Emirati returns to his roots to follow his filmmaking dream

Ali Mansour Al Ali brings his international production company Arabian Studios to Dubai.

Ali Mansour Al Ali of the production company Arabian Studios.

Ali Mansour Al Ali has one goal: to create a new brand of cinema and television in his country.

The message of safeguarding one's culture and tradition is particularly apt in the current era of globalisation, and is the kind of project he plans to tackle with the recently launched Dubai arm of his production company Arabian Studios.

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With a UAE base in place, the aim of the studio is to "refocus the lens on the Muslim world in an honourable and honest way".

"A lot of projects have come through Dubai, but many of them don't show us in a positive light," he says. "Since 9/11 there have been at least 300 films worldwide describing Arabs and Muslim as terrorists, which is madness. Through film, one has the ability to change public opinion."

Al Ali, who was raised in Dubai, originally planned to study aerospace engineering at Dubai's Aviation College. However, he was drawn to a different field while working part-time in a photography studio, when a film production team from the UK stopped at the shop asking for help and recruited Ali as a guide.

He was 16 at the time, but from that moment, he says, he was hooked.

Starting out as a runner, he worked his way through every department from gaffer to wardrobe, absorbing everything he could about the filmmaking industry along the way.

"Being on a film set was a dream come true," he said. "I gradually trained myself up to becoming a producer."

Arabian Studios was born in France in 2006, where he was doing most of his work. The following year he opened a special effects division in Milan, with offices in London and Beirut following in 2008. Al Ali has produced television advertisements for brands such as Hugo Boss, Pizza Hut and Ford. He has several projects in post-production and is developing a television series while waiting for his permanent space to be ready in Dubai Studio City.

There are challenges, of course. Funding is not always easy to come by, and unlike other larger centres, there are fewer places to turn when projects are rejected.

"In New York, if one person doesn't like a script or an idea I'm pitching, for whatever reason, I can go to someone else who'd say yes," he says.

And he explains that although the UAE has the investors and the infrastructure, it needs to become a filmmaking hub, the country is still too dependent on expats.

"They want people whom they feel are experienced, but now that we're here they should give us a chance," he says. "I didn't build my career just to find a job at a production company. I've already left the country and proved myself in the industry." One of his goals is to help foster a new generation of Emirati filmmakers, directors and producers.

"Since we are from the same culture, there will be no fear of asking questions," he says. "Also, I will know their sensitive areas. If a woman is shy to work in one area, it will be no problem for me to find a place that she is comfortable, whereas someone else may not understand."

Doing his part, Al Ali aims to employ Emiratis to build on his current staff of 20. Now that an entire generation of Emiratis has been educated abroad, he says, they should be given the chance to serve their country.

"When I started my journey on the international scene, I always had in my mind that I'd come back with a respected brand and a vision."