Film CultureA New York Times article today (30 August 2009) examines the film culture in the UAE and concludes it is still developing in terms of movie production and the formation of a media community.
As the film culture matures, Brian Stelter identifies the enormous hurdles in producing movies that abide by Islamic norms—no drinking, no cursing, no dramatic display of affection and no inappropriate swimwear.
The canceling of the shooting of a portion of ‘Sex in the City’ this month in Dubai due to moral reasons brought the difficulties into focus.
Million Dollar Drama
The headline in Al Bawaba (31 August 2009) entitled, ‘A Million Dollar[s] for the Best Ramadan Drama Production’ highlights that raising money for the arts in the Emirates is the least of their worries.
The Dubai Media City is releasing Dubai’s Best Arabic Drama award to promote Gulf and Arabic Drama that is currently being aired on Dubai’s different satellite channels.
The award is 4 million dirhams or 1 million US dollars.
Links for the full articles:
Brian Stelter, Still in Development: A Film Culture in Dubai, New York Times, 30 August 2009.
A Million Dollar[s] for the Best Ramadan Drama Production, Al Bawaba, 31 August 2009.
Further
Get Your Film Produced in Abu Dhabi, ETE, 3 September 2008.
On Related Sites
I Know I’m Back in Fujairah UAE at Ramadan When…, Fujairah in Focus, 30 August 2009.
Take a Look at the America’s Cup Venue at RAK, America’s Cup in the UAE, 31 August 2009.
Dr Geoff Pound
Geoff can be contacted by email at geoffpound(at)gmail.com on Facebook and Twitter.
Ask him for details about advertizing and links on his sites.
Image: “Syriana,” a 2005 film with Matt Damon, left, and Alexander Siddig, is one of only two Western movies to be partly filmed in the United Arab Emirates.
