ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates -- The inaugural Middle East International Film Festival unfurls Sunday having shipped in a coterie of big industry names that likely will guarantee the event international attention in the coming week. The screening program is a mixture of big-name projects and debuts from emerging talent.
Brian De Palma's "Redacted" and Gavin Hood's "Rendition" are among the films making their debut in the Middle East.
Joe Wright's "Atonement", starring Keira Knightley and James McAvoy, will open the UAE capital's first film fest, which runs through Oct. 19.
The festival's official competition section features 12 fiction films, including Nadine Labaki's "Caramel", Nic Balthazar's "Ben X" and Marjane Satrapi and Vincent Paronnaud's animated "Persepolis". The six shortlisted documentaries in the nonfiction group include Joshua Asen and Jennifer Needleman's "I Love Hip Hop in Morocco" and Socheata Poeuv's "New Year Baby".
More than 102 screenings covering films from the five sections will take place during the week, with tickets to general screenings available free of charge by registering with the Web site, MEIFF.com.
Within the festival, a central program taking place Monday through Wednesday is the Film Financing Circle, one of several initiatives created to maximize networking opportunities between local talent and international executives and filmmakers.
Brian De Palma's "Redacted" and Gavin Hood's "Rendition" are among the films making their debut in the Middle East.
Joe Wright's "Atonement", starring Keira Knightley and James McAvoy, will open the UAE capital's first film fest, which runs through Oct. 19.
The festival's official competition section features 12 fiction films, including Nadine Labaki's "Caramel", Nic Balthazar's "Ben X" and Marjane Satrapi and Vincent Paronnaud's animated "Persepolis". The six shortlisted documentaries in the nonfiction group include Joshua Asen and Jennifer Needleman's "I Love Hip Hop in Morocco" and Socheata Poeuv's "New Year Baby".
More than 102 screenings covering films from the five sections will take place during the week, with tickets to general screenings available free of charge by registering with the Web site, MEIFF.com.
Within the festival, a central program taking place Monday through Wednesday is the Film Financing Circle, one of several initiatives created to maximize networking opportunities between local talent and international executives and filmmakers.
- 10/12/2007
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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