Short films chart Abu Dhabi’s growth and development

Three time-lapse films, each less than five minutes long, make up the “A Journey Through Abu Dhabi” series which portrays the emirate as a major tourist destination with a robust industry and diverse economy.

A still from a short video entitled ‘A Journey in Abu Dhabi’. The Government of Abu Dhabi has released a series of short videos to show the development of the emirate.

ABU DHABI // The Government of Abu Dhabi has launched a series of films highlighting the development of the emirate.

Three time-lapse films, each less than five minutes long, make up the A Journey Through Abu Dhabi series that portrays the emirate as a major tourist destination with a robust industry and diverse economy.

Shot in 69 locations, the series took 74 days to film spread across four months.

The first video, named Destination, focuses on Abu Dhabi's tourism appeal and features desert landscapes, forts, wildlife in the UAE, Al Ain Zoo, and Etihad's first-class cabin.

Malls, resorts and theme parks around the emirate, – including the World Trade Centre, Qasr Al Sarab and Ferrari World – make an appearance.

The emirate's manufacturing sector is spotlighted in the second instalment, Spark, which features factory footage of producing, packaging, and transporting goods in industries including steel, oil, pharmaceuticals, water and dates.

With an eye to the future, the last film captures video of local high tech and renewable energy industry firms, including Masdar, and modern school campuses such as Al Bateen Secondary School.

Future Capital includes video of the Barakah nuclear power plant, and the Midfield Terminal Complex as examples of ongoing projects.

The series will help to promote the emirate at local, regional and international levels, said Humaid Al Mansouri, director of Abu Dhabi’s Office of Government Communication.

“The Government of Abu Dhabi exerts great efforts to improve the potential of the emirate,” said Mr Al Mansouri. “We always strive to address this in our media productions.”

Filmmaker Beno Saradzic, a 25-year Abu Dhabi resident, was commissioned to make the series. The 48-year-old Slovenian said most of the footage was filmed from a helicopter rather than drones because of the advantage of being able to zoom in rather than using a wide-angle lens closer to the ground.