The latest edition of the Abu Dhabi Film Festival (ADFF) has – to use the industry lingo – wrapped for another year. The stars have flown home, clutching their awards, their suitcases and clothes straining at the seams from all the eating and shopping.
Year on year, the films have become bigger, the stars more glamorous and the venues more crowded. And yet while the ultra-glamour of this year’s venue at the Emirates Palace befits the glitz of Hollywood and Bollywood, it perhaps doesn’t reflect the new direction the festival has taken over the past few years.
We say this as devoted film buffs and lovers of the arts. ADFF has been more locally-targeted over the past three years, with films focusing on the Middle East and the festival feeling distinctly Arab and Emirati. This has been an enormous success and put the festival squarely on the map as something different: witness the success of the opening film this year, the Emirati-made From A to B.
A new venue could provide a more, shall we say, democratic space, a place where all those who make up the burgeoning film community of Abu Dhabi and the UAE could come together. Some attendees this year might have felt a bit put off by the grand surroundings of the Emirates Palace.
Certainly, in contrast to the energetic, even boisterous, atmosphere of Cannes, there was at times a curious sedateness to the Palace, a space more used to welcoming dignitaries and ambassadors than scruffy-bearded creatives. It was also a shame to see the end of the open-air screenings of the past, especially as the cool season has begun in the country.
But what would be a more suitable venue? Much as this newspaper, fresh from welcoming Kareem Abdul-Jabar to our newsroom, would be willing to roll out the red carpet again, there are venues in the city that would better reflect Arab heritage, Emirati glamour and Middle Eastern creativity than our humble offices. Tell us where, dear readers. Answers, as they used to say on children’s TV, on a postcard to the usual address. Or email us at letters@thenational.ae.
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
Expo details
Expo 2020 Dubai will be the first World Expo to be held in the Middle East, Africa and South Asia
The world fair will run for six months from October 20, 2020 to April 10, 2021.
It is expected to attract 25 million visits
Some 70 per cent visitors are projected to come from outside the UAE, the largest proportion of international visitors in the 167-year history of World Expos.
More than 30,000 volunteers are required for Expo 2020
The site covers a total of 4.38 sqkm, including a 2 sqkm gated area
It is located adjacent to Al Maktoum International Airport in Dubai South
Emergency
Director: Kangana Ranaut
Stars: Kangana Ranaut, Anupam Kher, Shreyas Talpade, Milind Soman, Mahima Chaudhry
Rating: 2/5
11 cabbie-recommended restaurants and dishes to try in Abu Dhabi
Iqbal Restaurant behind Wendy’s on Hamdan Street for the chicken karahi (Dh14)
Pathemari in Navy Gate for prawn biryani (from Dh12 to Dh35)
Abu Al Nasar near Abu Dhabi Mall, for biryani (from Dh12 to Dh20)
Bonna Annee at Navy Gate for Ethiopian food (the Bonna Annee special costs Dh42 and comes with a mix of six house stews – key wet, minchet abesh, kekel, meser be sega, tibs fir fir and shiro).
Al Habasha in Tanker Mai for Ethiopian food (tibs, a hearty stew with meat, is a popular dish; here it costs Dh36.75 for lamb and beef versions)
Himalayan Restaurant in Mussaffa for Nepalese (the momos and chowmein noodles are best-selling items, and go for between Dh14 and Dh20)
Makalu in Mussaffa for Nepalese (get the chicken curry or chicken fry for Dh11)
Al Shaheen Cafeteria near Guardian Towers for a quick morning bite, especially the egg sandwich in paratha (Dh3.50)
Pinky Food Restaurant in Tanker Mai for tilapia
Tasty Zone for Nepalese-style noodles (Dh15)
Ibrahimi for Pakistani food (a quarter chicken tikka with roti costs Dh16)
The biog
Hometown: Cairo
Age: 37
Favourite TV series: The Handmaid’s Tale, Black Mirror
Favourite anime series: Death Note, One Piece and Hellsing
Favourite book: Designing Brand Identity, Fifth Edition
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
Test
Director: S Sashikanth
Cast: Nayanthara, Siddharth, Meera Jasmine, R Madhavan
Star rating: 2/5
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