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META Film Fest to Return to Dubai in November

The annual festival showcases the best of international films. WAM
The annual festival showcases the best of international films. WAM
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META Film Fest to Return to Dubai in November

The annual festival showcases the best of international films. WAM
The annual festival showcases the best of international films. WAM

META Film Fest, the star-studded, four-day international motion picture gala, will return to Dubai for its second edition from November 9 to 12, Emirates News Agency (WAM) reported.

The annual festival, which showcases the best of international films, promises an extraordinary celebration of cinema for filmmakers, industry professionals, and movie lovers alike, WAM said.

The META Film Fest 2023 will focus on delivering an unparalleled experience through its emphasis on quality content, workshops and masterclasses tailored for budding filmmakers, premieres of cutting-edge independent and studio-produced films, and a prestigious, high-profile judging panel.

With the support of content partners such as the Royal Film Commission – Jordan, Papillon Creative, Frontrow Entertainment, and MAD Solutions, and Festival Partners including Cinema Akil, the META Film Fest is set to bolster Dubai’s Creative Economy and support the UAE’s National Strategy for the Cultural and Creative Industries. The four-day celebration of films will take place at VOX Cinemas, Wafi City.

“This year’s META Film Fest will cement Dubai’s position and capability as a hub for filmmakers and creatives to congregate, share knowledge, and promote their own and their peers’ work. The festival garners immense appreciation from movie enthusiasts and industry professionals, and this year’s edition will see significant growth in the number and caliber of films being shown,” said Founder of META Film Fest Leila Masinaei.

The META Film Fest adopts an independent, objective approach in its shortlisting process, ensuring the best of the regional industry is spotlighted at the event. Over the four days, it will show more than 70 movies from 20+ countries, host 10+ workshops, and welcome more than 50 global celebrities and 15,000 attendees. The incredible roster of shortlisted films will be announced in the coming weeks, WAM said.

This year's awards will span 12 categories, covering feature films, short films, documentaries, debut works, student projects, films with a sustainability focus, and newly introduced special categories to celebrate home-grown UAE talent.

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Mother of Cinematographer Killed on Set of Alec Baldwin Film ‘Rust’ Boycotts Its World Premiere

US actor Alec Baldwin arrives for the New York premiere of Netflix's animated film "Spellbound," on November 11, 2024. (AFP)
US actor Alec Baldwin arrives for the New York premiere of Netflix's animated film "Spellbound," on November 11, 2024. (AFP)
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Mother of Cinematographer Killed on Set of Alec Baldwin Film ‘Rust’ Boycotts Its World Premiere

US actor Alec Baldwin arrives for the New York premiere of Netflix's animated film "Spellbound," on November 11, 2024. (AFP)
US actor Alec Baldwin arrives for the New York premiere of Netflix's animated film "Spellbound," on November 11, 2024. (AFP)

The mother of late cinematographer Halyna Hutchins is boycotting the world premiere of “Rust” at a film festival in Poland on Wednesday, saying she views it as an attempt by Alec Baldwin to “unjustly profit” from her daughter’s death.

The Western is premiering at the International Film Festival of the Art of Cinematography Camerimage in the city of Torun three years after Hutchins was shot accidentally on set.

Baldwin, the lead actor and co-producer for “Rust,” was pointing a gun at Hutchins during a rehearsal on the set outside Santa Fe, New Mexico, in October 2021 when the revolver went off, killing Hutchins and wounding director Joel Souza. Baldwin has said he pulled back the hammer — but not the trigger — and the revolver fired.

Souza was expected to introduce the film at the festival, a popular industry event dedicated to the art of cinematography, and the premiere was being dedicated to Hutchins.

“It was always my hope to meet my daughter in Poland to watch her work come alive on screen," said Hutchins’ mother Olga Solovey in a statement issued by her lawyer and carried by Britain’s national news agency, PA.

“Unfortunately, that was ripped away from me when Alec Baldwin discharged his gun and killed my daughter," she said. “Alec Baldwin continues to increase my pain with his refusal to apologize to me and his refusal to take responsibility for her death. Instead, he seeks to unjustly profit from his killing of my daughter.”

“That is the reason why I refuse to attend the festival for the promotion of Rust, especially now when there is still no justice for my daughter," she added.

Hutchins, 42, was a Ukrainian cinematographer on the rise and a mother of a young son when she was killed. She grew up on a remote Soviet military base and worked on documentary films in Eastern Europe before studying film in Los Angeles and embarking on a promising movie-making career.

A New Mexico judge dismissed an involuntary manslaughter charge against Baldwin in the fatal shooting. But while the threat of criminal liability was lifted, he is facing other civil lawsuits, including one by Solovey.

The film armorer, Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, received the maximum sentence of 18 months in jail for involuntary manslaughter. A New Mexico judge found earlier this year that her recklessness amounted to a serious violent offense. Prosecutors blamed Gutierrez-Reed for unwittingly bringing live ammunition onto the set of “Rust,” where it was expressly prohibited, and for failing to follow basic gun-safety protocols.

This year's CameraImage festival has already been beset by controversy.

“Blitz” director Steve McQueen dropped out of the festival to protest an editorial about female cinematographers written by festival founder Marek Żydowicz which McQueen viewed as sexist. Żydowicz has since apologized.