The first local film to ever screen for an international audience, the entire cast of City of Life came out in support of the multi-million dollar budget movie that has captured the attention of an entire nation.
Honoured by the Festival's 'Arabian Nights' programme, Mostafa looked cool and collected as the fruition of his labour came under the glaring spotlight for the first time since the project was conceived three years ago.
Emirati film maker Ali Mostafa with his wife Maha, actress Natalie Dormer (centre) and Indian actors Javed Jeffre and Sonu Sood on the red carpet before the screening of City of Life, at DIFF, on Friday.-KT photo by Shihab (Diff'09 News| Video| Slideshow)
Remarking on the five-week shooting schedule for him and the film's multicultural cast, Mostafa said, “We were like brothers and sisters on the set... I sincerely hope that the public will appreciate the journey we took to complete this project.”
The film - an urban drama set in Dubai - tracks the various intersections of three individuals' paths by exploring the complex network that exists in an emerging multicultural society's race, ethnicity and class divides.
The story interweaves the lives of the three characters: a privileged Emirati man, a disillusioned Indian taxi driver and a naive Romanian flight attendant.
“I don't think the film portrays Dubai negatively,” he said.
“It shows the reality of the city, which I think is a positive thing. “We, as a people, are confidant and we have real stories to tell, good and bad.”
Masoud Amrallah Al Ali, artistic director of DIFF, said, “During the past three years, we have seen Emirati filmmakers work on feature-length projects for the first time in this country.
“The focus of City of Life is different than any other film out of the UAE in terms of budget, cast and dialogue. Ali Mostafa has been a son of DIFF from the very beginning.”
Tim Smythe, producer of the film and the man behind big-budget productions The Kingdom and Syriana, admits that City of Life might have trouble entering American markets but is confident that Europeans will be more accepting.
“This is not a popcorn film,” he said, remarking on the slew of vampire-inspired blockbusters that have been so popular this year.
Natalie Dormer, best known for her role as the ill-fated English Queen Anne Boleyn in the Showtime series The Tudors, added star power and experience to the international cast.
“I knew after reading the first six pages of the script I wanted to do the film,” she said. “The thing that was so attractive about the project was the progressive vision to unite a multi-lingual cast.
“The world is getting smaller and this film represents that diversity.”
Rising Indian star Sonu Sood plays the part of a taxi driver who bears an uncanny resemblance to a fictional Bollywood actor. The cast believed that movie-goers would most sympathise with his character.
Rookie actor Saoud Al Kaabi plays the controversial role of an Emirati youth struggling with his culture, identity and religion. “The script was so good that I had to accept the part,” he said. “The character I played was so close to me that acting in the role was easy.”
Regarding the sensitivity of the roles, Al Kaabi and his co-star, UAE born rapper Yassin “Narcicyst” Alsalman, want viewers to see the complexities and metaphors that the film is trying to convey. “These film characters are formulations of real-life people,” Narcicyst said.
The Canadian-Iraqi musician said he used the anger over his native homeland's destruction and channelled it into the angst of his character, Khalfan. He invites all criticism for the role he played.
“As a member of the hip hop community, I am used to backlash,” he said confidently.
“Arabs are complex so there is no reason not to respect these characters.”
Buzz over the film has spread across the Gulf and the wider Middle East. It will make Mostafa the first Emirati to write, co-produce and direct a movie made exclusively in Dubai.
Funding, he says, remains the biggest hurdle for the UAE film community to grow.
“Finding money to fund a film in this part of the world is not something people are used to,” he explained.
“I hope that this film will inspire people to start investing more in the arts.”
Film actors Jason Flemyng, Alexandra Maria Lara and Jaaved Jafferi also graced the red carpet for the premiere.
kadry@khaleejtimes.com