Mustafa Abbas’s Sunset State is first Emirati film at European Film Screenings

The film is about two men, an American novelist and an Emirati student, both with troubled pasts, who become friends. 'The topic of the film is suicide. But the movie isn’t about death, it’s about life,' says Abbas.

A scene from Sunset State. Courtesy Mustafa Abbas

Starting on Wednesday, the European Film Screenings will not only offer the chance to see movies for free, but will also showcase some of the best Emirati short films.

The first of these is Sunset State, a 2013 film directed by Mustafa Abbas.

In the past two years, since its debut at Dubai International Film Festival, where it was nominated for The Muhr Awards, Sunset State has been screened at film festivals worldwide. In addition to being selected last year for the Short Film Corner at Cannes, it has also been shown in Oman, Chile and Morocco.

“It’s truly wonderful that people are still interested in the film, especially the fact its been two years since I made the film and people are still intrigued by it and asking to screen it,” says Abbas. “This month and last month we’ve had a total of five screenings alone in different venues and platforms.”

The film is about two men, an American novelist and an Emirati student, both with troubled pasts, who become friends.

“The topic of the film is suicide. But the movie isn’t about death, it’s about life,” he says.

“When we think of suicide, it seems very alien to us. But what I was really trying to do is make a movie about human beings and the fact that we are creatures of emotions and not logic. Anybody can feel these feelings. A ‘normal person’ wouldn’t talk about that naturally, but anyone can feel it. The film is, I suppose, about my understanding of human nature.”

This year, Abbas's creative talents have been focused on writing and producing a psychological thriller called Saraab (Mirage). "Normally, I write and I direct, so this is new for me. I collaborated with fellow filmmaker Salma Serry, who directed it. We've submitted that to film festivals, so we're just waiting to hear back."

• Sunset State screens at 8pm on Thursday, October 22, at Novo Cinemas in WTC Mall, Abu Dhabi, and at 8pm on Friday, October 23, in Dubai’s Ibn Battuta Mall. For a full list of films and show times, visit www.thenational.ae/european-films