There's a seriously cool film festival happening in Abu Dhabi this week
Running from May 26 to June 1, this weeklong festival of independent cinema isn't just about watching movies – it's about sparking conversations, honouring heritage, unpacking identities and maybe even rethinking your place in the world.
Split into seven themed days, CineMAS 2025 sets the stage for daring films curated by some of the region's sharpest cinematic minds.
It all kicks off with Moral Frictions on Monday – a programme shaped by Triplets on Set – which dissects institutional decay through the eyes of beleaguered educators in The Teacher's Lounge and About Dry Grasses. It's the kind of viewing that leaves your mind racing long after the credits roll.
Tuesday's Hidden Truths, curated by Arab Film Studio, lifts the veil on the intimate corners of Emirati life, with a selection of shorts that tackle everything from loss to shame with a raw emotional punch. These aren't just stories – they're lived experiences turned into visual poetry.
Midweek, things get environmental. Earth, Unmuted, from The Climate Tribe, serves up a climate reality check with the haunting Invisible Demons and the award-winning Honeyland, reminding us that climate collapse isn't future fiction – it's already here and it's human-made.
By Thursday, it's all about roots. Ancestral Echoes brings heritage to the forefront with Rituals: Memories of a Wedding and The Way of Our Ancestors, a gentle, evocative call to remember who we are and where we came from – and maybe light a candle for what we've forgotten.
Friday tightens the emotional screws with Pressure Point, curated by Like Minds. Saudi noir Mandoob sits alongside the chaotic charm of Be Kind, Rewind, creating a space where memory, labour and grief collide in unexpected ways.
Saturday leans into duplicity with Double Lives, a gritty double bill tracing fractured identities and collapsing systems from Algiers to Hong Kong. Think crime, corruption and loyalties hanging by a thread.
The festival closes on a high – or rather, a haunting – with Futures on Hold from NYUAD, featuring three Arab films that confront statelessness and disillusionment head-on. Mahdi Fleifel's To A Land Unknown, Laila Abbas's razor-sharp Thank You for Banking with Us and Scandar Copti's Happy Holidays are each an aching reminder of what happens when identity becomes unstable ground.
Beyond the screen, CineMAS 2025 also delivers side events like DINE W/ME, Creative Circle and Like Minds Gatherings, turning Manarat Al Saadiyat into a creative ecosystem pulsing with bold ideas, new voices and much-needed dialogue.
So if you're tired of sequels and superhero fatigue, CineMAS 2025 is your passport to something real – challenging, local, urgent and unforgettable.
From Dhs30. Mon May 26 to Sun June 1. Manarat Al Saadiyat. manaratalsaadiyat.ae.
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