Abu Dhabi Films to screen in London

He Named Me Malala among Image Nation films that will be showcased at BFI London Film Festival

IMAGE NATION ABU DHABI has announced that three of its films will have their European premieres at the prestigious BFI London Film Festival next month. Two of them are Emirati movies - Ali Mostafa's road-trip comedy From A to B and Majid Al Ansari's psychological thriller Zinzana (which will have its world premiere at the end of September in Texas' film festival Fantastic Fest).
Image Nation Abu Dhabi will also bring to London the highly anticipated documentary He Named Me Malala, directed by Academy Award winner Davis Guggenheim.
"To have three films screened at the prestigious BFI London Film Festival is a great achievement and a testament to the growth of the UAE film industry.
It's especially gratifying to have two young Emirati directors represented, along with the Academy Award winning director Davis Guggenheim," said Mohamed Al Mubarak, chairman of Image Nation.
Pioneering Emirati filmmaker Ali Mostafa's From A to B, co-produced by twofour54 and Image Nation, topped the iTunes charts across the Middle East earlier this year.
The movie follows the adventures of three childhood friends on a road trip from Abu Dhabi to Beirut, in memory of their deceased friend.
"I consider London my second home. My mother is from there, I was born there, I first trained as a filmmaker at the London Film School, so I'm excited that my second feature film has been selected for this high-profile festival," said Mostafa.
First time feature filmmaker Majid Al Ansari's Zinzana tells the story of a young man trapped in a prison cell forced to play a madman's game in order to save the lives of his family.
Set and filmed in Jordan, the movie stars Ali Suliman of Paradise Now and Saleh Bakri of Salvo and The Time Remains.
"[BFI] has been a champion of emerging filmmakers for over 60 years and I am so pleased they are supporting my first ever feature film.
This is a great opportunity for not only myself and my team, but for Emirati filmmakers and the growing industry in the UAE," said Al Ansari.
Image Nation plans to release Zinzana in UAE as well later this year.
He Named Me Malala will screen at the Toronto Film Festival this September ahead of its European premiere in London.
The film is an intimate portrait of Malala Yousafzai, who was wounded when Taliban gunmen opened fire on her and her friends' school bus in Pakistan's Swat Valley.
The documentary was produced by Walter Parkes and Laurie MacDonald under their long-term partnership with Image Nation.
In addition to its line-up at BFI, Image Nation is currently in production with Ali Mostafa's next feature Worthy and James Ponsoldt's modern day thriller The Circle. (reporters@khaleejtimes.com)

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