______________________
Three trading apps to try
Sharad Nair recommends three investment apps for UAE residents:
- For beginners or people who want to start investing with limited capital, Mr Nair suggests eToro. “The low fees and low minimum balance requirements make the platform more accessible,” he says. “The user interface is straightforward to understand and operate, while its social element may help ease beginners into the idea of investing money by looking to a virtual community.”
- If you’re an experienced investor, and have $10,000 or more to invest, consider Saxo Bank. “Saxo Bank offers a more comprehensive trading platform with advanced features and insight for more experienced users. It offers a more personalised approach to opening and operating an account on their platform,” he says.
- Finally, StashAway could work for those who want a hands-off approach to their investing. “It removes one of the biggest challenges for novice traders: picking the securities in their portfolio,” Mr Nair says. “A goal-based approach or view towards investing can help motivate residents who may usually shy away from investment platforms.”
FIGHT CARD
From 5.30pm in the following order:
Featherweight
Marcelo Pontes (BRA) v Azouz Anwar (EGY)
Catchweight 90kg
Moustafa Rashid Nada (KSA) v Imad Al Howayeck (LEB)
Welterweight
Mohammed Al Khatib (JOR) v Gimbat Ismailov (RUS)
Flyweight (women)
Lucie Bertaud (FRA) v Kelig Pinson (BEL)
Lightweight
Alexandru Chitoran (BEL) v Regelo Enumerables Jr (PHI)
Catchweight 100kg
Mohamed Ali (EGY) v Marc Vleiger (NED)
Featherweight
James Bishop (AUS) v Mark Valerio (PHI)
Welterweight
Gerson Carvalho (BRA) v Abdelghani Saber (EGY)
Middleweight
Bakhtiyar Abbasov (AZE) v Igor Litoshik (BLR)
Bantamweight:
Fabio Mello (BRA) v Mark Alcoba (PHI)
Welterweight
Ahmed Labban (LEB) v Magomedsultan Magemedsultanov (RUS)
Bantamweight
Trent Girdham (AUS) v Jayson Margallo (PHI)
Lightweight
Usman Nurmagomedov (RUS) v Roman Golovinov (UKR)
Middleweight
Tarek Suleiman (SYR) v Steve Kennedy (AUS)
Lightweight
Dan Moret (USA) v Anton Kuivanen (FIN)
The five pillars of Islam
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Australia squads
ODI: Tim Paine (capt), Aaron Finch (vice-capt), Ashton Agar, Alex Carey, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Nathan Lyon, Glenn Maxwell, Shaun Marsh, Jhye Richardson, Kane Richardson, D’Arcy Short, Billy Stanlake, Marcus Stoinis, Andrew Tye.
T20: Aaron Finch (capt), Alex Carey (vice-capt), Ashton Agar, Travis Head, Nic Maddinson, Glenn Maxwell, Jhye Richardson, Kane Richardson, D’Arcy Short, Billy Stanlake, Marcus Stoinis, Mitchell Swepson, Andrew Tye, Jack Wildermuth.
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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.
MATCH INFO
Serie A
Juventus v Fiorentina, Saturday, 8pm (UAE)
Match is on BeIN Sports
Scores in brief:
Boost Defenders 205-5 in 20 overs
(Colin Ingram 84 not out, Cameron Delport 36, William Somerville 2-28)
bt Auckland Aces 170 for 5 in 20 overs
(Rob O’Donnell 67 not out, Kyle Abbott 3-21).
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COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Manchester United's summer dealings
In
Victor Lindelof (Benfica) £30.7 million
Romelu Lukaku (Everton) £75 million
Nemanja Matic (Chelsea) £40 million
Out
Zlatan Ibrahimovic Released
Wayne Rooney (Everton) Free transfer
Adnan Januzaj (Real Sociedad) £9.8 million
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The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre 4-cylinder petrol
Power: 154bhp
Torque: 250Nm
Transmission: 7-speed automatic with 8-speed sports option
Price: From Dh79,600
On sale: Now
Thanksgiving meals to try
World Cut Steakhouse, Habtoor Palace Hotel, Dubai. On Thursday evening, head chef Diego Solis will be serving a high-end sounding four-course meal that features chestnut veloute with smoked duck breast, turkey roulade accompanied by winter vegetables and foie gras and pecan pie, cranberry compote and popcorn ice cream.
Jones the Grocer, various locations across the UAE. Jones’s take-home holiday menu delivers on the favourites: whole roast turkeys, an array of accompaniments (duck fat roast potatoes, sausages wrapped in beef bacon, honey-glazed parsnips and carrots) and more, as well as festive food platters, canapes and both apple and pumpkin pies.
Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse, The Address Hotel, Dubai. This New Orleans-style restaurant is keen to take the stress out of entertaining, so until December 25 you can order a full seasonal meal from its Takeaway Turkey Feast menu, which features turkey, homemade gravy and a selection of sides – think green beans with almond flakes, roasted Brussels sprouts, sweet potato casserole and bread stuffing – to pick up and eat at home.
The Mattar Farm Kitchen, Dubai. From now until Christmas, Hattem Mattar and his team will be producing game- changing smoked turkeys that you can enjoy at home over the festive period.
Nolu’s, The Galleria Mall, Maryah Island Abu Dhabi. With much of the menu focused on a California inspired “farm to table” approach (with Afghani influence), it only seems right that Nolu’s will be serving their take on the Thanksgiving spread, with a brunch at the Downtown location from 12pm to 4pm on Friday.
How to help
Send “thenational” to the following numbers or call the hotline on: 0502955999
2289 – Dh10
2252 – Dh 50
6025 – Dh20
6027 – Dh 100
6026 – Dh 200
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
How green is the expo nursery?
Some 400,000 shrubs and 13,000 trees in the on-site nursery
An additional 450,000 shrubs and 4,000 trees to be delivered in the months leading up to the expo
Ghaf, date palm, acacia arabica, acacia tortilis, vitex or sage, techoma and the salvadora are just some heat tolerant native plants in the nursery
Approximately 340 species of shrubs and trees selected for diverse landscape
The nursery team works exclusively with organic fertilisers and pesticides
All shrubs and trees supplied by Dubai Municipality
Most sourced from farms, nurseries across the country
Plants and trees are re-potted when they arrive at nursery to give them room to grow
Some mature trees are in open areas or planted within the expo site
Green waste is recycled as compost
Treated sewage effluent supplied by Dubai Municipality is used to meet the majority of the nursery’s irrigation needs
Construction workforce peaked at 40,000 workers
About 65,000 people have signed up to volunteer
Main themes of expo is ‘Connecting Minds, Creating the Future’ and three subthemes of opportunity, mobility and sustainability.
Expo 2020 Dubai to open in October 2020 and run for six months
Our legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
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