Happening for the first time in the UAE, the international film festival caters to children and young audiences.
The dearth of kid-friendly films in cinemas is something any parent can attest to — and, no, fantasy violence should never qualify as appropriate for children, regardless of what the Motion Picture Association of America has to say. For three days this week, however, that’s about to change as Schlingel Abu Dhabi kicks off at NYUAD Arts Center on Thursday, 6 June.
Coming to the UAE for the first time, Schlingel is an international film festival for children and young audiences that originated in the German city of Chemnitz back in 1996. Annually, the festival presents an overview of the latest international productions in the realm of children and youth films, with the high calibre of the films represented guaranteed by international professional juries, FIPRESCI included.
The festival has been internationally active for years, presenting and curating German productions at multiple children and youth festivals worldwide: the Smile International Film Festival for Children & Youth in India, the Montreal International Children’s Film Festival in Canada, the Hakawy International Arts Festival for Children in Egypt, and the Shum Bola Children’s and Youth Film Festival in Uzbekistan.
Closer to home, Schlingel Abu Dhabi is organised by the Goethe-Institut Gulf Region in cooperation with The Arts Center at NYU Abu Dhabi. German children and youth films, as well as a programme of short films, will be presented to the capital’s youngest audiences from 6 to 9 June. A total of nine screenings are scheduled to take place in The Arts Center’s Black Box and, although all are free, pre-registration is required. The films are in German, but will screen with English subtitles.
On the line-up are titles like Weekend Rebels (directed by Marc Rothemund and suitable for ages 9-15) and A Summer of Surprises (directed by Stefan Westerwelle and suitable for ages ten and up). A programme of short films without language will span 11 films made for kids as young as four and up. Teenagers over 14, meanwhile, can catch Into the Beat, a drama that follows a ballerina who discovers hip-hop and is torn between her family’s legacy and pursuing her newfound love.
DSCVR: Schlingel Abu Dhabi. NYUAD Arts Center, Al Saadiyat Island, Saadiyat Marina District, Abu Dhabi. @nyuadartscenter
