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“I want that little gold statue,” says Ali F. Mostafa, the young
Emirati film director of his future career goals. His desire
to win an Academy Award may on the surface appear to be a lofty ambition, but his
an Emirati man trying to find his place
in life, an Indian taxi driver who bears
more than a passing resemblance to
first feature length movie, City of Life, which premiered at the Dubai International a Bollywood actor and a Romanian
Film Festival last year, is garnering growing international attention both for woman who is a former ballet dancer
Mostafa and the UAE film-making industry. now working as a flight attendant.
City of Life is the UAE’s first ever big Describing the initial trigger for
budget feature film and as writer, pro- the movie, Mostafa says: “It all started
ducer and director, Mostafa has many when I walked into a place called The
reasons to be proud. However, when he Bollywood Cafe with a friend.” He con-
initially mooted the idea of the film, the tinues: “It was a place that had some
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H I G H F LY E R S H I G H F LY E R S
HIS PASSION FOR FILM- much critical acclaim. The short was
nominated for Best Foreign Film at the
MAKING, HOWEVER, HAS San Fernando Valley International Film
LONG BEEN WITH HIM. “THIS Festival in North Hollywood, California,
IS SOMETHING I HAVE BEEN USA and won the Best Emirates Film
2006 in the annual Emirates Film
DOING SINCE BEFORE I CAN Competition in Abu Dhabi. This short
REMEMBER – IT’S IN MY SKIN, film clearly demonstrated his talents
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