The film festival will take place from November 26 to December 7, with tickets priced at $14.29.
Cinema Akil has announced the return of the Gulf German Film Festival, which will begin on November 26.
This marks the second time that the independent cinema in Alserkal Avenue has partnered with the German Embassy Abu Dhabi and Goethe-Institut Gulf Region to present a programme of film screenings, as well as Q&A sessions with directors and a collaborative cine-concert to kick off the event.
A total of 11 films will be presented at two locations in the UAE – Cinema Akil in Dubai and Manarat Al Saadiyat, Abu Dhabi. Screenings will also be held in Manama, Bahrain and Muscat, Oman.
Commenting on the programme, Butheina Kazim, Founder of Cinema Akil said: “The return of the Gulf German Film Week to Cinema Akil for a second edition is an affirmation of our shared commitment to the showcase of diverse, critically-engaging films and to the importance of cinema-going in the enrichment of cultural life”
German Ambassador Ernst-Peter Fischer added: “It is truly a pleasure for excellent German films to be featured and made widely available in the UAE, and also in Oman and Bahrain. Despite Covid, German film is alive and the last year has seen many wonderful new productions. This festival will bring people together over their shared interest in experiencing good cinema.”
Fareed Majari, Director of Goethe-Institut in the Gulf region, stated: “With our line-up, we have tried to find a viable balance between movies with German stories, actors and settings on one side, and international co-productions that tell stories that deserve to be told.”
The festival will kick off with an outdoor cine concert of Lotte Reiniger’s silhouette animation The Adventures of Prince Achmed with live music by Jad Atoui, Pascal Semerdjian and Fadi Tabbal, followed by I’m Your Man by Emmy Award winner Maria Schrader, starring Dan Stevens, Maren Eggert and Sandra Huller.
The second day of the festival will begin with Mr Bachmann and his Class. Directed by Maria Speth, the film won the Silver Bear Jury Prize at the Berlin International Film Festival this year.
The screening will be followed by Lingui – The Sacred Bonds by Mahamat-Saleh Haroun. Shot in Chad, the story is about a teenage girl facing difficult circumstances after finding out she is pregnant.
The night will end with Massoud Bakhshi’s Yalda, A Night for Forgiveness, an Iranian film from 2019, which tells the story of a young woman accused of murdering her husband. The screening will be followed by a Q&A with the director.
Throughout the rest of the programme, there will be back-to-back screenings of The Royal Game by Philipp Stolzl, based on Stefan Zweig’s timeless literature classic Schachnovelle, as well as the satirical feature Curveball – A True Story. Unfortunately by Johannes Naber; Luchadoras, a German-Mexican film by Paola Calvo and Patrick Jasim, and the romantic drama film by Ildiko Enyedi, The Story of My Wife.
New German language movies that range from art-house films to box-office hits, as well as children’s matinees and late-night movies, will be screened at Cinema Akil, Dubai, and live-streamed in the UAE and Bahrain.
In Abu Dhabi, the festival programme at Manarat Al Saadiyat will open on December 2, 2021, with I’m Your Man by Maria Schrader and continue with Yalda, A Night for Forgiveness by Massoud Bakhshi.
