UAE film industry pays tribute to Tim Smythe

Tributes and salutes have poured in from the UAE film industry for Dubai-based producer Tim Smythe, who died on Monday evening after a long battle with cancer aged 54.

“Tim was my mentor whom I loved and respected,” said director Ali Mostafa. Mostafa, who is currently in Los Angeles, had worked with Smythe, 54, on his first feature-length production City Of Life.

“He was like family and he was always there for me. The UAE has lost the man behind the film industry. A big loss for us. My prayers are with his family. A monument should be made in the Studio Sity. It’s such sad news,” he added.

As soon as news of Smythe’s death emerged, many industry insiders took to Twitter to express their sadness. Smythe became a household name after his Dubai-based production company Filmworks facilitated the filming of Tom Cruise’s blockbuster Mission: Impossible: Ghost Protocol in the city.

“A great person & mind. The UAE film scene lost the key player. May his soul rest in peace. Truly sad!,” tweeted Nawaf Al Janahi, the Emirati director who made Sea Shadow.

A prominent player in the UAE film scene, Smythe is considered a pioneer in putting the UAE on the map as a leading film-shoot location. Under his watchful eye, he has attracted big-budget Hollywood blockbusters such as Syriana and The Kingdom into this region. He also facilitated the shoot of China’s big-budget action thriller Switch starring Andy Lau as a special agent, billed as China’s answer to James Bond. Smythe worked closely with Dubai Film & TV Commission in projects ranging from Hollywood films to bolstering UAE local filmmaking talent.

“We have lost a leader &dear friend today. Tim Smythe leaves behind a legacy that will endure for years to come. Our condolences to his family,” was a message posted on the DFTC twitter page.

Dubai-based actor and comedian Jamal H Iqbal and Emirati director Khalid Al Mahmoud expressed their condolences.

“RIP Tim Smythe. A quiet dynamic mature powerhouse, who really believed the UAE could have a film industry,” said Iqbal on twitter.

This description aptly encapsulated Smythe’s personality and style of working. People who knew him say he does not have a boisterous bone in his body. Always discreet about his achievements, he usually emerged only after a project or a shoot is complete. He believed in the virtues of keeping a low profile and often reiterated in interviews that there was a long way to go for the UAE film industry scene. In a discussion held during the Dubai International Film Festival last year, Smythe famously compared the UAE’s growing filmmaking scene to the chicken and egg fable. He always urged local bodies to offer incentives that could lure global production houses into the UAE.

“I see something dramatic happening in the next three years. The studios need to be up and running, there needs to be incentives soft or hard in place. As I said, the egg has opened, the chicken is yet to be born. I have been trying to get this egg open for 14 years. I am very pleased with where [UAE film scene] is going. It will take three years to see a change,” said Smythe.

He moved from South Africa to the UAE in 1993 and set up Filmworks in 1998 and became the CEO. Very soon, his company started attracting the region’s top advertising companies and global brands. They later branched out into facilitating UAE shoots for major productions including Bourne Legacy.

Filmworks sent a statement to tabloid! on Wednesday.

“With all the resources in place Tim followed this major feat by kick-starting the feature film production industry in the country,” it read.

“Apart from being a consummate and ethical professional, he was a strong advocate of attracting top international talent while at the same time nurturing and cultivating local ones. He was a mentor to many and a friend to many more and thus he will be deeply missed. We bid him farewell and hope that he rests in peace and promise to preserve what he started and keep the dream alive.”