ImageNation, the film production arm of the Abu Dhabi Media Company, is still a young organisation but it has already made its presence felt in the movie world. Fair Game, a retelling of the Valerie Plame affair starring Naomi Watts and Sean Penn, was a contender for the Palme d'Or at Cannes two weeks ago. It's only the latest Abu Dhabi production to see theatres.
Other notable achievements include the Bollywood blockbuster My Name is Khan and Shorts, Robert Rodiguez's action adventure for children. The company is also fostering film in the Emirates with a slate of six new films.
Nawaf al Janahi will direct the first of ImageNation's Emirati features.
The filmmaker, who previously directed the highly regarded philosophical thriller The Circle, has signed up to make Sea Shadow, a coming-of-age story set in the Emirates. It will be the first of ImageNation's homegrown titles to go into production, followed by films provisionally titled Million's Poet, Djinn, Alaska, Monsoon and Alis and Aishas.
"We were working on the film in 2009, as a feature film project, and the original plan was to produce it independently," says al Janahi. "Then ImageNation approached us. They were very interested in the concept and idea that we were working on. And with them having these beautiful strategies to develop these Emirati feature films, we started talking and things went on from that point."
Sea Shadow tells the story of two 16-year-old boys, Mansour and Kaltham, who go on a journey of self-discovery after their home life is disrupted. "We were mainly concerned about this character who was growing up," says al Janahi, "and trying to discover his emotions and first loves among other elements like family relationships and the culture surrounding the family."
I suggest that the film sounds lighter in tone than his previous feature, but al Janahi disagrees. "It has its own dark side," he says. "I don't want to spoil it for the audience."
The screenwriter on the project is the novelist and TV writer Mohammed Hassan Ahmed. He and al Janahi started developing the film as a short two years ago, but came to feel the idea had enough mileage in it for a feature. That's when ImageNation got involved. "We started working on the scenario in a more professional way, and over the next couple of months we'll start shooting the movie," says Ahmed. "The main objective of this movie is to have our presence at international festivals."
If Sea Shadow has the makings of a festival hit or prestige picture, a couple of the other films on the slate suggest more obvious commercial potential. Djinn, for example, is a horror written by the American screenwriter David Tully, whose previous credits include the Anglo-German horror co-production Hepzibah.
"The basic pitch is that a young couple moves into a luxury new high-rise in Al Hamra," he says. "It's an abandoned fishing village above Dubai that is filled with tonnes of legends about djinns - and they actually are building these two luxury high-rises up there, which is what gave me the idea for it." The couple, who are Emiratis, find their new neighbourhood almost deserted. The few neighbours they have don't inspire confidence, either. Then the wife disappears. "From there," says Tully, "things get more complicated and bizarre." The film is "at its root, a haunted house story", says the writer, who has lived in Dubai for the past year.
No director is attached to the project so far, but as Tully says, "I know that they want to do as much Emirati talent as possible."
He adds: "I have experience of writing in the genre of horror that is very western, but we have this whole new culture right here, and those two things are going to make something entirely new," he says. "That's what I think is so fascinating - the djinn as a cultural tradition. That's something you don't see in the West." The screenwriter Ahmed Arshi seems to have found another novel movie formula by combining elements from East and West. His film, currently titled Alaska, is set to be the first Emirati frat comedy.
The plot concerns two Emirati students studying in the US who have to undertake a hazing (initiation) ritual in order to join a college fraternity. "They have to go and make a picture under the billboard of Welcome to Alaska so they can join the club," says Arshi.
"So they go on an adventure, crossing up Canada all the way to Alaska."
The writer promises "some comedy" and "clashes of cultures" with both Americans and Canadians. I ask if the story has any autobiographical dimension. "Yes," he says very seriously. "It has to. In order to make it super-funny."
Business Insights
- As per the document, there are six filing options, including choosing to report on a realisation basis and transitional rules for pre-tax period gains or losses.
- SMEs with revenue below Dh3 million per annum can opt for transitional relief until 2026, treating them as having no taxable income.
- Larger entities have specific provisions for asset and liability movements, business restructuring, and handling foreign permanent establishments.
The specs
Engine: 2.7-litre 4-cylinder Turbomax
Power: 310hp
Torque: 583Nm
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Price: From Dh192,500
On sale: Now
COMPANY PROFILE
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Total funding: Self funded
If you go
Where to stay: Courtyard by Marriott Titusville Kennedy Space Centre has unparalleled views of the Indian River. Alligators can be spotted from hotel room balconies, as can several rocket launch sites. The hotel also boasts cool space-themed decor.
When to go: Florida is best experienced during the winter months, from November to May, before the humidity kicks in.
How to get there: Emirates currently flies from Dubai to Orlando five times a week.
Business Insights
- Canada and Mexico are significant energy suppliers to the US, providing the majority of oil and natural gas imports
- The introduction of tariffs could hinder the US's clean energy initiatives by raising input costs for materials like nickel
- US domestic suppliers might benefit from higher prices, but overall oil consumption is expected to decrease due to elevated costs
The specs
Price, base / as tested Dh1,100,000 (est)
Engine 5.2-litre V10
Gearbox seven-speed dual clutch
Power 630bhp @ 8,000rpm
Torque 600Nm @ 6,500rpm
Fuel economy, combined 15.7L / 100km (est)
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
Started: 2020
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Entertainment
Number of staff: 210
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
Zayed Sustainability Prize
Company%20Profile
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Where to donate in the UAE
The Emirates Charity Portal
You can donate to several registered charities through a “donation catalogue”. The use of the donation is quite specific, such as buying a fan for a poor family in Niger for Dh130.
The General Authority of Islamic Affairs & Endowments
The site has an e-donation service accepting debit card, credit card or e-Dirham, an electronic payment tool developed by the Ministry of Finance and First Abu Dhabi Bank.
Al Noor Special Needs Centre
You can donate online or order Smiles n’ Stuff products handcrafted by Al Noor students. The centre publishes a wish list of extras needed, starting at Dh500.
Beit Al Khair Society
Beit Al Khair Society has the motto “From – and to – the UAE,” with donations going towards the neediest in the country. Its website has a list of physical donation sites, but people can also contribute money by SMS, bank transfer and through the hotline 800-22554.
Dar Al Ber Society
Dar Al Ber Society, which has charity projects in 39 countries, accept cash payments, money transfers or SMS donations. Its donation hotline is 800-79.
Dubai Cares
Dubai Cares provides several options for individuals and companies to donate, including online, through banks, at retail outlets, via phone and by purchasing Dubai Cares branded merchandise. It is currently running a campaign called Bookings 2030, which allows people to help change the future of six underprivileged children and young people.
Emirates Airline Foundation
Those who travel on Emirates have undoubtedly seen the little donation envelopes in the seat pockets. But the foundation also accepts donations online and in the form of Skywards Miles. Donated miles are used to sponsor travel for doctors, surgeons, engineers and other professionals volunteering on humanitarian missions around the world.
Emirates Red Crescent
On the Emirates Red Crescent website you can choose between 35 different purposes for your donation, such as providing food for fasters, supporting debtors and contributing to a refugee women fund. It also has a list of bank accounts for each donation type.
Gulf for Good
Gulf for Good raises funds for partner charity projects through challenges, like climbing Kilimanjaro and cycling through Thailand. This year’s projects are in partnership with Street Child Nepal, Larchfield Kids, the Foundation for African Empowerment and SOS Children's Villages. Since 2001, the organisation has raised more than $3.5 million (Dh12.8m) in support of over 50 children’s charities.
Noor Dubai Foundation
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum launched the Noor Dubai Foundation a decade ago with the aim of eliminating all forms of preventable blindness globally. You can donate Dh50 to support mobile eye camps by texting the word “Noor” to 4565 (Etisalat) or 4849 (du).
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6
Developer: Treyarch, Raven Software
Publisher: Activision
Console: PlayStation 4 & 5, Windows, Xbox One & Series X/S
Rating: 3.5/5
WHAT ARE NFTs?
Non-fungible tokens (NFTs) are tokens that represent ownership of unique items. They allow the tokenisation of things such as art, collectibles and even real estate.
An NFT can have only one official owner at one time. And since they're minted and secured on the Ethereum blockchain, no one can modify the record of ownership, not even copy-paste it into a new one.
This means NFTs are not interchangeable and cannot be exchanged with other items. In contrast, fungible items, such as fiat currencies, can be exchanged because their value defines them rather than their unique properties.
EA Sports FC 25
Developer: EA Vancouver, EA Romania
Publisher: EA Sports
Consoles: Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4&5, Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S
Rating: 3.5/5
Company%20Profile
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Kanguva
Director: Siva
Stars: Suriya, Bobby Deol, Disha Patani, Yogi Babu, Redin Kingsley
From Zero
Artist: Linkin Park
Label: Warner Records
Number of tracks: 11
Rating: 4/5
The specs: 2018 Renault Koleos
Price, base: From Dh77,900
Engine: 2.5L, in-line four-cylinder
Transmission: Continuously variable transmission
Power: 170hp @ 6,000rpm
Torque: 233Nm @ 4,000rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 8.3L / 100km
Kamindu Mendis bio
Full name: Pasqual Handi Kamindu Dilanka Mendis
Born: September 30, 1998
Age: 20 years and 26 days
Nationality: Sri Lankan
Major teams Sri Lanka's Under 19 team
Batting style: Left-hander
Bowling style: Right-arm off-spin and slow left-arm orthodox (that's right!)
Aayan%E2%80%99s%20records
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COMPANY%20PROFILE%20
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