A total of 14 German films will be screened in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) over the next few days. For the first time, we are organising a SCHLiNGEL in Abu Dhabi in close cooperation with the Goethe-Institut Gulf Region. For this first edition, festival director Michael Harbauer and director Stefan Westerwelle will be travelling to Abu Dhabi.

From 6 to 8 June, the SCHLiNGEL in Abu Dhabi will take place for the first time in the capital of the UAE. In cooperation with and organised locally by the Goethe-Institut Gulf Region, young viewers can currently enjoy the award-winning feature films WEEKEND REBELS, A SUMMER OF SURPRISES and INTO THE BEAT at the Art Center of New York University Abu Dhabi. Director Stefan Westerwelle, who has almost become a ‘’permanent guest‘’ at SCHLiNGEL in Chemnitz in recent years, will be on side to answer questions from the audience about his films A SUMMER OF SURPRISES and INTO THE BEAT. In addition, a programme consisting of a total of eleven German short films will be shown on the big screen.

Michael Harbauer has also travelled to Abu Dhabi to accompany the events. This is already the second trip to this part of the world for our festival director this year. He was already a guest in the UAE at the beginning of 2024 as part of a pre-trip. This enabled him to clarify the exact conditions on site in order to ultimately provide the young spectators with the best possible festival experience. "It was a surprise when the invitation to Abu Dhabi came. Based on previous experience with international screenings, SCHLiNGEL was invited by the Goethe-Institut in the Gulf region to present German films for a young audience on the Arabian Peninsula for the first time,’ says Michael Harbauer in the run-up to the event.

The idea of organising a SCHLiNGEL in Abu Dhabi was initiated by institute director Gabriele Becker. She was already the director of the Goethe-Institut in Tashkent and in this position was involved in the organisation of the Shum Bola. Based on these positive experiences, the project has now been launched to present German films in the Arab world in a similar way.

The film screenings in Abu Dhabi are organised in cooperation with the Goethe-Institut Gulf Region and are financially supported by the Mitteldeutsche Medienförderung MDM and the Saxon State Chancellery.