<span>Emirati/Morroccan actress Mayssa Maghrebi is making her directorial debut and stars in </span><span><em>Wojooh Moharama</em></span><span>. The movie is </span><span>shooting on twofour54's Kizad backlot, the location made famous by the Salman Khan film </span><span><em>Tiger Zindi Hai</em></span><span>.</span> <span><em>Wojooh Moharama</em></span><span> focuses on three </span><span>generations of people in Riyadh, starting in the 1970s and moving </span><span>to the present day, and stars a cast from around the region, including </span><span>Saudi actors.</span> <span>The movie's crew includes more than 60 </span><span>professionals, and twofour54 will be providing </span><span>production and post-production services, as well as the use of the 70,000-square-metre backlot, which is the biggest facility in the Middle East.</span> <span>The film is the latest in a long line of </span><span>productions to choose Abu Dhabi for location shooting, and joins a list including Universal's </span><span><em>Furious 7</em></span><span>, Disney's </span><span><em>Star Wars: The Force Awakens</em></span><span>, Yash Raj Films' </span><span><em>Tiger Zinda Hai</em></span><span>, and Paramount Pictures' recent </span><span><em>Mission: Impossible – Fallout</em></span><span>, as well as 20 Arabic dramas which have been shot in the emirate since 2013.</span> <span>Maghrebi, who produced one of the earliest feature-length movies to emerge from the Gulf, 2005's </span><span><em>Tarab Fashion</em></span><span>, is also well-known for her role in the television drama </span><span><em>Samarqand</em></span><span>. She said: "We're delighted to be making this film in Abu Dhabi. The support we've received from the team at twofour54 was integral to the decision to shoot the movie in the Emirate.</span> <span>“There is increasing demand for quality Arabic content across the Mena region and beyond and we hope that this is the start of an ongoing partnership with twofour54.”</span> <br/> <span><em>The National </em></span><span>took a tour of twofour54's Kizad backlot last week. Although the areas where Maghrebi's latest movie is shooting were closed </span><span>to press, from what we did see on this rare glimpse into the facility we can understand why so many </span><span>productions have been flooding here.</span> <span>The backlot opened in 2016, and </span><span>consists of </span><span>three sets, the largest of which is the 20,000 square metres set built for </span><span><em>Tiger Zinda Hai</em></span><span>. This </span><span>set took </span><span>300 people to build in </span><span>102 days. It recreates an entire Iraqi town, including more than 50 shops and a fruit and vegetable market, as well as a war-torn part of the city and the huge hospital set where the film's infamous lorry stunt took place. The intricate set included about 2,500 windows and 1,000 doors. There's even a mortuary</span><span> set for some grisly attention-to-detail.</span> <span>The other two sets have been built in collaboration with MBC and its production arm O3</span><span>, and represent small-scale reconstructions of Arabic towns</span><span>.</span> <span>The sets were initially constructed for the MBC dramas </span><span><em>Haret Al Sheikh </em></span><span>(5,400sqm) and </span><span><em>Al Asouf </em></span><span>(6,500sqm), however the generic nature of the sets means they can easily stand in for towns and cities from the Arab world when their original hosts are not shooting.</span> <strong>The numbers</strong> <strong>Productions</strong> <em>Tiger Zinda Hai </em>– The backlot's biggest set to date, and the site of a 65-day shoot involving crew from India, the UK and US as well as local professionals. It was released in December 2017, and is one of the highest-grossing Indian movies in history. <em>Al Asouf </em>– Seasons I and II of MBC's popular drama both filmed on a purpose-built, 6,500sqm set at Kizad. <em>Haret El Sheikh</em> – Al Mottnah Sobah's historical drama recreated 19th century Saudi Arabia for a 75-day shoot ahead of the show's airing during Ramadan 2016. Music video: Waleed Al Shami featuring Bandoleros – <em>Akhbaro</em> ____________________ <strong>Read more: </strong> ____________________
