400 film fans attend Aflam film club launch

More than 400 film enthusiasts attended the Abu Dhabi launch of AFLAM, a new film club founded by UAE filmmaker and producer, Nayla Al Khaja, to showcase the best of Arabic independent cinema.

The inaugural event, which took place on January 25 at Vox Cinemas in Marina Mall, Abu Dhabi and was suitably opened with a red carpet event, provided the audience with a screening of Tahrir 2011.

The screening was followed by a question and answer session with AFLAM founder, Nayla Al Khaja, and Tahrir 2011’s producer, Mohamed Hefzy, who was flown to Abu Dhabi especially to address the multinational audience.

The launch was also attended by key cinema personalities from across the region, including Kuwaiti film distributor and General Manager of Kuwait National Cinema Co., Hisham Alghanim, and 27 cultural delegates from various countries, who are training to become future ambassadors.

Commenting on the launch, Nayla Al Khaja said: “It was heart warming to see a full house, filled with film enthusiasts of every nationality. The fact that our opening film, Tahrir 2011, was consequentially bought by Kuwaiti distributer, Hisham Al Ghanem for GCC distribution, goes to show what a significant role AFLAM will play for Arab filmmakers as well. With the support of twofour54, I look forward to bringing to Abu Dhabi the very best of Arabic Independent cinema, and for AFLAM to continue to serve as a catalyst for industry growth.

AFLAM screenings will be held every month, with the next screening already confirmed as Habibi Ras Kharban; a story of forbidden love set in Gaza, which earned regional recognition by winning the Grand Prize in the Emerging Narrative programme at IFP’s Independent Film Week. All films screened through AFLAM will be subtitled in English, and registered members are given priority access.