'Lazhar' preem, party start Abu Dhabi Fest

ABU DHABI -- The fifth Abu Dhabi Film Festival bowed Thursday with "Monsieur Lazhar," Canada's entry for foreign-language Oscar consideration. While you will discover some changes for the event -- the emirate's Circle Conference confab, which frequently draws a slew of worldwide industryites, remains nixed -- that didn't stop the fest from beginning immediately. "Lazhar," starring Mohamed Fellag, Emilien Neron and Sophie Nelisse, was examined inside a new outdoors venue powering the Fairmont Hotel, marking the first time the opening-evening film has unspooled outdoors. No matter the Gulf warmth, the large event came a substantial crowd and auds later made the short walk for the trendy after-party within the hotel. "I used to be nervous to look for the way the crowd would sit from it being outdoors," mentioned Abu Dhabi Film Fest professional director Peter Scarlet. "But everyone made an appearance to relish it." "Monsieur Lazhar," directed by Philippe Falardeau, follows an Algerian immigrant in Montreal hired just like a alternative teacher. A notable change as of this year's opening might be the heavy presence of Arab and Gulf industryites as well as the slightly reduced volume of bizzers off their corners in the globe -- a manifestation, possibly, in the fest's intention to put more focus on developing a regional film infrastructure. A slew of Arab thesps attended the after-party, including Egyptian actor Mahmoud Abdel Aziz, Egyptian actress-singer Bushra and Syrian thesp Faris Alhilo. Egyptian thesp Laila Elouis, Iranian thesp Fatemeh Simin Motamed-Ayra and French actress Marianne Denicourt -- all jury people -- also mingled. This Years fest includes world preems of Mike Neave's "Almost for one another,Inch Amr Salama's "Asma'a," Michael Brandt's "The Double," Safinez Bousbia's "El Gusto" and Nawaf Al-Janahi's "Sea Shadow," the initial Abu Dhabi production within the emirate's $1 billion production arm Image Nation. Fest shuts March. 22. Contact Diana Lodderhose at diana.lodderhose@variety.com