Last month, Abu Dhabi held the inaugural edition of the Middle East International Film Festival (MEIFF). It was an intentionally lower-key affair than its glitzy, red-carpet counterpart which takes place every year in Dubai, and was somehow dwarfed by the immensity of the venue. So long were the walking distances, so empty some of the corridors and so thick the carpet in the labyrinthine interior of the Emirates Palace hotel that you occasionally felt as if you were on the set of The Shining as opposed to the Abu Dhabi corniche. Whilst there was no Jack Nicholson, the organizers certainly managed to ship in — no doubt with the help of substantial financial inducements — some big Hollywood names. Veteran Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein was in attendance, and Paul Haggis, whose writing credits include Casino Royale and Crash, was recruited to give a master class on screenwriting. In fact, although
