ABU DHABI (ALETIHAD)
Louvre Abu Dhabi has a special treat in store for movie aficionados: Cannes Film Nights, a programme of acclaimed films running from May 12 to 16, screened in the museum's atmospheric setting.
Curated from the Festival de Cannes archive and presented in collaboration with the Institut français in the United Arab Emirates, and the support of Rinku Awtani, Cannes Film Nights brings together award-winning features, restored classics and critically acclaimed masterpieces over five consecutive evenings.
Held in the Louvre Abu Dhabi Auditorium at 7pm every evening, the cinema line-up includes:
May 12 – The Count of Monte Cristo
Premiering at the Festival de Cannes and later recognised with major international awards, "The Count of Monte Cristo" follows Edmond Dantès, a young sailor betrayed and falsely imprisoned on the day of his wedding. Confined for years within the walls of the Château d'If, Edmond's fate changes when a fellow prisoner reveals the truth behind his downfall. Escaping captivity and armed with a mysterious fortune, he returns under a new identity to confront those who destroyed his life in a powerful story of justice, transformation and revenge.
May 13 – Sweet Bean
Selected to open Un Certain Regard at the Festival de Cannes, "Sweet Bean" tells a quiet, compassionate story of human connection. Sentaro runs a small dorayaki shop, living a routine life until Tokue, an elderly woman, asks to help in the kitchen. Her exceptional skill in making sweet red bean paste transforms the business, but as their relationship deepens, past wounds and hidden regrets surface. The film unfolds as a tender exploration of empathy, healing and the bonds formed through shared experience.
May 14 – Said Effendi
Selected for Cannes Classics at the Festival de Cannes and internationally recognised with a nomination at the 1959 Moscow International Film Festival, Said Effendi is set in 1950s Baghdad. The film follows a school teacher who moves his family to a modest new neighbourhood after being forced to leave their former home. As tensions with a neighbour escalate from childhood disputes into open conflict, Said is confronted with difficult questions about responsibility, restraint, and how to uphold his values in a society under growing strain.
15 May – Sentimental Value
Winner of the Grand Prix at the Festival de Cannes and later awarded the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film, "Sentimental Value" centres on sisters Nora and Agnes as they reunite with their estranged father, Gustav, a once celebrated filmmaker seeking a return to relevance. When Gustav offers Nora a role in his new film and she refuses, the casting of a young Hollywood star reopens old wounds. What follows is a delicate family reckoning shaped by unresolved loyalties, resentment, and the fragile possibility of reconciliation.
16 May – Flow
Nominated in Un Certain Regard at the Festival de Cannes and later awarded the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature, "Flow" is a wordless, visually striking journey set in a world abandoned by humans. When a catastrophic flood destroys his home, Cat is forced onto a drifting boat with a group of unfamiliar animals. As they navigate submerged landscapes and an uncertain future, survival depends on cooperation, trust and adaptation. "Flow" explores connection and resilience at the edge of a transformed world.
*Tickets are Dh30 and can be booked on the official Louvre Abu Dhabi website.