Something for nothing: a day as a volunteer at the ADFF

He was very nice about it. Indeed, he said it with an apologetic smile. But it was still like a kick in the teeth: "No, thank you." It's impossible to believe that three little words can pack such a big punch. "But you've got to have one. I packed it myself." "No, truly, you're very kind, but I don't want one." And away he went. Leaving behind one crestfallen Abu Dhabi Film Festival (ADFF) volunteer and the "goodie bag" I had meticulously filled. OK, fair enough, it wasn't jammed with A-list goodies like those pictured in Oasis on Sunday. There were no offers of a shave and manicure, nor a BlackBerry 9990. There weren't even any T-shirts. To be honest, it wasn't packed with much at all, really. It held a programme along with a pen, a notebook and sheets of A4 paper providing useful information about the film industry. But even so, it was part of me. It was one of dozens of bags I had filled during my first few hours of being a volunteer for the fifth annual festival. The film director, whose name I shall keep to myself so as not to embarrass him further, was, however, the only person not to accept one out of all those who entered the registration room on the lower floor of the Fairmont Bab Al Bahr hotel. Jordan Gelber, one of the stars of the movie Dark Horse, which screened at Marina Mall on Sunday night and can be seen again this afternoon at Abu Dhabi Theatre, was delighted. In fact, so delighted was he that when the film's director, Todd Solondz, walked into the room, he announced: "Todd, this is the bag man. You must take one." As I handed him the bag, the man from New Jersey, who is said to be dark and thought-provoking, looked, right at that moment, very dark and extremely thought-provoking. He stared at it with some degree of doubt written all over his face. "You must take it; the bag man packed it," insisted Gelber, who has appeared in shows including Law & Order: Criminal Intent and The Sopranos, and who plays the angry 35-year-old Abe in Dark Horse. Solondz had celebrated his 52nd birthday the day before so maybe he looked upon it as a late birthday gift and gratefully accepted it before he and Gelber put their names down for a trip to the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque. Maybe they'll take the bags with them, I thought. Roget's Thesaurus will tell you that to volunteer is to offer your services free of charge. I have been brought up believing in never volunteering for anything, but the many hundreds of residents - from students to expatriate wives who had seen advertisements at their universities or women's clubs - who volunteered to work for the film festival all this week were all clearly enjoying themselves. Karen Patricolo's husband is a surgeon so, maybe because of this, or more likely because she likes to keep busy while helping others, she is a serial volunteer. Rather than spending all her free time drinking coffee or shopping at malls, Karen likes to be useful. Much of her time is spent in Abu Dhabi hospitals helping with patients, whether it is playing in the hospital playroom with cancer-stricken children, or laughing and joking with seriously ill patients while taking them on at computer games. "I suppose you could say that this is a bit of light relief for me, but I just love it," the mother from Hertfordshire in England said. "When I heard the ADFF was looking for people to help out, I just had to apply." Karen was joined in manning the registration desk by Nikhil Nuttap, a 24-year-old Indian student who was born in Abu Dhabi. They were making sure the filmmakers, whether actors, directors or producers, were issued with the right badges and accreditation. After they had done their bit, it was my job to pounce with one of my bags.