With its stability, infrastructure and unique locations, the capital is becoming a hot spot for filmmakers at home and from around the world to shoot on location

The sun is setting behind the shifting dune, sinking slowly into the horizon between Abu Dhabi and Al Ain. Though its golden descent seems minimal, lazy even, there’s a flurry of movement as acclaimed Bollywood director Priyadarshan and the rest of his crew prepare to take advantage of only ten seconds of natural light to shoot a crucial scene.

It’s just one plot point Bollywood lovers will soon be able to see in Attaram Madhavan Nair, the first Malayalam-language film to be shot entirely on location in Abu Dhabi. Set to be released in the UAE any day now, the action film about two friends living in the capital is just one of a number of film projects to be shot in the Emirate recently.

In fact, Abu Dhabi is quickly becoming more and more attractive to filmmakers these days for a lot of reasons, not least thanks to the efforts of the UAE government. “The government is putting a huge amount of investment into promoting the whole city, and the media sector is a good vehicle for that,” says David Shepheard, director of the Abu Dhabi Film Commission (ADFC).

It’s no secret that Abu Dhabi is an expensive place, but for many filmmakers, the benefits of shooting in the capital are worth the cost, says Shepheard.

“Abu Dhabi is not a look-a-like for somewhere else, so we just try and sell it as that unique city. We’ve got some fantastic buildings and cinematic backdrops on offer that haven’t been filmed before and that’s a good point for filmmakers who are always looking for a new look.”

It was exactly the distinctive feel of Abu Dhabi that inspired Priyadarshan to film Attaram Madhavan Nair in the capital.

“I wanted to shoot somewhere with a lot of desert, and Abu Dhabi was the perfect fit,” says Priyadarshan. “The city is a friendly place to shoot with wide fields of desert and greenery. Crucially, there is a huge population and audience from southern India in the GCC that can relate to the film and its scenes and therefore it made more sense to shoot such a film here, rather than in Europe or Australia.”

The safety of the city is another attractive selling point for filmmakers who want to shoot in an Arab city.

“Because we’re politically and socially safe, we’re seeing a lot more projects coming our way that were originally set in other countries in the Middle East. Also, our currency is pegged against the US dollar so you don’t get currency spikes, which is always a huge worry for film producers when they’re travelling around the world.”

Even better, the ADFC is doing its part to make the process easy for those who choose to shoot their scenes in the emirate.
“We’re the interface between the film industry and the government collectively,” says Shepheard. “We help secure the permissions that need to be put in place, access to certain locations and even just assisting the filmmaker in finding the best locations for their script.”

Filmmakers like Omar Khalifa of Al Jazeera English, based in Doha, certainly appreciate the Film Commission’s assistance.

“I chose to film in Abu Dhabi because it hosts many astonishing projects including Masdar City, which was the focus of our story,” said Khalifa about his experience filming a short positive environmental documentary called Earthrise. “My experience was great. The ADFC team was a great help, and I recommend people approach them for future filming projects.”

Abu Dhabi’s appeal is reaching out to a host of film makers from the UAE and around the world. In August and September alone, the Film Commission team assisted a number of projects including web series Classified by UAE filmmaker Ali Mustafa and two documentary series – X Machines by Discovery Channel and Earthrise by Al Jazeera English. And there’s more to come.

“At the moment, we’re tracking about 20 feature film scripts as they go through development,” says Shepheard. “They’re all relevant to the Middle East, so naturally we’re working with those filmmakers and saying, ‘This is Abu Dhabi – come and shoot here with us.’

We want projects that are going to be relevant, provide lots of opportunities for companies or crews to work on the projects and show the city in a great light.”

I’ve been there

Take a look at these productions and see if you recognise the backdrops:

• The Kingdom: Supposedly set in Saudi Arabia, this 2007 box office blockbuster starred Hollywood heavy hitters Jamie Foxx, Jennifer Garner and Jason Bateman. We love the scenes of the motorcade racing down the Corniche
• Arabian Sands: Emirati director and producer Majid Abdulrazak also plays the lead role in this bold project recreating the travels of famed explorer Wilfred Thesinger in an adaptation of his best-selling book
• SkyNews Arabia: Set to launch soon, the 24-hour Arabic language news channel will be broadcast from downtown Abu Dhabi Attarum Madhavan Nairum: Filmed on location in Abu Dhabi, this feature includes scenes shot in the dunes of the open desert, the camel race tracks in Al Wathba, the Abu Dhabi Corniche and Yas Island
• Wild Arabia: One of several science and nature shows to be shot in Abu Dhabi, this BBC series of three one-hour specials focusing on the wildlife and nature of countries across the GCC and Abu Dhabi is scheduled to hit our screens in 2013

My favourite spots to shoot

We caught up with John Sammon, executive producer and director of Abu Dhabi Week TV to find out where he’s enjoyed filming the most in the Emirate:

• Inside Sheikh Zayed Mosque
• An overnight kayak adventure, two days across the Liwa Desert and to the top of Jebel Hafeet for the Abu Dhabi Adventure Challenge
• Racing next to an F1 race car on the Corniche

• Inside a Blackhawk helicopter flying low over the mangroves
• With six cameras backstage and around the Octagon at UFC 112
• One crazy night at Etoiles
• In the Paddock at Yas Marina Circuit

Check out the latest issue of Abu Dhabi Week TV on our website abudhabiweek.ae/tv

Laura Fulton