The NAAS Film Festival 2026 is here! On Wednesday, 6 May 2026, we open this year’s edition of the festival in Abu Dhabi — celebrating stories that explore one of the most universal themes of all: family.
Inspired by the United Arab Emirates’ official Year of the Family, the festival presents a curated selection of international films that highlight the diversity, strength, and emotional depth of familial relationships.
The NAAS Film Festival is a collaboration between several international cultural institutions in the UAE, including our Institute, the Goethe-Institut Gulf Region, the Embassies of France and Austria, in partnership with Manarat Al Saadiyat. Each year, it brings independent films to the screen that address socially relevant themes, creating spaces for exchange and dialogue.
We are happy to launch the festival with the German film Talking About the Weather (2022) — a nuanced portrait of family ties, ambition, and the search for a self‑determined life.
Wednesday, 6 May 2026 – 7 pm
Manarat Al Saadiyat, Abu Dhabi
More information & registration
Germany, 2022, 89 min,
Director/Writer: Annika Pinske
Clara has made it. She has left the East German provinces behind and now leads an independent life in Berlin, working as a lecturer while pursuing her PhD in philosophy. Between her professional ambitions, an affair with one of her students, and the demanding relationship with her doctoral supervisor Margot, there is little time left for family.
When Clara travels back home with her fifteen‑year‑old daughter to celebrate her motherInge’s60th birthday, she is confronted with her ideal of a free and self‑determined life. How high is the price she must pay for it?
Discesa Libera (Free Fall)
Wednesday, May 27 2026 – 7:00PM
Manarat Al Saadiyat
RSVP
Italy, 2025, 88min
Directed by: Sandro Torella
Manuel Falco is a young actor who, after an early success, finds himself avoided by everyone because of his excessive disrespectfulness. Alone and without any support, he is forced to start over, taking on modest jobs — among them caring for Vittorio, an elderly man with Alzheimer’s. When Vittorio is admitted to a clinic, Manuel follows him and attempts to “heal the patients through art.”This dream may mark Manuel’s own rebirth — and offer a glimmer of hope to those in his care.