Set to open this Wednesday, Dec. 10 and running until Dec. 17, the Dubai International Film Festival brings together the best that the international and regional film scenes have to offer.
We’re thrilled about the 2014 lineup, as well as the bevy of discussions, classes and networking sessions that take place alongside screenings.
There’s plenty of talent and inspiration to go around at DIFF, but here are our top picks for this year’s edition:
International Films
Birdman (USA)
‘Birdman’ or ‘The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance’ is a black comedy that tells the story of an actor (Michael Keaton) – famous for portraying an iconic superhero – as he struggles to mount a Broadway play. In the days leading up to opening night, he battles his ego and attempts to recover his family, his career, and himself.
Directed by Alejandro González Iñárritu and starring Michael Keaton, Zach Galifianakis, Edward Norton, Andrea Riseborough and Amy Ryan.
A Most Violent Year (USA)
‘A Most Violent Year’ is a searing crime drama set in New York City during the winter of 1981, statistically the most dangerous year in the city’s history… The film examines one immigrant’s determined climb up a morally crooked ladder, where simmering rivalries and unprovoked attacks threaten his business, family, and, above all, his own unwavering belief in the righteousness of his path.
Directed by J.C. Chandor and starring Oscar Isaac, Jessica Chastain, Albert Brooks, David Oyelowo, Alessandro Nivola, Elyes Gabel and Catalina Sandino Moreno.
Wild (USA)
After years of reckless behaviour, a heroin addiction and the destruction of her marriage, Strayed makes a rash decision. Haunted by memories of her mother Bobbi (Academy Award nominee Laura Dern) and with absolutely no experience, she sets out to hike more than a thousand miles on the Pacific Crest Trail all on her own.
Directed by Jean-Marc Vallée and starring Reese Witherspoon, Laura Dern, Thomas Sadoski, Michiel Huisman, Gaby Hoffmann, Kevin Rankin, W. Earl Brown, Mo McRae and Keene McRae.
The Foxcatcher (USA)
When the wealthy heir John du Pont invites the Olympic gold-winning wrestler Mark Schultz to help form a team to train for the Olympics at his new state-of-the-art training facility, Schultz jumps at the opportunity, hoping to focus on his training and finally step out of the shadow of his revered brother, Dave… Fueled by du Pont’s increasing paranoia and alienation from the brothers, the trio is propelled towards a tragedy no one could have foreseen.
Directed by Bennett Miller and starring Steve Carell, Channing Tatum, Mark Ruffalo, Vanessa Redgrave and Sienna Miller.
Court (India)
A sewage worker’s dead body is found inside a manhole in Mumbai. An ageing folk singer is arrested and accused of performing an inflammatory song, which may have incited the worker to commit suicide. The trial unfolds in a lower court, where the hopes and dreams of the city’s ordinary people play out.
Directed by Chaitanya Tamhane and starring Vira Sathidar, Vivek Gomber, Geetanjali Kulkarni, Pradeep Joshi and Usha Bane.
The Imitation Game (USA and UK)
An intense and haunting portrayal of a brilliant, complicated man, ‘The Imitation Game’ follows a genius, [Alan Turing, a mathematician and cryptanalyst who was convicted of homosexuality and] who under nail-biting pressure helped to shorten the war and, in turn, saved thousands of lives.
Directed by Morten Tyldum and starring Matthew Beard, Allen Leech, Benedict Cumberbatch, Keira Knightley, Matthew Goode, Rory Kinnear and Mark Strong.
What We Do in the Shadows (New Zealand and USA)
In this hilarious mockumentary, flatmates Viago, Deacon, and Vladislav are three vampires who are just trying to get by in modern society. When their 8,000-year-old room-mate Petyr, turns 20-something human Nick, into a vampire, the guys must show him the ropes and guide him through his newfound eternal life. In return, they are forced to learn a thing or two about modern society.
Directed by Taika Waititi and Jemaine Clement and starring Taika Waititi, Jemaine Clement, Rhys Darby, Jonathan Brugh and Cori Gonzalez-Macuer.
Paper Planes (Australia)
‘Paper Planes’ is a sensitive, entertaining portrayal of growing up, about 11-year-old Dylan Webber (Ed Oxenbould), whose new hobby of flying paper planes enables him to reconnect with his grief-stricken father (Sam Worthington) after the death of Dylan’s mother.
Directed by Robert Connolly and starring Sam Worthington, Ed Oxenbould, Deborah Mailman, Ena Imai, Nicholas Bakopoulos-Cooke.
Mommy (Canada)
A feisty, widowed, single mother finds herself burdened with the full-time custody of her rambunctious 15-year-old ADHD son. As they try to make ends meet and struggle with their unpredictable ménage, Kyla, the peculiar, new girl across the street, offers her help.
Directed by Xavier Dolan and starring Anne Dorval, Antoine Olivier Pilon, Suzanne Clément, Patrick Huard and Alexandre Goyette.
The Good Lie (USA)
They were known simply as ‘The Lost Boys.’ Orphaned by the brutal Civil War in Sudan that began in 1983, these young victims traveled as many as a thousand miles on foot in search of safety. Fifteen years later, a humanitarian effort would bring 3,600 lost boys and girls to America.
Directed by Philippe Falardeau and starring Reese Witherspoon, Arnold Oceng, Ger Duany, Emmauel Jal, Corey Stoll and Kuoth Wiel.
Arabic Films
Letter to the King/Brev Til Kongen (UAE and Norway)
Five people meet outside a refugee camp in Norway. They are given permission to leave the snowy no man’s land and travel to Oslo, a welcome change in an otherwise monotonous life. All five of them will be confronted by their destinies as they discover happiness, suffer humiliation, find love and seek revenge.
Directed by Hisham Zaman and starring Alibag Salimi, Ivan Anderson, Nazmi Kirik, Hassan Demirci and Zheer Ahmed Qader.
Nearby Sky/Samma Qarribah (UAE)
Fatima Ali Alhameli was the first Emirati female camel owner to enter her camel in the country’s camel beauty pageant competition and participate in Abu Dhabi’s camel auctions… An inspiring film about a woman’s courage and pioneering spirit.
Directed by Nujoom Al Ghanem and starring Fatima Ali Alhameli, Mohammed Nekhair Dlemich Al Hameli and Mohammed Hamed Hussain Fadelallah.
Out of the Ordinary/Qudrat Ghayr Adiya (Egypt)
When Yehia’s scientific investigation of the paranormal yields nothing, he takes a forced vacation from his work and regular life. Wandering aimlessly, he settles in a seaside guest house that is inhabited by a group of quirky characters… It appears that something out of the ordinary seems to exist within them all, and perhaps also within himself.
Directed by Daoud Abdel Sayed and starring Khaled Aboul Naga, Naglaa Badr, Mahmoud El Gendy, Abbas Abul Hassan and Mariam Tamer.
From A to B (UAE)
It’s 2011 and Omar (Fadi Rifaai) finds himself still racked with guilt over the death of his best friend Hady, who passed away five years ago. Just days away from the birth of his first child, he decides to take the road trip they never got to take.
Directed by Ali F. Mostafa and starring Fahad Albutairi, Shadi Alfons, Fadi Rifaai, Samer Al Masry, Madeline Zima, Leem Lubany, Khaled Aboul Naga, Ali Suliman, Yosra El Lozy, Maha Abou Ouf and Wonho Chung.
I Am Nojoom, Age 10 And Divorced/Ana Nojoom, Bent Alasherah Wamotalagah (Yemen, UAE and France)
Ten-year-old Nojoom was forced to marry a 30-year-old man. The dowry offered the family a small income and ‘one less mouth to feed’. Nojoom discovers that her life will take a turn for the worse.
Directed by Khadija Al-Salami and starring Reham Mohammed, Adnan Alkhader, Sawadi Alkainai, Ibrahim Alashmori and Munirah Alatas.
WE SAID THIS: Be sure to check the schedule of screenings and don’t miss our interview with award-winning writer and filmmaker Cherien Dabis.