The mother is on her death bed, and her only request is that her beloved son stay by her side. But he leaves her to follow his wife, and misses the last phone call his mother makes before she dies.
It is a scene from a short film by the Abu Dhabi Judicial Department, one that many people can relate to – and one that has brought tears to many viewers’ eyes.
The department has been making the short films for four years to get across its legal and social messages. They are shown on primetime TV, particularly during Ramadan, and at cinemas before films.
“This is the type of shock that affects viewers and sticks the message in their minds,” said Jaafar Al Aidarous, the man behind the films.
“The goal is to deliver a message to society through films that tackle reality in drama, a direct method that all age groups understand.”
The advertisements have high production values and feature renowned actors such as Sief Al Ghanem, Fatima Al Houssani and Khaled Ameen.
According to the department’s research, the shorts are more influential than lectures or leaflets.
About 20 films have been produced since 2009, covering issues including perjury, divorce, drugs in school, social media and, as in the example, dishonouring parents.
The judicial department sees its remit as covering not just legal issues, but some social ones, too.
So popular have the films proved that other government departments, such as the Ministry of Presidential Affairs, have expressed an interest in producing their own, but the judicial department is one step ahead.
It is planning to make a 20-episode television series based on major real-life court cases that it hopes to broadcast across the Mena region.
It has assigned a Hollywood-based company to consult on the project. Casting will start in November and shooting is expected to begin in February next year.
Five of the department’s short films shown last Ramadan were inspired by cases heard in court.
A film on perjury followed a case in which two passers-by were asked by a stranger to testify that she had not remarried. The passers-by did not know she was lying and agreed to do as she had requested.
Another film, inspired by two real-life cases in which maids were tortured to death by their employers, shows employers mistreating their maids, who later take revenge on their employers’ children. In the film, the employer wakes up realising she has been having a nightmare and decides to start treating her maid better.
Mr Al Aidarous said maid abuse was a huge topic that could not be fully explored in a 60-second film.
“So we focused on the specific point that when you mistreat a person it will affect their service,” he said. “The main message was to treat people as you like to be treated. We are not saying that maid abuse is a trend in UAE society, we just wanted to remind the public.”
Some people had criticised the department for giving a negative picture of the UAE, but he said this was not the intention.
“When we feature a problem in the films it does not mean that it is a trend and that it represents the entire UAE society,” he said.
“In general, the films leave a big impression on the audience. We have received a lot of feedback and viewer rates are increasing every year.”
hdajani@thenational.ae
Recycle Reuse Repurpose
New central waste facility on site at expo Dubai South area to handle estimated 173 tonne of waste generated daily by millions of visitors
Recyclables such as plastic, paper, glass will be collected from bins on the expo site and taken to the new expo Central Waste Facility on site
Organic waste will be processed at the new onsite Central Waste Facility, treated and converted into compost to be re-used to green the expo area
Of 173 tonnes of waste daily, an estimated 39 per cent will be recyclables, 48 per cent organic waste and 13 per cent general waste.
About 147 tonnes will be recycled and converted to new products at another existing facility in Ras Al Khor
Recycling at Ras Al Khor unit:
Plastic items to be converted to plastic bags and recycled
Paper pulp moulded products such as cup carriers, egg trays, seed pots, and food packaging trays
Glass waste into bowls, lights, candle holders, serving trays and coasters
Aim is for 85 per cent of waste from the site to be diverted from landfill
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
A timeline of the Historical Dictionary of the Arabic Language
- 2018: Formal work begins
- November 2021: First 17 volumes launched
- November 2022: Additional 19 volumes released
- October 2023: Another 31 volumes released
- November 2024: All 127 volumes completed
Farasan Boat: 128km Away from Anchorage
Director: Mowaffaq Alobaid
Stars: Abdulaziz Almadhi, Mohammed Al Akkasi, Ali Al Suhaibani
Rating: 4/5
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Company%20Profile
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City's slump
L - Juventus, 2-0
D - C Palace, 2-2
W - N Forest, 3-0
L - Liverpool, 2-0
D - Feyenoord, 3-3
L - Tottenham, 4-0
L - Brighton, 2-1
L - Sporting, 4-1
L - Bournemouth, 2-1
L - Tottenham, 2-1
More from Mohammed Alardhi
Fixtures
Tuesday - 5.15pm: Team Lebanon v Alger Corsaires; 8.30pm: Abu Dhabi Storms v Pharaohs
Wednesday - 5.15pm: Pharaohs v Carthage Eagles; 8.30pm: Alger Corsaires v Abu Dhabi Storms
Thursday - 4.30pm: Team Lebanon v Pharaohs; 7.30pm: Abu Dhabi Storms v Carthage Eagles
Friday - 4.30pm: Pharaohs v Alger Corsaires; 7.30pm: Carthage Eagles v Team Lebanon
Saturday - 4.30pm: Carthage Eagles v Alger Corsaires; 7.30pm: Abu Dhabi Storms v Team Lebanon
TO A LAND UNKNOWN
Director: Mahdi Fleifel
Starring: Mahmoud Bakri, Aram Sabbah, Mohammad Alsurafa
Rating: 4.5/5
What is double taxation?
- Americans living abroad file taxes with the Internal Revenue Service, which can cost hundreds of dollars to complete even though about 60 per cent do not owe taxes, according to the Taxpayer Advocate Service
- Those obligations apply to millions of Americans residing overseas – estimates range from 3.9 million to 5.5 million – including so-called "accidental Americans" who are unaware they hold dual citizenship
- The double taxation policy has been a contentious issue for decades, with many overseas Americans feeling that it punishes them for pursuing opportunities abroad
- Unlike most countries, the US follows a citizenship-based taxation system, meaning that Americans must file taxes annually, even if they do not earn any income in the US.
COMPANY PROFILE
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Total funding: Self funded
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The Bio
Favourite vegetable: “I really like the taste of the beetroot, the potatoes and the eggplant we are producing.”
Holiday destination: “I like Paris very much, it’s a city very close to my heart.”
Book: “Das Kapital, by Karl Marx. I am not a communist, but there are a lot of lessons for the capitalist system, if you let it get out of control, and humanity.”
Musician: “I like very much Fairuz, the Lebanese singer, and the other is Umm Kulthum. Fairuz is for listening to in the morning, Umm Kulthum for the night.”
Ticket prices
- Golden circle - Dh995
- Floor Standing - Dh495
- Lower Bowl Platinum - Dh95
- Lower Bowl premium - Dh795
- Lower Bowl Plus - Dh695
- Lower Bowl Standard- Dh595
- Upper Bowl Premium - Dh395
- Upper Bowl standard - Dh295
