The international acclaimed timelapse film ‘Awaken’, which was partially shot in Dubai, has now secured a release on Apple TV in the UAE and the Middle East.
‘Awaken’, which has previously been released in the US and European markets on the streaming platform, explores humanity’s relationship with technology and the natural world.
Shot entirely in 4K over five years across 30 countries, including the UAE, the film pioneers state-of-the-art timelapse, slow motion, underwater and aerial cinematography techniques to give audiences new eyes with which to see the planet.
Hollywood actress Liv Tyler, best known for films such as ‘The Lord of the Rings’ trilogy and ‘Armageddon’, serves as a narrator on the project, while Terrence Malick (‘Tree of Life’) and Godfrey Reggio (‘QATSI’ documentary series) serve as executive producers.
With an 83-minute runtime, ‘Awaken’ director Tom Lowe, who has pioneered timelapse photography techniques and has previously been named Astronomy Photographer of the Year by the Royal Observatory in Greenwich, London, also spoke about the efforts that went into making the film.
“One of our early goals for ‘Awaken’ was to make a film that could compete visually, on a spectacle level, against blockbusters like ‘Avengers’ or ‘Star Wars’, but to shoot everything ‘in camera’, with no visual effects or compositing. ‘Awaken’ is an exploration of the Earth, a celebration of existence and an ode to the cosmos,” he said in a statement.
To achieve the vision of ‘Awaken’, Lowe worked closely with Dubai Film, a Shamal portfolio company, to conceive and build several pieces of custom-made camera equipment and bespoke robotics.
“Dubai Film is one of the largest production companies in the Middle East and since our launch in 2012, we have won multiple awards in the fields of photography and production. ‘Awaken’ is a mesmerising and deeply thought-provoking production that captures the spirit of the natural world in all its forms,” Omar Obaid Eisa, General Manager, Dubai Film said in a statement.
