When From A to B opens the eighth Abu Dhabi Film Festival (ADFF) on October 23, it will be a historic occasion – but not one that has arrived by accident.
Since the inaugural Middle East International Film Festival in 2007 (MEIFF was renamed ADFF in 2010), the festival has focused on developing the emirate’s cinema industry.
In the festival’s earliest days, Eissa Al Mazrouei, the director of special projects for the Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture and Heritage – which at that time organised MEIFF – spoke of a five-year plan that included increasing the emirate’s small pool of filmmakers.
Today the UAE is well-served by film schools, competitions, grants and filmmakers of varying degrees of experience.
Over the course of the four festivals I have attended to date, the opening film has graduated from sub-blockbuster Hollywood fare (Secretariat in 2010), to more critically acclaimed, locally co-produced (Image Nation was a producer), international films such as last year's Life of Crime, and now a successful Emirati director will have the honour of opening the festival.
The significance is not lost on Mostafa. "It is an honour to have From A to B selected as the opening-night screening of this year's Abu Dhabi Film Festival," he says. "It is a privilege to celebrate the world premiere in our capital city and I am proud to have the first Emirati film to ever open the festival.
“This is another testament to our growing industry, as the festival has proven to be a great platform for launching Arab films to an international audience.”
The film was co-produced by Image Nation (a subsidiary of Abu Dhabi Media, which also owns The National) and twofour54 Abu Dhabi. More recently, the regional media powerhouse Rotana came on board as a third co-producer, having bought the TV rights.
With plenty of global movie successes under their belts – Image Nation was a co-producer of the Oscar-winning The Help, while twofour54 acted as the production partner for Star Wars: Episode VII – the two could be forgiven for being unfazed by all the fuss, but the momentous occasion is recognised by both.
The Image Nation chief, Mohammed Al Mubarak, says: “ADFF is a chance to celebrate the filmmaking talent of the UAE and we think this year’s festival reflects the way our film industry is growing.”
Noura Al Kaabi, the head of twofour54 adds: “Supporting Ali Mostafa’s film is an extension of our sincere effort in honing home-grown talents in filmmaking.”
Ali Al Jabri, the director of ADFF, says: “The success of high-calibre Arab filmmakers such as Ali Mostafa is a testament to the vibrancy of filmmaking in the region. This year’s festival will highlight the growth of the film industry in the region and showcase the best Arab filmmaking talent alongside the best in world cinema.”
cnewbould@thenational.ae