Billed as a pioneering Emirati director and the region’s first director of international standing, Ali Mostafa is an inspiration for Arab filmmakers.
Abu Dhabi Week sits down with the director to find out how his mother inspires him and how it feels to open Abu Dhabi Film Festival 2014
How does it feel to have your film, ‘From A to B’ open ADFF 2014?
Obviously it’s a huge honour. I couldn’t be more proud that not only is it the first Emirati film to open the festival but it’s a festival in my capital city, which makes it even more special. I’m full of pride; not just for myself and my team but for the industry. This shows how far we’ve come that we can now say an Emirati film did open the festival and hopefully it’s not going to be the last time.
I would also like to thank twofour54 and Image Nation for giving me the opportunity to be a filmmaker again.
What was your inspiration behind ‘From A to B’?
My first film, ‘City of Life’, was a drama, an ensemble piece about people’s lives changing others without meeting. This time I really wanted to tap into the idea of doing a comedy.
I also like the genre of road trip films so we came up with the idea of a group of Arabic friends that grew up in Abu Dhabi, went to an American school and go on a road trip to Beirut.
One of their friends tried to convince them to go on this trip five years earlier but he ended up going by himself. That friend is later killed in a bombing in Beirut; those friends feel guilty and they end up going their separate ways. ‘From A to B’ picks up the story five years later when those friends come together and go on the road trip in honour of their friend.
In those five years, their characters have changed quite a bit and on this trip they end up finding themselves as well as reaching their destination.
Is there a message for the audience?
I never like to give the message away. For an Arabic audience, it’s up to them to figure it out and take away what they can. But for a Western audience, I think it’s important for them to see that these young guys who grew up in Abu Dhabi have very similar issues to what they may have in the West; they are very relatable.
Why do you think film festivals are so important?
They give people like us a platform. It’s where like-minded people connect, network and see each other’s films. For the community, I think it shows them a cultural side to their hometown that they may not see in mainstream cinema.
Do you think Emirati cinema is growing and will it soon be represented at international festivals?
The fact that they’ve given us the honour of having an Emirati film open the festival shows that the future is bright. Things are slow but we’re definitely moving. We used to have a film once every two years and now this year we have about five productions.
Today there are lots of emerging Emirati filmmakers: Abdulla Al Kaabi used to model for me on commercials, then he delved into filmmaking and the films he’s producing are really special. His short film, ‘Koshk’, will have its World Premiere at ADFF 2014. I also have a relative called Mostafa Abbas who’s trying to get his feature film off the ground. And Waleed Al Shehhi has a film that will also premiere this year; he’s a very talented individual.
What is your favourite movie?
There are way too many films! Some of the movies that inspired me to be a filmmaker are the likes of ‘Star Wars’, ‘Indiana Jones’, ‘Jaws’ and a lot of Steven Spielberg films. I remember watching ‘Star Wars’ for the first time as a child. Knowing that this year they were shooting in my hometown was just incredible. I was so lucky to be able to visit the set and I was blown away.
Who is your inspiration?
My mother. I’ve never met anyone in my life that is such a go-getter. If there’s a reason why I’ve managed to make two films over the last eight years, it’s because of perseverance and I get that from her.
What was the best advice you ever received?
My father told me pride kills a man.
