The British Council is bringing a special Charles Dickens retrospective to the Abu Dhabi International Book Fair.

Working with the Abu Dhabi Film Festival, the British Council will present a programme of 10 films based on or inspired by Dickens at the Marina Mall in Abu Dhabi from March 27-April 2.

The UK is the country of focus of this year’s book fair.

The Dickens programme first ran at the BFI Southbank in London in January.

“This year marks the bicentenary of Charles Dickens’ birth, and Charles Dickens has long been an inspiration for filmmakers, TV producers, and artists alike. Through this collaboration with ADFF, around ADIBF, and with such a burgeoning arts, culture and literature scene in the UAE, we expect the ‘Dickens on Film’ programme to be welcomed with enthusiasm by the local and expatriate communities in the UAE,” said Michel Bechara, Head of Projects, of British Council in the UAE.

“Not only does this wonderful series present a selection of skilled adaptations of literature to film, but it offers a chance to see some outstanding performances by British screen stars such as Dirk Bogarde, Joyce Grenfell, Alec Guinness, Valerie Hobson, John Mills, Alastair Sim and Jean Simmons. Not to mention Toronto-born Christopher Plummer, who received his long-overdue first Oscar just a few weeks ago, and two icons of the silent era, Lon Chaney and Jackie Coogan, who star in the greatest rarity of the series, Frank Lloyd’s recently rediscovered 1922 silent version of Oliver Twist,” added ADFF Executive Director Peter Scarlet.

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