Category: Movies

The Kuwait International Film Retreat have just opened up their registration. If you have a short film that you produced in the past two years you have until April 10 to submit it.

The 2nd Edition of the Kuwait International Film Retreat will be a 3-day mini-film festival bringing together filmmakers and enthusiasts from around Kuwait and the Region to take part in short and feature film screenings, workshops, social gatherings, the red carpet, and an awards ceremony showcasing the best short films in competition.

Last year the Film Retreat earned a lot of respect and praise when they decided to play the movie Tokai at the event even though the Ministry of Information had banned them from doing so.

So if you’re a filmmaker this is a great event to be part of and a great way to get noticed. For more information visit the Kuwait International Film Retreat website [Here]

The Green Caravan Film Festival is back for the 4th time and will be taking place in Kuwait from March 9th to March 12th. The film lineup for this festival are the following:

CHASING ICE
Follow National Geographic photographer James Balog across the Arctic as he deploys time-lapse cameras designed for one purpose: to capture a multi-year record of the world’s changing glaciers.

IF A TREE FALLS: A STORY OF THE EARTH LIBERATION FRONT
A rare behind-the-curtain look at the Earth Liberation Front, the radical environmental group that the FBI calls America’s ‘number one domestic terrorist threat.’

THE TSUNAMI AND THE CHERRY BLOSSOM
Survivors in the areas hardest hit by Japan’s recent tsunami find the courage to revive and rebuild as cherry blossom season begins.

THE CITY DARK
THE CITY DARK is a feature documentary about the loss of night. After moving to NYC from rural Maine, filmmaker Ian Cheney asks a simple question – do we need the stars? – taking him from Brooklyn to Mauna Kea, Paris, and beyond. Exploring the threat of killer asteroids in Hawaii, tracking hatching turtles along the Florida coast, and rescuing injured birds on Chicago streets, Cheney unravels the myriad implications of a globe glittering with lights – including increased breast cancer rates from exposure to light at night, and a generation of kids without a glimpse of the universe above. Featuring stunning astrophotography and a cast of eclectic scientists, THE CITY DARK is the definitive story of light pollution and the disappearing stars.

THE ISLAND PRESIDENT
After bringing democracy to his country, President Mohamed Nasheed of the Maldives, the lowest-lying country in the world, takes up the fight to keep his homeland from disappearing under the sea.

The film festival is taking place at Bayt Lothan and admission is free. For more information including the schedule visit the festival website [Here]

The weather is so perfect for this right now.

Saturday, March 2nd 2013 at 7:30pm
THREE COLORS: RED
The last film of the 3 Colours trilogy as well as the last film that Kieslowski ever directed before his death two years later, and winner of multiple awards as well as being considered one of the best films of all time, Red follows a young model living in Geneva who makes a connection with a retired judge, which opens a new door in her life in seeing the connection between him and his surroundings.

Thursday, March 7th 2013 at 7:30pm
TINY FURNITURE
Winner of Best Film at SXSW and nominated for best script at the Independent Spirit Awards, and shot entirely on a 7D. Aura returns home from her Midwest liberal arts college to her artist family’s TriBeCa loft with nothing but a film studies degree, a failed relationship, and a lack of direction. She takes a job as a hostess at a restaurant and falls into relationships with two self-centered men while struggling to define herself.

Saturday, March 9th 2013 at 7:30pm
SEARCHING FOR SUGAR MAN
The best reviewed film of 2012, winner of countless awards including Best Documentary at the BAFTA’s and at the time of writing this is nominated for the same award at the Oscars (expected to win), Searching for Sugar Man follows Two South Africans who set out to discover what happened to their unlikely musical hero, the mysterious 1970s rock ‘n’ roller, Rodriguez, after finding out that although he was one of the biggest names in South Africa, no one had heard of him in his home back in America.

Thursday, March 14th 2013 at 7:30pm
THE KID WITH A BIKE
Winner of the 2011 Grand Prix at the Cannes Film Festival, and holding a rating of 96% on rottentomatoes.com, and directed by the multiple Palme d’Or winning filmmaking duo The Dardenne Brothers, The Kid with a Bike is a subtle masterpiece of naturalistic filmmaking. Abandoned by his father, a young boy is left in a state-run youth farm. In a random act of kindness, the town hairdresser agrees to foster him on weekends.

Saturday, March 16th 2013 at 7:30pm
GRAVE OF THE FIREFLIES
Called “one of the greatest and most powerful war films ever made” by acclaimed film critic Roger Ebert, and universally considered one of the best animated films ever made, Grave of Fireflies is a tragic film covering a young boy and his little sister’s struggle to survive in Japan during World War II.

Thursday, March 21st 2013 at 7:30pm
ANNA KARENINA
On many top ten of 2012 lists, and nominated for over 25 awards worldwide, and praised for its entirely original take on a familiar story, with a unique visual style by award-winning director Joe Wright, Anna Karenina is set in late-19th-century Russia high-society, where the aristocrat Anna Karenina enters into a life-changing affair with the affluent Count Vronsky.

Saturday, March 23rd 2013 at 7:30pm
UNCLE BOONMEE WHO CAN RECALL HIS PAST LIVES
Winner of the 2010 Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival, Uncle Boonmee is a magical film that centers on the last days in the life of its title character. Together with his loved ones – including the ghost of his dead wife and his lost son who has returned in a non-human form – Boonmee explores his past lives as he contemplates the reasons for his illness.

Thursday, March 28th 2013 at 7:30pm
PRIMER
Winner of the Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival in 2004, Primer is the experimental cult sci-fi classic that people have been talking about since its release. A brilliant film shot on a budget of just $ 7,000, Primer follows four men in a suburban garage who have built a device that they’re not sure about. Two of these man see the potential as too valuable to market, and begin to experiment with how far they can take it. They eventually have to face the question, “If you always want what you can’t have, what do you want when you can have anything?”

Saturday, March 30th 2013 at 7:30pm
CENTRAL STATION
Winner of multiple awards including Best Film at the Berlin Film Festival, Best Foreign Film at the Golden Globes and the BAFTA’s. An emotive journey of a former school teacher, who write letters for illiterate people, and a young boy, whose mother has just died, in search for the father he never knew.

Cinemagic Kuwait, is organizing these events as part of its efforts to contribute to the development of an internationally competitive Kuwaiti audio-visual production industry, partly by bringing the filmmakers and audiences together and by Increasing the public’s interest in – and appreciation for – the art of film-making. Cinemagic movies are screened in the old Salmiya, on the roof on top of Alghanim Electronics and LG and there is no entrance fee. Here is a link to their Facebook group [Link]

If you’re staying in Kuwait during the holidays then this is something you can do. Below is the Cinemagic’s rooftop movie schedule starting this Thursday:

Thursday February 21st, 2013 at 7:30PM
THE WHITE RIBBON
Winner of the 2009 Palme D’or at Cannes, and directed by living maser Michael Haneke. Strange events happen in a small village in the north of Germany during the years just before World War I, which seem to be ritual punishment. The abused and suppressed children of the villagers seem to be at the heart of this mystery.

Saturday February 23rd, 2013 at 7:30PM
BULLHEAD
Nominated for best foreign film at the 2011 Oscars, and winner of many international awards for best film and best actor. A young cattle farmer is approached by a veterinarian to make a deal with a notorious beef trader. But the assassination of a federal policeman, and an unexpected confrontation with a mysterious secret from Jacky’s past, set in motion a chain of events with far reaching consequences.

Thursday February 28th, 2013 at 7:30PM
THE CLASS
Winner of the Palme d’Or at the 2008 Cannes Film Festival, as well being on over 20 top ten of the year lists, The Class follows teacher and novelist François Bégaudeau who plays a version of himself as he negotiates a year with his racially mixed students from a tough Parisian neighborhood.

Cinemagic Kuwait, is organizing these events as part of its efforts to contribute to the development of an internationally competitive Kuwaiti audio-visual production industry, partly by bringing the filmmakers and audiences together and by Increasing the public’s interest in – and appreciation for – the art of film-making. Cinemagic movies are screened in the old Salmiya, on the roof on top of Alghanim Electronics and LG and there is no entrance fee. Here is a link to their Facebook group [Link]

Earlier this month a documentary about the founders of The Pirate Bay was released online and although I haven’t watched it yet, a reader did and noticed something interesting. Around an hour into the documentary the founders were asked where else they had lawsuits against them and one of the countries they mentioned was Kuwait. Does anyone have any idea who in Kuwait sued The Pirate Bay?

You can check out the scene in the movie by clicking [Here]

Thanks Manafo

‘The Proliferation of Sin’ is a short locally produced 8 minute film re-telling the story of Cain and Abel but shown in a more modern way. The film was shot, directed and edited by movie maker Mahmoud Hayat while the cast was formed by a talented group of theater and film actors called Icarus Productions. They worked on this short film for months rehearsing the fight scene and searching for a location to film. Check out the film above or on [YouTube]

The Future Shorts Festival is the biggest pop up film festival of its kind, showcasing the most exciting short films from around the world. As part of their Autumn Season world tour they’ll be making a stop in Kuwait next week at the Contemporary Art Platform.

Date: Sunday November 4th 2012
Time: 7:00 pm
Entrance fee: 3KD to be collected at the door
Location: Contemporary Art Platform (https://capkuwait.com/location/)

The Autumn Season will feature the following short films:
Café Regular, Cairo – Ritesh Batra
A Brief History of John Baldessari – Ariel Schulman & Henry Joost
Rite – Michael Pearce
The Black Balloon – Ben Safdie & Joshua Safdie
On The Line – Reto Caffi

There will also be a special live music set after the screening. There are limited seats so make sure you come early. Doors will close at 7:30 pm.

Last night I watched Skyfall with some friends at Grand Cinemas in Hamra Tower. Unlike my brother I didn’t think too highly of the movie. I mean it was good but I didn’t think it was great. One thing I regret not doing is getting a jacket. My brother wasn’t exaggerating when he said the theater was freezing. The cold could actually be one of the reasons why I didn’t enjoy the movie much, I just wanted it to be over so I could get outside where it’s warmer. Tip: Take a jacket!

The food stall outside the theater is very similar to Cinescape except they were a lot slower. A LOT slower. The theater seats were comfortable and really other than the fact it was freezing cold the only other issue I noticed was that there was dirt on the projector lens which could be seen on the top left of the screen.

If you’re interested in booking tickets their website is now live and you can check it out [Here]

Update: It seems the link doesn’t work for some people but it works for me. No idea why.

Update2: The link seems to be working now for everyone but you can’t purchase tickets from the website as of now since their KNET system isn’t active yet.

Last night I got the chance to watch the premier of the new James Bond movie Skyfall at Grand Cinemas in the Al Hamra Tower. As soon as I got to the floor Grand Cinemas was located on we were given a goodie bag by Aston Martin, that included an iPhone 5 case with the Skyfall logo on it and some other Aston Martin branded merchandise. The attendants were quite helpful, answering our questions and giving us directions to which theater we’d be seated in. We then were able to get some popcorn and soda. They only had regular popcorn available and no water, that will obviously change once Grand Cinemas opens. The first thing I noticed as soon as I entered the theater was just how cold it was. Movie theaters tend to get chilly, but it was incredibly cold, much colder than other theaters. The seating was quite comfortable and the only real negative thing (beside it being too cold) that bothered me was that they kept the “Exit” signs lit up throughout the movie which caused a green glare on the side of the screen which was slightly distracting at times.

Once the show started, about 15 minutes of advertisements for Aston Martin played which wasn’t a big surprise since it seemed like they were the ones who helped put this event together. Once the movie began, I instantly noticed how the image seemed crisper and sharper on the screen. It was a good sign. Then about 10 minutes into the movie, the sound was acting up, we couldn’t hear what the characters were saying but we could still hear the music and the sound effects. It felt like we were watching a silent movie. After a few minutes of that the entire sound cut which happened a minute or so before the movie intro credits started rolling. This situation also made things kind of awkward because you could hear people all around you just crunching away at their popcorns while the theater stayed surprisingly quiet throughout this whole ordeal. This went on for a good 10 or 15 more minutes, I was thinking of walking out of the theater because the movie was basically being spoiled. Then one of the guys in charge walked in and made an announcement that the theater amplifier blew out and that they needed a few minutes to switch it out. Not sure how an amp could blow out at the very first show, but apparently it did. As soon as he left they thankfully stopped the movie. Sure enough a few minutes afterwards the movie had started, the movie was rewinded to where the technical errors began and the sound was working. After that it was smooth sailing, I really liked how crisp the image was and the volume of the movie was just loud enough. Did I mention how it was cold? It became nearly unbearable near the end to the point that it became distracting.

Now about the movie. I’m going to come out and say this right away, Skyfall is probably my favorite Bond movie. Daniel Craig and Javier Bardem were both fantastic and seemed to feed off each others on-screen energy. Bardem’s role as the villain was really memorable and his character will be remembered for a long time. Sam Mendes did a great job at directing this movie which includes one of my favorite fight scenes that I’ve experienced in a movie, the cinematography, the lighting, the intensity of the scene, it was just beautifully shot. The movie had some amusing moments, some charming Bond moments, it was aggressive when it needed to be and it was surprisingly dark at times, especially for a Bond movie. Bond movies are usually more upbeat and they’re typically about Bond being nearly superhero like, saving the day. Let me put it this way, Skyfall is to Bond as The Dark Knight was to Batman. This movie release is going to coincide with the 50th anniversary of James Bond and the movie features some neat little nods to past Bond movies and in a way, there were segments in the movie that felt like old-school Bond. It’s a little on the longside though, running at about 2 hours and 30 minutes long but it is definitely worth the watch.

So all in all, I feel like Grand Cinemas will be a great addition to Kuwait. Except for that little incident regarding the sound which was fixed, the only downside of last night was how cold it had gotten, I’ll just remember to bring a coat next time I decide to watch a movie there.

Posted by Patrick

On the occasion of the James Bond 50th anniversary, a James Bond World is going to be setup next month at the exhibition hall in 360 Mall. There will be a whole bunch of activities taking place at James Bond World but probably the biggest highlights will be the actual cars from the James Bond movies. Among the cars that will be on display is the Aston Martin that was used for the big crash scene in “Casino Royale”, the Aston Martin with mounted weapons used in “Tomorrow Never Dies”, the Vanquish DBS from “Quantum of Solace” and the DB5 featured in the latest James Bond movie “Skyfall”.

Originally the hot actress Gemma Arterton from “Quantum of Solace” was also supposed to attend the opening night but that was when the opening night was originally set for October 26th. Now that the event has been pushed back she most likely won’t be able to make it.

James Bond World is set to open to the public on November 1st. The pictures of the James Bond cars in this post were taken by my contact who also provided me with the information above.

Update: Just added all the pictures of the cars I received below.

The largest cinema chain in the Middle East is opening in Hamra Tower this coming Friday with the movie Skyfall. The theater once open will have a total of 9 screens with one of them being a VIP theater which I’ve previously been told will rival those of Dubai. [Link]

[YouTube]

Movie: Islamic Art: Mirror of the Invisible World
Date: Monday, 1 October 2012
Time: 7:000 PM
Location: Dar al-Athar al-Islamiyyah’s (DAI) al-Maidan Cultural Centre

Islamic Art: Mirror of the Invisible World, a new documentary narrated by Academy Award winning actress Susan Sarandon, will make its Middle East debut on Monday, 1 October 2012 at 7 PM at the Dar al-Athar al-Islamiyyah’s (DAI) al-Maidan Cultural Centre. This new ninety-minute film, from executive producers Michael Wolfe and Alex Kronemer, “takes audiences on an epic journey across nine countries and over 1,400 years of history. It explores themes such as the Word, Space, Ornament, Color and Water and presents the stories behind many great masterworks of Islamic art and architecture.”

For information send an email to [email protected]

Playtime Visual Reference Reel from hamad al-tourah on Vimeo.

Hamad Al-Tourah is a Kuwaiti writer and filmmaker who is currently getting ready to shoot a short film here in Kuwait in about 3 weeks time. Right now he’s in the pre-production phase and is currently casting actors/actresses for the roles. He is also raising funds to cover the cost of equipment and production so he’s got a Kickstarter kinda thing going on.

Here is the summary of what the short film will be about:

Playtime is a short film about Matthew, a 10 year old expatriate who’s just moved to Kuwait with his single mother, whose just been hired for a post at an American Army Base. One night, after his mother leaves him alone for the first time, he escapes to track her down. Instead, he quickly crosses paths with Dalal, a teenage Kuwaiti girl who lives next door. Fearing a second abandonment, Matthew convinces her to help him find his mother.

What Matthew doesn’t know is that Dalal needs more help than he and that the only way to combat his own feelings of alienation is to stop depending on the care of others. Having descended far into the depths of the Kuwaiti desert, Matthew must fend off some threatening characters and return the two of them safely home.

Hamad is trying to raise $8,000 to make the film and right now he’s at the halfway point with around $4,000. Every donation gets you a perk and you can donate as little as just $10. To find out how you can help click [Here]

I just found out from Jacqui that OSN have released an iPad App for their OSN Play service. OSN Play allows you to stream movies and tv shows on the go and now with the iPad App you’ll be able to stream the content onto your iPad wherever you are in the Middle East. It’s perfect timing with the olympics currently taking place.

But I can’t get the App to work for some odd reason. I logged into my account but whenever I try to stream anything I get the error “You’ve now registered the maximum number of devices for this account.” I have no idea what that means but I’m hoping its a technical issue from their side that will be worked out soon.

If you’re an OSN subscriber you automatically have free access to OSN Play and you can download the App from [Here]

Update: Turns out every time you log in to OSN Play from a different computer it adds that computer as a device. You can have maximum two devices which I already have which is why I couldn’t get OSN Play to work on the iPad. There is a workaround without having to remove an already added device. OSN Play allows you to have other members in the house create sub accounts so I just created a second account for myself and this should solve the problem.

The Future Shorts Festival is the biggest pop up film festival of its kind, showcasing the most exciting short films from around the world. As part of their world tour they’ll be making a stop in Kuwait next week at the Contemporary Art Platform.

Date: August 8th, 2012
Time: 9PM
Location: Contemporary Art Platform, Shuwaikh
Ticket: KD2

For more information on the Future Shorts Festival click [Here]