The Abu Dhabi Film festival is underway, and, so far, 39 films have been screened at Marina Mall and the Emirates Palace. For the seventh consecutive year, the festival brings films, filmmakers and fans from around the world to Abu Dhabi for an explosive eight days.

To help you make the most of the festival without causing too much grief to your workload, here’s a quick schedule of films to see in the upcoming week.

If you haven’t purchased your tickets yet, show your NYU ID at the box office to receive a 10 AED discount. Although tickets are available either online or at the door, the student discount is only available with in-person purchases.

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“Enemy”

6:30 p.m.

Director: Denis Villeneuve

Canada, Spain 2013

In an adaption of Portuguese Nobel laureate José Saramago’s novel “The Double,” Jake Gyllenhaal plays a professor whose life takes a dramatic turn when he meets his doppelgänger. Described in Variety as possessing a “rich, sinister vibe” by Variety, “Enemy” is expected to be a gripping psychological thriller.

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“Like Father, Like Son”

9:15 p.m.

Director: Hirokazu Kore-eda

Japan, 2013

“Like Father, Like Son” is a subtle emotional drama about two families realizing that their sons were switched at birth. Described by The Guardian as a “beautiful, melancholic paean to paternity,” the film is making its debut in the Middle East.

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“Blackfish”

4:15 p.m.

Director: Gabriela Cowperthwaite

USA

A compelling and searing investigation into the consequences of killer whale captivity, “Blackfish” spans the history of this practice to create a compelling commentary on man’s tenuous relationship with nature. “Blackfish” is competing in the documentary film competition as well as the environmentalism-themed Our World competition.

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“Cairo Drive”

6:45 p.m. and Friday at 3:00 p.m.

Director: Sherief Elkatsha

Egypt

Shot from 2009 to 2012 in Egypt, this film traces the causes and complications of political turmoil in one of the largest metropolises in the world. Partially a product of an extensive crowd funding campaign, “Cairo Drive” is making its world premiere at the Abu Dhabi Film Festival.

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“Peace after Marriage”

9:15 p.m., as well as Thursday at 3:30 p.m.

Director: Ghazi Albuliwi

USA

An Arab comedy set in New York City, “Peace After Marriage” follows a lonely Palestinian-American man living with his parents who desperately craves companionship. When he gets involved in a green-card marriage with an Israeli woman, he and his family grapple with marriage, sex and cultural identity.

The Emirates Film Competition Narrative, which features eight films produced in the UAE, as well as other shorts competitions will be playing at three different times.

3:00 p.m. — EFC Narrative competition, UAE

6:15 p.m. — Shorts Competition 3, Tunisia, Korea, UAE, Croatia, Denmark

9:15 p.m. — Shorts Competition 4, Iran, Germany/Mexico, Palestine/Egypt/Qatar, Nepal, Canada

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“The Rooftops”

3:45 p.m.

Director: Merzak Allouache

Algeria, France, Qatar, 2013

From the man described as “Algeria’s most important living director” comes a documentary looking in on communities in five different neighborhoods in Algiers, showing the contradictions and complexities of this microcosm of Algerian society. This is the film’s Middle East premiere.

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“The Kill Team”

9:15 p.m., as well as Saturday at 2:45 p.m.

Director: Dan Krauss

USA

This documentary follows the true story of an American soldier who, after attempting to notify his superiors of the atrocities committed by his platoon in Afghanistan, finds himself at the center of an extensive war crime investigation. This is the film’s Middle East premiere.

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“Hide Your Smiling Faces”

6:30 p.m. and Monday at 9:15 p.m.

Director: Daniel Patrick Carbone

USA, 2013

Director Daniel Patrick Carbone developed and filmed his first feature “Hide Your Smiling Faces” while working as an instructor of the Arts and Media at NYU Abu Dhabi. Since then, his film has been shown at the Berlin, Tribeca and London Film Festivals. Now, with its Middle East premiere Monday evening in addition to Thursday’s showing, NYUAD gets the chance to see work from a former instructor and budding independent film director. Set in rural New Jersey, “Hide Your Smiling Faces” is a subtle yet striking exploration of two young brothers as they face the world after the death of a friend.

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“My Stolen Revolution”

6:30 p.m. and Monday at 9 p.m.

Director: Nahid Persson Sarvestani

Sweden, 2013

During the 1979 Iranian revolution, Nahid Persson Sarvestani fled the country, leaving behind her imprisoned brother and friends. Now, as a filmmaker ridden with guilt for leaving, Sarvestani pieces together what happened to those she left behind. This is the film’s Middle East premiere.

“The School of Babel”

3:00 p.m., and Wednesday at 6:30 p.m.

Director: Julie Bertuccelli

France, 2013

In a junior high school of Paris lies a crucible of multicultural immigrants, all grappling to adjust to a new life and language together. Over the course of a year, director Julie Bertuccelli films these 11-to-15-year olds through their growth and challenges living together in a new environment — perhaps an experience that will resonate for some students at NYUAD. This is the film’s Middle East premiere.

[embed width="480 height="270"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MjIjXuIZ16E[/embed]

“Bastardo”

3:15 p.m., and Wednesday at 6:15 p.m.

Director: Nejib Belkadhi

Tunisia, France, Qatar, 2013

A twisting tale transcending genres of film noir and magic realism, “Bastardo” follows an out-of-luck orphan in a Tunisian ghetto. The Toronto International Film Festival’s website describes it as “a contemporary allegory on the corruptive nature of power.”

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“The Double”

5:45 p.m., and Wednesday 9:15 p.m.

Director: Richard Ayoade

United Kingdom, 2013

The second doppelgänger film of the festival, Jesse Eisenberg of “The Social Network” notoriety, plays an office worker in the midst of an existential crisis when he discovers a more confident self has taken over his life. Based on the famous novella by Dostoyevsky, “The Double” is both dark and comedic.

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“Quissa”

9:00 p.m.

Director: Anup Singh

India, Germany, Netherlands, France, 2013

The film, set in postcolonial 1947 India, follows a Sikh whose family and home life changes when he must flee his home village in order to escape ethnic cleansing. The film stars Irrfan Khan from "Life of Pi."