NYUAD Saadiyat Campus and Hamama screening

One of the first events of the NYUAD public programs season was a screening of the Emirati documentary film Hamama. I rarely pass up opportunities to watch a nice local film, so I signed up. Also, it would be a good opportunity to check out NYUAD's new campus on Saadiyat Island, to which its public events have been moved from various locations around Abu Dhabi city, and which also happens to be more conveniently located for me.

The campus is impressive: large, fitted well, decorated subtly and interesting architecturally, with broad paths, big courtyards, and spacious interiors. There is still some work going on in the area surrounding, but the inside seems about completed.

The film was introduced by a faculty member (top left) and screened (right) in a conference center auditorium, followed by Q&A with director/producer Nujoom al Ghanem and writer/researcher Khalid al Budoor (bottom left). While I think the POV shots detracted from the documentary style followed otherwise in the film (I'm sure blindness could have been conveyed in other ways, or established in a single fade shot), and some of the setups looked a little implausible (shayla on head with bare belly?), the film was overall a pleasant watch, with sharp cinematography, some interesting characters, a bit of humor, and good lighting, transitions and sound.

The Magazine Shop launches Cult Film Nights

At the screening of The Big Lebowski

Dubai's The Magazine Shop is adding to the diverse array of public film screening options in Dubai with the launch of Cult Movie Nights this season. Cult film standard and internet meme fodder, The Big Lebowski, was selected as the cult film of the month, complemented by the addition of two gourmet popcorn options to the menu of the magazine library cafe's Media City branch. I greatly enjoyed their choice of film, as well as their fresh coffee and their invitation of nominations for next month's cult film screening.

More community film in Dubai

Now that cooler weather is back in town, I thought I'd make the best of it and check out some now-outdoor free film screenings in Dubai. Some are old traditions (well, "old" relative to the Dubai pace), and some have just started out. Here are the ones I enjoyed this past month.

Following the merging of their DIFC gallery into the Bastakiya XVA Art Hotel's gallery space, XVA Gallery's film screenings now take place in the hotel's courtyard cafe. They have had a screening almost every Wednesday, and while the films have ranged from black-and-white classics to 90s cheese, there is seems to be a theme for each month. The hotel itself is lovely, with the rustic ambiance of the converted old merchant quarter along the creek, art pieces installed here and there, and light vegetarian and pescetarian food at the cafe to munch on while watching. One can also check out the gallery's running exhibition at the hotel. Charlie Chaplin films were on in January, so I caught a show of the Chaplin anti-Nazi classic, The Great Dictator, on January 29th.

I also went to the launch event of LOCO'MOTION, a new community cinema initiative, which screened the anti-consumerism/conformism documentary, I'm Fine, Thanks, on February 1st, behind The Archive in Safa Park. They plan to screen films on the first and third Saturdays of every month, and probably ones in similar genres. The grass can be damp, so it would be a good idea to bring a lawn mat.

The Emirates Golf Club Poolside screens a double feature at their outdoor poolside projection area every Friday evening, starting with an animation or children's film, followed by a live action one for grown-ups. The menu's priced at hotel rates, but they do throw in a free tub of popcorn, and you can watch the film(s) while comfortably lounging by the pool on deck chairs, surrounded by palm trees. Here, I watched Open Season on Friday, February 21st.

And if you'd like to unwind and clear your mind with a light B flick, the Pyramids Rooftop Gardens at Wafi hosts a late evening (and free) open-air show every Sunday. I caught a screening of the romcom, When in Rome, on the 26th of January; it was not as bad as its RottenTomatoes.com rating, in my opinion. The audience space is pretty large, with a bar and food service (and, of course, many sit-down restaurants around), a stepped section at the back, and plenty of beanbags. If world cinema is more your thing, they also host an Alliance Francaise French film screening on the first Monday of each month, thanks to which I was able to watch Sport de Filles early in January.

Booza night by The Carton at thejamjar

A rather large number of people skipped dessert at last evening's iftars, because it was "booza" night at thejamjar.

The gallery-studio was hosting an event with The Carton, a food-centric art/photography/culture quarterly. There, The Carton was promoting their sixth issue, a special on ice cream ("booza" is Arabic for ice cream). I had no idea that this magazine existed until now, but I bought three back issues. See, apart from great articles about, and pictures of food, they also feature recipes. As my readers would have guessed by now, I love experimenting in the kitchen, and I look forward to trying some of them.

Attendees could engage with the ice cream theme by customizing a cone or cup on the open drawing wall, using the colored markers provided. I designed a mango and lemon twist, poured into a cup of berry syrup.

The Ice Cream Shop UAE provided us with scoops of free fresh ice creams and sorbets before we settled down to watch the hour-long documentary An Ice Cream Show, the educational and entertainment value of which quite made up for having to endure the cringe-provoking '90s hairstyles it featured.