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Abu Dhabi Film Festival (ADFF), powered by twofour54, will open, for the first time, with a locally produced film – FROM A TO B by Emirati director Ali Mostafa and Image Nation Abu Dhabi. The closing film of the festival has been confirmed as Disney’s animation film BIG HERO 6. The Festival will open on October 23 and will last until November 1, 2014.

Famed for the award winning 2009 film CITY OF LIFE, Mostafa’s second full length feature film follows three Western-educated Arab youths who travel 1,500 miles from Abu Dhabi to Beirut in memory of their deceased best friend, who passed away five years earlier.

Ali Al Jabri, Director of ADFF, says: “We are delighted to feature a locally produced film as opening title of this year’s festival. The success of high-calibre Arab filmmakers like Ali Mostafa is a testament to the vibrancy of filmmaking in the region. This year’s festival will highlight the growth of the film industry in the region and showcase the best Arab filmmaking talent alongside the best in world cinema.

Ali Mostafa adds: “It is an honor to have my film From A to B selected as the opening night screening of this year’s Abu Dhabi Film Festival. It is a privilege to celebrate the World Premiere in our capital city and I am proud to have the first Emirati film to ever open the festival. This is another testament to our growing industry as the festival has proven to be a great platform for launching Arab films to an international audience”

From Walt Disney Animation Studios and the team behind Frozen and Wreck-It Ralph, comes Big Hero 6, an action-packed comedy-adventure about the special bond that develops between Baymax a plus-sized inflatable robot, and robotic prodigy Hiro Hamada who join forces with a team of crime fighters to save San Fransokyo. Directed by Don Hall and Chris Evans, Big Hero 6 will be presented at ADFF only a few days after its world premiere in Tokyo.

“We are very happy to close the festival with a film that is not only a lot of fun, but brings to superhero movies the same heart-wrenching emotions that Frozen brought to princess stories” Says Ali Al Jabri “ this choice shows the wide range of great films the festival brings year after year”.

ADFF was established in 2007 with the aim of helping to create a vibrant film culture throughout the region. A key event in Abu Dhabi’s cultural calendar, it features an extensive 10-day programme of Arab and international cinema, complemented by red-carpet premieres, co-production meetings and associated events. Films compete for Black Pearl Awards in the Narrative, Documentary and New Horizons sections of ADFF’s programme.

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