The Abu Dhabi Film Festival (ADFF; ar, مهرجان أبو ظبي السينمائي), formerly the Middle East International Film Festival, was an international

film festival A film festival is an organized, extended presentation of films in one or more cinemas or screening venues, usually in a single city or region. Increasingly, film festivals show some films outdoors. Films may be of recent date and, depending upon ...

held in the city of

Abu Dhabi Abu Dhabi (, ; ar, أَبُو ظَبْيٍ ' ) is the capital and second-most populous city (after Dubai) of the United Arab Emirates. It is also the capital of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi and the centre of the Abu Dhabi Metropolitan Area. ...

United Arab Emirates The United Arab Emirates (UAE; ar, اَلْإِمَارَات الْعَرَبِيَة الْمُتَحِدَة ), or simply the Emirates ( ar, الِْإمَارَات ), is a country in Western Asia (The Middle East). It is located at th ...

from 2007 to 2015.

History

The Middle East International Film Festival debuted in 2007 with 152 movies and 186 screenings shown in five Abu Dhabi venues. It was established with the support of H.E. Mohammed Khalaf AL Mazroui as General Director of the

Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture & Heritage The Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture & Heritage (known colloquially as the ADACH) was a statutory body in the United Arab Emirates that administered cultural heritage in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi.Nashwa Al Ruwaini as executive director. In 2008, Lebanese filmmaker

Imad DeirAtany Imad (also Romanization of Arabic, transliterated as Emad, Imed and Aimad ar, عماد) is an Arabic masculine given name and surname and means "support" or "pillar". Given name * Imād ad-Dīn Muhammad bin Qasim, Umayyad Caliphate general * I ...

joined the team of more than 200 staff members. In 2010, ADACH developed the festival's brand and changed its name from MEIFF to Abu Dhabi Film Festival. With a new branding scheme, the 2010 ADFF made an effort to distinguish itself from the many other festivals in the

Persian Gulf The Persian Gulf ( fa, خلیج فارس, translit=xalij-e fârs, lit=Gulf of Persis, Fars, ), sometimes called the ( ar, اَلْخَلِيْجُ ٱلْعَرَبِيُّ, Al-Khalīj al-ˁArabī), is a Mediterranean sea (oceanography), me ...

region. In 2011, the Abu Dhabi Film Festival launched the SANAD development and post-production fund for cineastes from the

Arab world The Arab world ( ar, اَلْعَالَمُ الْعَرَبِيُّ '), formally the Arab homeland ( '), also known as the Arab nation ( '), the Arabsphere, or the Arab states, refers to a vast group of countries, mainly located in Western A ...

. With the goal of encouraging independent and auteur-based cinema, eligible filmmakers had access to grants, screenwriting workshops, and personal meetings with industry mentors and experts.AFAC and Abu Dhabi Film Festival Partner to Support Arab DocumentariesThrough the SANAD FilmLab
From 2012, the festival was part of the Abu Dhabi Media Zone Authority, specifically under Media Zone Events and powered by its partner company, twofour54. It was officially scrapped after eight editions in 2015.

Description

The event was held annually in October in the city of

, United Arab Emirates. The ADFF aimed to showcase the best films from the region alongside standout productions from prominent international filmmakers. Noteworthy names attending ADFF included director

Michael Greenspan Michael Greenspan (born 1974) is a Canadian film director best known for his premiere film, the psychological thriller '' Wrecked'', which debuted at the 2010 Abu Dhabi Film Festival and starred Academy Award-winning actor Adrien Brody and actre ...

(best known for his feature film Wrecked, which debuted there in 2009), as well as actors such as

Uma Thurman Uma Karuna Thurman (born April 29, 1970) is an American actress and former model. She has performed in a variety of films, from romantic comedies and dramas to science fiction and action films. Following her appearances on the December 1985 an ...

and

Adrien Brody Adrien Nicholas Brody (born April 14, 1973) is an American actor. He received widespread recognition and acclaim after starring as Władysław Szpilman in Roman Polanski's '' The Pianist'' (2002), for which he won the Academy Award for Best Acto ...

, who attended in 2010. In October 2009, ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

'' published an article about the origins and intent of the MEIFF. The article noted that although the host country then had only a small indigenous film-making industry, the film festival could serve a variety of constructive purposes.

Selected events

2010

Films included in the 2010 edition included: *''

Secretariat Secretariat may refer to: * Secretariat (administrative office) * Secretariat (horse) Secretariat (March 30, 1970 – October 4, 1989), also known as Big Red, was a champion American thoroughbred racehorse who is the ninth winner of the Ame ...

'', directed by

Randall Wallace Randall Wallace (born July 28, 1949) is an American screenwriter, film director, producer, and songwriter who came to prominence by writing the screenplay for the historical drama film ''Braveheart'' (1995). His work on the film earned him a nom ...

, the world premiere of a major Hollywood

feature film A feature film or feature-length film is a narrative film (motion picture or "movie") with a running time long enough to be considered the principal or sole presentation in a commercial entertainment program. The term ''feature film'' originall ...

*'' Fair Game'', a political thriller directed by

Doug Liman Douglas Eric Liman (; born July 24, 1965) is an American film director and producer. He is known for directing the films '' Swingers'' (1996), '' Go'' (1999), '' The Bourne Identity'' (2002), '' Mr. & Mrs. Smith'' (2005), ''Jumper'' (2008), ''Edg ...

and starring

Naomi Watts Naomi Ellen Watts (born 28 September 1968) is a British actress. After her family moved to Australia, she made her film debut there in the drama '' For Love Alone'' (1986) and then appeared in three television series, '' Hey Dad..!'' (1990), '' ...

and

Sean Penn Sean Justin Penn (born August 17, 1960) is an American actor and film director. He has won two Academy Awards, for his roles in the mystery drama ''Mystic River'' (2003) and the biopic ''Milk'' (2008). Penn began his acting career in televisi ...

*''

In a Better World ''In a Better World'' ( da, Hævnen, "The Revenge") is a 2010 Danish drama thriller film written by Anders Thomas Jensen and directed by Susanne Bier. The film stars Mikael Persbrandt, Trine Dyrholm, and Ulrich Thomsen in a story which takes ...

'' by the Danish filmmaker

Susanne Bier Susanne Bier (; born 15 April 1960) is a Danish filmmaker. She is best known for her feature films ''Brothers'' (2004), '' After the Wedding'' (2006), ''In a Better World'' (2010), and '' Bird Box'' (2018), and the TV miniseries ''The Night Mana ...

* ''

Incendies ''Incendies'' (; "Fires") is a 2010 Canadian drama film directed by Denis Villeneuve, who co-wrote the screenplay with Valérie Beaugrand-Champagne. Adapted from Wajdi Mouawad's play of the same name, ''Incendies'' stars Lubna Azabal, Mélis ...

'', directed by Canadian filmmaker

Denis Villeneuve Denis Villeneuve (; born October 3, 1967) is a Canadian filmmaker. He is a four-time recipient of the Canadian Screen Award (formerly Genie Award) for Best Direction, winning for '' Maelström'' in 2001, '' Polytechnique'' in 2009, ''Incendies ...

, based on a play by Canadian-Lebanese writer

Wajdi Mouawad Wajdi Mouawad, OC, (born 1968) is a Lebanese-Canadian writer, actor, and director. He is known in Canadian and French theatre for politically engaged works such as the acclaimed play ''Incendies'' (2003). His works often revolve around family t ...

*''

Messages from the Sea ''Messages from the Sea'' ( ar, رسائل البحر, translit. Rassayel El Bahr) is a 2010 Egyptian drama film directed by Daoud Abdel Sayed. The film was selected as the Egyptian entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 83rd Acad ...

'' by Egyptian filmmaker

Daoud Abdel Sayed Daoud Abdel Sayed ( ar, داود عبد السيد ) is an Egyptian director and screenwriter. He was born in Cairo in 1946. He started as the assistant of Youssef Chahine in The Land. He made several critically acclaimed films, and won s ...

*''

Cirkus Columbia ''Cirkus Columbia'' is a 2010 Bosnian drama film starring Miki Manojlović, Mira Furlan, Boris Ler and Jelena Stupljanin. The film is set in the Herzegovina part of Bosnia and Herzegovina in the early 1990s, after the dissolution of Yugoslavia, ...

'', directed by

Danis Tanovic Danis may refer to: * ''Danis'' (butterfly), a genus of butterfly in the family Lycaenidae * Danis Goulet (born 1977), Canadian Cree-Métis film director and screenwriter * Yann Danis (born 1981), Canadian professional ice hockey goaltender * Gy ...

*'' Back Door Channels: The Price of Peace'', a documentary about the

Camp David Peace Accord The Camp David Accords were a pair of political agreements signed by Egyptian President Anwar Sadat and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin on 17 September 1978, following twelve days of secret negotiations at Camp David, the country retrea ...

directed by American director Harry Hunkele and produced by

Arick Wierson Arick Wierson (born November 23, 1971) is an American columnist who writes on politics and business for CNN. He is also a regular contributor to several other major US publications including ''Vice'', ''The New York Observer'', '' Worth'', ''T ...

*''

The Oath The Oath may refer to: Books * ''The Oath'' (Wiesel novel), a 1973 novel by Elie Wiesel * ''The Oath'' (Peretti novel), a 1995 novel by Frank E. Peretti * '' The Oath: The Obama White House and the Supreme Court'', a 2012 book by Jeffrey Toobin ...

'', a documentary by director Laura Poitras

Black Pearl Award

2011 winners

;Short Narrative Competition: * First Prize (AED 30,000) – SOUL, directed by Fatma Abdulla (UAE) * Second Prize (AED 25,000) – DREAMS OF RICE, by Yasser Al Neyadi and Hana Al Shatri (UAE) * Third Prize (AED 20,000) – TELEPHONI, directed by Hassan Kiyany (UAE) * Special Jury Award (AED 25,000) – RANEEN, directed by Maitham Al Musawi (Oman) * Best Emirati Film (AED 25,000) – SOUL, directed by Fatma Abdulla (UAE) * Best Script (AED 10,000) – SINGLE MALE, by Imad DeirAtany (Lebanon) / DREAMS OF RICE, by Yasser Al Neyadi and Hana Al Shatri (UAE) * Best Cinematography (AED 10,000) – WIND, directed by Waleed Al Shehhi (UAE) ;Short Documentary Competition: * First prize: (AED 30,000) – ''A Falcon Will Not Breed a Dove'', by Mansour Al Dhaheri (UAE) * Second Prize (AED 25,000) – PHOTON, by Awadh Al Hamzani (Saudi Arabia) * Third Prize (AED 20,000) – A NIGHT TO REMEMBER, by Fahmi Farahat (Saudi Arabia) * Special Jury Award (AED 25,000) – LETTERS TO PALESTINE, by Rashid Al Marri (UAE) ;Student Short Narrative Competition: * First Prize (AED 20,000) – MAHER’S CAMERA, by Mansour Al Badran (Saudi Arabia) * Second Prize (AED 15,000) – MAD CAMEL, by Mohammed Fikree (UAE) * Third Prize (AED 10,000) – DINNER #7665, by Salma Serry (UAE, Egypt) ;Student Short Documentary Competition: * First Prize (AED 20,000) – 6 ON 18, by Salma Serry (UAE, Egypt) * Second Prize (AED 15,000) – LAYERS, by Manal Wicki (UAE) * Third Prize (AED 10,000) – LAHJATNA (OUR ACCENT), by Mariam Al Nuaimi (UAE) ;International Short Film Competition The 2011 selection featured 31 films from 23 countries, as well as two newly launched awards for producers of short films. * Best Narrative ($25,000) – A MARRIAGE, directed by Henning Rosenlund (Norway) * Best Documentary ($25,000) – WRITTEN IN INK, directed by Martin Rath (Poland) * Best Animation ($20,000) – LUMINARIS, directed by Juan Pablo Zaramella (Argentina), shared with SPECKY FOUR-EYES, directed by Jean-Claude Rozec (France) * Best Film from the Arab World ($25,000) – FAREWELL EXILE, directed by Lamia Alami (Morocco) * Best Producer ($10,000) –

Arben Zharku Arben Zharku (born 2 February 1982 in Kaçanik, Kosovo) is a producer based in Amsterdam Netherlands. Former Director oKosovo Cinematography Centerand SKENA UP International Students Film and Theatre Festival in Pristina. He graduated from the Fac ...

(Kosovo) for THE WEDDING TAPE * Best Producer from the Arab World ($10,000) – YACINE BOUAZIZ (Algeria) for TOMORROW, ALGIERS?

2009 winners

In 2009, 16 Black Pearl awards were given in 3 major categories (narrative, documentary, and short films). Also given were also 7 Jury Special Mention awards, and one Audience Choice Award. Among all entries worldwide, the best film winners were as follows:"MEIFF Announces Winners of 2009 Black Pearl Awards

retrieved 29 Oct 2009. The Black Pearl Award for Best Narrative Film - $100,000
:''Hipsters ( Stilyagi (2008 film), Stilyagi)'' ::Director: Valery Todorovsky (Russia) The Black Pearl Award for Best Documentary Film - $100,000
:''

The Frontier Gandhi ''The Frontier Gandhi: Badshah Khan, a Torch for Peace'', a documentary released in 2008, is the first full film account of Pashtun leader and nonviolent activist Abdul Ghaffar Khan, also known as Badshah Khan or Bacha Khan. The documentary is th ...

: Badshah Khan, A Torch for Peace'' ::Director: T. C. McLuhan (Afghanistan, India, Pakistan, USA) The Black Pearl Award for Best Narrative Short - $25,000
:''The Six Dollar Fifty Man'' ::Director: Mark Albiston and Louis Sutherland (New Zealand) The Black Pearl Award for Best Narrative Short - $25,000
:''Wagah'' ::Director: Supriyo Sen and Najaf Bilgrami (Pakistan, India, Germany)

2008 winners

The Black Pearl for Best Narrative Film - $200,000
''Disgrace''
Director:

Steve Jacobs Steve Jacobs is an Australian actor and film director who is married to actress and producer Anna Maria Monticelli. The two co-starred in ''Sky Trackers''. Jacobs directed the movie ''La Spagnola'' (2001), which was written and produced by Mont ...

. Producers:

Anna Maria Monticelli Anna Maria Monticelli is an Australian actress, screenwriter and producer. Monticelli won the 1994 AFI Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role for her role in '' Silver City''. In 2001 she was nominated for the AFI Award for Best Original ...

, Emile Sherman, Steve Jacobs The Black Pearl for Best Documentary – $150,000
''Stranded''
Director: Gonzalo Arijon. Producer: Marc Silvera The Black Pearl Special Jury Prize- $125,000
''Youssou N'Dour: I Bring What I Love''
Director and Producer: Elisabeth Chai Vasarhelyi The Black Pearl for Best Actress - $75,000
''Fawzia: A Special Blend''
Actress: Ilham Shaheen The Black Pearl for Best Actor - $75,000
''Wild Blood''
Actor: Luca Zingaretti The Black Pearl for Best Artistic Contribution - $75,000
'' Laila's Birthday''
Screenwriter:

Rashid Masharawi Rashid Masharawi (also: "Rashid Mashrawi") ( ar, رشيد مشهراوي) is a Palestinian film director, born in Gaza in 1962 to a family of refugees from Jaffa. He grew up in the Shati refugee camp. Rashid Masharawi lives and works in Ramall ...

The Black Pearl Audience Choice Award
''Saving Luna''
Co-Directors: Suzanne Chisholm & Michael Parfit. Producer: Suzanne Chisholm The Black Pearl for Best Narrative – Short Film- $75.000
''The View''
Co-Directors: Hazim Bitar & Rifqi Assaf. Producer: Amman Filmmakers Cooperative The Black Pearl for Best Documentary – Short Film- $75.000
''Breadmakers''
Director: Yasmin Fedda. Producers: Jim Hickey &

Robin Mitchell Robin Mitchell is a Scottish writer and producer. Career Mitchell co-founded Edinburgh's Cadies & Witchery Tours in 1984. The name 'Cadies' was taken from the 18th-century Edinburgh 'Caddies'. The Scottish actor Kevin McKidd worked at The Cadi ...

The Black Pearl for Best Animation – Shot Film- $75.000
''Jacinta''
Director: Karla Casteneda. Producer: Luis Tellez The Black Pearl for Best Narrative – Student Films – $25.000
''Illusion''
Director: Burhan Qurbani. Producer: Fabian Gasmia The Black Pearl for Best Emerging Filmmaker – Student Films- $25.000
''Lullaby''
Director: Serena Abi Aad. Producer: IESAV