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Hollywood comes calling with Star Wars being filmed in Abu Dhabi
Bourne Legacy, The Kingdom, Syriana, Fast and Furious 7 and now Star Wars are among the top movies that contain scenes shot in Abu Dhabi.
Hollywood is flocking to Abu Dhabi. The latest blockbuster to be filmed here is Star Wars VII.
To be released on December 18, 2015, Star Wars episode VII is the latest production that twofour54 and the Abu Dhabi Film Commission (ADFC) have attracted to the Capital in the last 12 months.
Other international movies filming here included the paranormal thriller Deliver Us from Evil from Sony Pictures Entertainment, Universal Pictures’ Fast & Furious 7 and Bollywood feature film Bang Bang from Fox Star Studios.
In fact, ever since the establishment of the ADFC, which is part of twofour54, in 2009, several Hollywood blockbusters and other national and international productions chose the emirate for filming.
Advantages
Bourne Legacy, The Kingdom, Syriana, Fast and Furious 7 and now Star Wars are among the top movies that contain scenes shot in Abu Dhabi.
In order to film here, any production company needs a licence that is issued by the ADFC. In the early days, costs were high and services left room for improvement, so many Hollywood productions preferred their traditional desert locations in North Africa.
In the past couple of years, though, things have improved. The ADFC is now offering 30 per cent cash-back rebate on productions, which it claims is the only such incentive in the Middle East and North Africa.
Its services also include scouting assistance and a range of unique locations, supply of professional crew, government servicing, permits, visas, script approval, customs clearance and shooting permits, studios and post-production facilities and no sales tax.
Government support
Turning the emirate into a film industry hub has the full support of the Abu Dhabi government. When Fast and Furious filmed on the streets of the city last November, a high-level delegation from the Abu Dhabi’s Executive Council offered a public show of support by visiting the cast and crew on the set.
It included Ahmed Mubarak Al Mazrouei, Secretary-General of the Executive Council; Saeed Eid Al Ghafli, Chairman of the Department of Municipal Affairs; and Mohammed Khalfan Al Romaithi, Deputy Commander-General of Abu Dhabi.
When BBC’s Top Gear also came to film in Abu Dhabi, Shaikh Hamed bin Hamdan Al Nahyan got involved, allowing the TV production to use some of his rarest cars.
“The Abu Dhabi government’s efforts to attract international productions are a resounding success,” said Noura Al Kaabi, CEO, twofour 54, whose efforts to develop the Abu Dhabi media and film industry have recently been awarded by the Abu Dhabi Government Excellence Awards.
She thinks it’s the combination of unique locations, production facilities and the authorities and residents alike being movie-friendly that attracts some of the world’s top producers to Abu Dhabi.
Capital shoot
Last week, Star Wars VII film’s director J. J. Abrams said “action” somewhere in the desert of Abu Dhabi. Take #1 happened on May 16.
“We have both lead and supporting cast filming here — not specific as to names — as well as many local extras,” a twofour54 representative told Khaleej Times.
Filming in Abu Dhabi will continue for two weeks at a location kept secret and well guarded, but sources close to the production said a massive set has been created on a flatbed “sabkha” area between the massive dunes behind Qasr Al Sarab hotel in Liwa.
So far, all desert scenes of Star Wars movies had been filmed in various locations in Tunisia and this is the first time the location was changed and the film is now in Abu Dhabi.
Director Abrams and the cast flew to Abu Dhabi in early May, with the support of the ADFC and twofour54 intaj. Hundreds of local and international cast and crew are currently working on the production here.
A video released by Abrams from the Abu Dhabi open air set, which took over a month to create, shows ragged tents, pans and pots, and even creatures from a distant planet not yet seen in the previous episodes.
“All these people around that you hear and see are helping us making this movie, and it is an incredible thing! It is surreal to be here in this amazing place with these incredible people, working on this movie! Like a lot of you, I’ve been a Star Wars fan since I was a kid, so it is a truly surreal thing to work on this movie; I can’t believe it,” Abrams said in his video.
The storyline of Episode VII will not become clear until the trailer will be released, but it is set 30 years after the events of the Return of the Jedi episode.
Abrams, being known to like “to keep things fresh”, has cast several new actors and actresses who are joining the Star Wars family — Mark Hamill playing Luke Skywalker, Harrison Ford as Han Solo, Carrie Fisher bringing back Princess Leia, the actors for R2-D2, C3PO and Chewbacca, most of whom are now in Abu Dhabi.
“We are delighted that Abu Dhabi has attracted another major international production and are thrilled to have welcomed the Star Wars team,” said Noura Al Kaabi.
The crew was also joined by six UAE nationals, who had the opportunity to work on the set, through twofour54’s creative lab community internship programme. Two of the interns will be given the opportunity to follow the production to London’s Pinewood Studios, where most of the movie will be filmed.
Campaign for Unicef
In a new twist, director Abrams has also invited Star Wars fans to be part of the movie. He announced on Wednesday the creation of Star Wars: Force for Change, a brand new Star Wars initiative from Disney and Lucasfilm, in collaboration with Bad Robot, dedicated to finding creative solutions to some of the world’s biggest problems. The first Star Wars: Force for Change campaign will raise funds and awareness for Unicef’s Innovation Labs, benefitting children in need.
To support the launch of this new initiative, Disney has committed $1 million, and fans are invited too to donate directly at Omaze.com/StarWars for a chance to appear in Star Wars: Episode VII.
By pledging minimum $10 through the Omaze fundraising platform, any eligible supporter will be automatically entered for a chance to win this once-in-a-lifetime experience. The campaign runs from till July 18.
The Star Wars: Force for Change Grand Prize includes airfare to and accommodation in London for one winner and a guest, behind-the-scenes access on the closed set of Star Wars: Episode VII as VIP guests of Abrams, opportunity to meet members of the cast and a transformation by makeup and costume teams into a Star Wars character and filmed for a scene in Star Wars: Episode VII.
“We are so grateful to all Star Wars fans out there that we want to put you in the movie,” stressed Abrams.
Not all fans showed enthusiasm, though, about the filming of Episode VII. Following the announcement of yet another Star Wars movie on social media channels, reactions were a mixed bag — many fans wondering whether Abrams will be able to deliver a worthy instalment, but many were genuinely thrilled to have a continuation to the story.
— silvia@khaleejtimes.com
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