Started in 2014, Cinema Space is a fully voluntary and independent initiative to share beautifully restored classics and contemporary world cinema through free community screenings for audiences and enthusiasts in Abu Dhabi. Come one, come all, and bring guests to discover essential cinema! Explore programs below.
All programs are free and open to audiences. RSVP is mandatory due to limited seating.
Please select an upcoming program in the 'All Programs' section below and click on the RSVP button to view information about the film and reserve your spot. You will receive an automatic email confirmation after registering on the individual film page.
Programs are hosted at the Manarat Al Saadiyat Auditorium unless stated otherwise in the event description.
(Programs dates and times are subject to change.)
Celebrate Ingmar Bergman's centenary with a selection of films presented by the Embassy of Sweden in Abu Dhabi.
Explore ongoing programs of Italian cinema presented in collaboration with the Embassy of Italy in Abu Dhabi.
Explore ongoing programs of Korean cinema presented in collaboration with the Korean Cultural Center in the UAE.
Explore ongoing programs of German cinema presented in collaboration with the Goethe-Institut Gulf Region.
Explore new programs of Spanish cinema presented in collaboration with the Embassy of Spain in Abu Dhabi.
Explore ongoing programs presented in collaboration with Institut francais and Sorbonne University Abu Dhabi.
Free Film Screening
Presented by the Embassy of Italy in Abu dhabi
Fuocoammare (Original Title)
Directed by Gianfranco Rosi
Italy | 2016 | 108 minutes
In Italian with English Subtitles
RATING: PG-13
Synopsis: An Academy Award nominee for Best Documentary Feature and the first nonfiction film to ever win the top prize at the Berlin International Film Festival, Fire at Sea takes place in Lampedusa, a remote Mediterranean island that has become a major entry point for refugees into Europe. There, we meet Samuele, a 12-year-old boy who lives simply, climbing rocks by the shore and playing with his slingshot. Nearby, we bear witness as thousands of men, women, and children risk their lives to make the brutal crossing from Africa. Award-winning filmmaker Gianfranco Rosi masterfully juxtaposes these realities, jolting the audience into a new understanding of what is happening in the region, the heavy toll of the migrant crisis, and the price of freedom.
Free Film Screening (Family Friendly)
(NEW FILM RESTORATION!)
Directed by Frank Capra
USA | 1946 | 130 minutes
In English
RATING: G (General Audiences)
Synopsis: A timeless classic, director Frank Capra's It’s a Wonderful Life was nominated for five Academy Awards and focuses on the story of George Bailey (James Stewart), a struggling businessman who becomes so disillusioned with his small-town life that he contemplates taking drastic measures. His guardian angel, Clarence (Henry Travers), soon intervenes and helps George discover the true value of love and friendship as well as the indelible impact he has made on his home community of Bedford Falls. The film's magnificent supporting cast features unforgettable performances by Donna Reed, Lionel Barrymore, Beulah Bondi, Ward Bond and Gloria Grahame. Seventy years later, Capra’s life-affirming fantasy continues to be a heartwarming experience for viewers of all generations.
Free Film Screening
(NEW FILM RESTORATION!)
Presented by the Embassy of Sweden in Abu Dhabi
Höstsonaten (Original Title)
Directed by Ingmar Bergman
Sweden | 1978 | 93 minutes
In Swedish | English Subtitles
RATING: PG (Parental Guidance is advised)
Synopsis: Autumn Sonata was the only collaboration between cinema’s two great Bergmans: Ingmar and Ingrid, the monumental star of Casablanca. The grande dame, playing an icy concert pianist, is matched beat for beat in ferocity by the filmmaker’s recurring lead Liv Ullmann, as her eldest daughter who she largely abandoned to pursue a career. Over the course of a day and a long, painful night that the two spend together after an extended separation, they finally confront the bitter discord of their relationship. This cathartic pas de deux, evocatively shot in burnished harvest colors, ranks among the director’s major dramatic works and earned Oscar nominations for Ingrid’s performance and Ingmar’s original screenplay.
Free Film Screening
Directed by Alfonso Cuarón
Mexico | 2018 | 135 minutes
In Spanish with English Subtitles
RATING: 18+
Synopsis: Alfonso Cuarón's semi-autobiographical Roma is an immersive, compassionate technical masterwork that, though set in the 1970s, speaks directly to contemporary Mexican society. Cleo (Yalitza Aparicio) works as a live-in maid and nanny for an upper-middle-class family in Mexico City's Roma district. When the family patriarch departs for an unusually protracted business trip, his wife, Sofia (Marina de Tavira), is left at home. While Cleo helps Sofia take care of the children, she is dumped by her self-absorbed boyfriend after he discovers she is pregnant. As both women face the possibility of single motherhood, it's obvious that their disparate levels of social status will differently impact their possible futures. Cuarón tells us an epic story of everyday life while also gently sweeping us into a vast cinematic experience, in which time and space breathe and majestically unfold. Shot in breathtaking black and white and featuring a sound design that represents something new in the medium, Roma is a truly visionary work.
Free Film Screening (Family Friendly)
(NEW FILM RESTORATION!)
Directed by George Seaton
USA | 1947 | 96 minutes
In English
RATING: G (General Audiences)
Synopsis: The holiday season is in full swing when a cultured gentleman with twinkling eyes, an ample belly, and a snowy beard (Edmund Gwenn) is hired as a Macy’s department store Santa in New York City. He claims his name is Kris Kringle, and his gentle, joyous nature soon fills everyone with Christmas spirit ... except for his boss Doris Walker (Maureen O'Hara), a world-weary mother who is raising her daughter (Natalie Wood) to not believe in Santa. But when Kringle is declared insane, and put on trial, everyone's faith is put to the test as young and old alike face the age-old question: Do you believe in Santa Claus? Director George Seaton's irresistible fable has, for many years, become synonymous with celebrating Christmas and is a cherished holiday family tradition.
Free Film Screening
Un conte de Noël (Original Title)
Directed Arnaud Desplechin
France | 2008 | 152 minutes
In French with English Subtitles
Rating: 18+ (Suitable for viewers ages 18 and above)
Synopsis: In Arnaud Desplechin’s beguiling A Christmas Tale (Un conte de Noël), Catherine Deneuve brings her legendary poise to the role of Junon, matriarch of the troubled Vuillard family, who come together at Christmas after she learns she needs a bone marrow transplant from a blood relative. That simple family reunion setup, however, can’t begin to describe the unpredictable, emotionally volatile experience of this film, an inventive, magical drama that’s equal parts merriment and melancholy. Unrequited childhood loves and blinding grudges, brutal outbursts and sudden slapstick, music, movies, and poetry, A Christmas Tale ties it all together in a marvelously messy package.
Program Details Announcing Soon!
Overview: Experience beautiful and extraordinary classics showcasing works from renowned filmmakers around the world. Each film has been gloriously revived as a cinematic revelation for you to discover through the art of preserving and restoring cinema. These revivals celebrate the many joys of cinema featuring selections of outstanding works of world cinema.
Program Details Announcing Soon!
Overview: Exciting and original storytelling from international filmmakers where you can discover a director’s first or second feature film, fresh styles and challenging ideas in narrative work from around the world. Also included are nonfiction films that explore remarkable stories and issues in the world around us.
