It's nearing midnight on the set of the UAE's first full-length feature film, City of Life, and Emirati director Ali Mostafa has been calling the shots for the last several hours.
The scene to be caught on camera seems relatively simple - his lead characters are at a private pool party at a palatial villa in Al Barsha, chilling out after a hard day's work.
But the atmosphere behind the camera is by no definition party-like. Technicians are underwater to fix psychedelic lights in the pool, cameramen station their equipment fixing it to just the right angle, while director Mostafa dashes up to the actor Ahmad Ahmad to discuss the scene ahead while shouting instructions to the extras.
The pressure is obvious, but it has not dampened the 27-year-old filmmaker's spirits.
"I have never felt this alive. I love being the commander in chief of this crew," were the first words uttered by Mostafa before he sat down on a plush couch.
With this multi-lingual feature film, Mostafa will become the first Emirati to write, co-produce and direct a movie made exclusively in Dubai. A natural transition, many would say, since his graduation film Under The Sun won the Best Emirates Film in 2006 at the annual Emirates Film Competition held in Abu Dhabi and generated quite a buzz in the international cinema festival circuits.
He was also nominated for Best Foreign Film at the San Fernando Valley International Film Festival in California and went on to win the Best Emirati Filmmaker gong at the Dubai International Film Festival in 2007.
"We are attempting to do something that has never been done before. Many of us working on the sets today have spent our lives working on TV commercials. But now we are attempting to make a movie which meets global standards. The scale is truly international and it's made from start to finish in Dubai," says Mostafa.
But putting together a tale about Dubai and its residents whose lives intertwine after an accidental meeting did not have the best of starts. The London Film School alumnus and an ad maker to clients such as etisalat and Nissan had to make his peace with a number of rejections.
"I have been working on this project for the last two and a half years. Getting the funding was almost impossible in the beginning. And later came the issue of casting. At first I had approached many international stars, but later I realised they somehow did not share my vision," says Mostafa.
Cut to 2009, life seems a lot brighter for him. With something akin to a proud parent, Mostafa believes he hit a casting coup of sorts. Brightening his life are a set of eclectic actors from the Arabic, Hollywood and Bollywood industry. The line-up includes Saud Al Kaabi, Jason Flemyng, Alexandra Maria Lara, Natalie Dormer, Sonu Sood and Jaaved Jafferi.
"I don't want to take names, but initially I approached many established actors. And looking back, some of them did not even suit the character I had in mind. After a lot of hunting, I have come upon a set of the most generous and talented actors," says Mostafa.
He says he feels the actors share his common goal of creating an imminently watchable film. His admiration is not one-sided. In our brief chat, a string of actors, technicians and camera men called out "Ali" as they passed by.
While Mostafa may have won over his brood with effortless ease, it was not as easy to tackle the numerous location changes.
"One of the first lessons learnt is to choose fewer locations. We will be shooting in 42 locations and let me tell you, it's not easy. With all these location changes we are always on a tight schedule to finish the scenes. So the next time around, I might opt for fewer locations."
The next few weeks will see Mostafa and his crew park themselves around Dubai - on Shaikh Zayed Road, local markets and indoor cafés.
But these problems were soon forgotten as he came back to his pet topic: the script. So was the story of his life woven into his screenplay?
"It's not autobiographical per se. But the experiences are real. I have lived in Dubai and most of what you see there are my experiences. At the end of the day, it's an ensemble piece that reflects the rich culture, the heritage and the vibrant people living here."
After having picked up the camera at the age of nine, Mostafa also feels his project would be one of the ventures that would help the Arabic film industry gain a toehold on the international stage.
"I think it's for the first time such a project has been taken up. Everyone, including the police and the government agencies are supporting us and for the first time ever, people are becoming aware about such a project taking shape in Dubai. That has never happened. It's a beacon for the rest of the filmmakers," says Mostafa.
Eager to showcase it to the world, City of Life will also be navigating the film festival circuit.
"It's a multi-lingual film that will appeal to a broad range of audience, so I hope to premiere it in the Dubai International Film Festival and then take it around the world."
City Of Life in a nutshell:
The central plot revolves around three parallel lives a privileged young male Emirati at odds with his cultural identity and his less fortunate street smart friend; a disillusioned Indian taxi driver who bears an uncanny resemblance to a famous Bollywood star and a former Romanian ballet dancer now working as a flight attendant searching for love and companionship.
