When the dream comes true

Soon, Dubai Studio city's various facilities will be complete, with the conclusion of work on the project.

The studios are spacious, with state-of-the-art equipment and experienced staff, and are ready to take off and start cinematic work.

This is backed by the strong will of the officials, especially Dr Amina Al Rustamani, Executive Director of Media at Tecom Investments, who want to open all doors for filmmakers from all over the world, welcoming them to make their television and cinema productions in these studios.

As part of the city's economic plans, the goal is to make Dubai a cinema hub for filmmakers of all nationalities, and a first choice for producers and financers as a permanent workstation, even if all they need is technical or executive services.

The management did not wait until the studios were opened to start accepting shooting requests. A year and a half ago, Syriana's cast was in the city, shooting parts of the movie. The film was directed by Stephen Gaghan and starred Matt Damon and George Clooney, who was also the producer.
Clooney told me last year, just before the movie was shown, about his experience in Dubai.

“It was beneficial from many aspects. I got to know how devoted the officials are to developing this sector and encouraging cinema work, and I was glad that ours was the first long American film to be shot there,'' he said.

Syriana is a special film with a sensitive story, and can only be shot in an Arab country.

About 20 per cent of the film's $50 million (Dh183. 5 million) budget was spent in the UAE. The film made more than $50 million (Dh183. 5 million) in the US, and about $85 million (Dh312 million) in other countries. The investment really paid off.

It is true that very few people decide to watch a movie based on its shooting location, but the film's selection of this location to create a realistic sense is very important to the whole cinematic experience.

The Kingdom, produced by Miami Vice director Michael Mann, was also shot in the UAE. Mann is best known for his realistic sense. So much so that when he shot Heat with Al Pacino and Robert De Niro, he recreated the battle scenes so realistically that they could be taken for real.

He was also willing to replace the imagined place, which is the Arizona desert, with the real location, even for part of the film.

It was said that the cast and crew, including director Peter Berg and actors Jamie Foxx and Chris Cooper enjoyed their experience in Dubai professionally and personally.

Production company Rotana has also shot the first Saudi film, Kaif Al Hal (How Are You?) in the UAE. The success of the production and technical teams at Dubai Studio City was overwhelming.

Ayman Halawani says: “This cooperation made us realise we were right when we decided to shoot the whole film in Dubai. I don't believe there is any other Arab country who could provide anything better, easier and more suitable.''