Cinema under the stars

q&a Farzin Samadian, the CEO of Swiss OpenAir Concept, which brought the Hydra Open Air Cinema to Dubai, is bringing this fresh concept to Abu Dhabi.

Following its success in the UAE, Farzin Samadian hopes to bring the open-air cinema to other countries in the Gulf region.

Farzin Samadian, the CEO of Swiss OpenAir Concept, which brought the Hydra Open Air Cinema to Dubai, is now bringing this fresh concept to Abu Dhabi. The event combines film and food, catered by Emirates Palace. We can't think of a better way to spend a cool winter evening.

The climate during November and December makes it a great location for an open-air event. The technology is very expensive so we have to keep it safe. The other appealing side is the cosmopolitan society which gives us the means to hold such an event.

We have been in Germany, Switzerland, Brazil, Portugal, Australia and South Korea. In April 2009 we will be in Singapore as well as South East Asia for the first time. We have five screens in total. They are all over the world. For example, one is on its way to Brazil, one is in South Korea for the film festival, and another one is on its way to Australia for our January event. The one in Germany is coming here and it is our largest one, which is 370 square metres and as high as a six-storey building. It is in pieces and is transported in seven containers. The screen alone takes four days to put together and three days to dismantle.

We are going to screen the new James Bond film and premiere movies like Genghis Khan with Omar Sharif. Other examples are Mongol, Punisher 2 and for National Day we will show for the first time three Arabic films: Captain Hima, Asef Ala Ei-Iz'ag and Boshkash. All the films have subtitles. We also are going to show Indian movies, and there will be a surprise on Indian movie night.

The types of films we are showing cover all types of crowds. We have a VIP area as well. We are expecting a mixture of people and cultures, which is why we integrated Arabic, Indian and Hollywood movies together.

We have been holding this event every year at the same time and in Switzerland for 20 years and in Australia and Brazil for 11 years. So we are planning long term here. The movies are always changing and new and the setups are always different. This is one of the countries that I can say has been much easier to set up this event. Here is a start and we are interested in looking at other Middle East areas, especially in the Gulf region.
Hydra Open Air Cinema, Emirates Palace, 8:30pm, Dh50, 04 223 3085. Today's film will be Quantum of Solace. For a full programme see @email:www.hydraopenair.com