United Arab Emirates

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has become a familiar name on international call sheets, for reasons that go well beyond stereotypical images of sun-scorched dunes. Futuristic cityscapes in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, the two main centres of production, have proved a popular playground for big-budget franchises including Mission: Impossible, Fast & Furious and, most recently, Liongate’s Now You See Me, Now You Don’t.

“It feels like you can’t point the camera and not see something majestic here,” says the latter’s director Ruben Fleischer. “The Louvre is an unparalleled architectural marvel, while The W Hotel and the racetrack on Yas Island have an epic scale I’ve never shot on before.”

Alongside distinctive locations, the UAE offers a controlled production environment where robust logistics, permitting and infrastructure reduce risk on complex shoots. This reliability, combined with tax incentives and film-friendly authorities, has kept the UAE firmly in the mix — notwithstanding rising competition from neighbouring Saudi Arabia and, at time of writing, the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.

Dubai, the more seasoned of the UAE’s two production hubs, hosts a steady flow of film and TV productions, commercials and branded content. Recent examples include Amazon MGM Studios’ Jack Ryan and Netflix’s Korean drama Genie, Make A Wish. Abu Dhabi, meanwhile, has hosted features including F1: The Movie and Denis Villeneuve’s Dune trilogy, which used the Liwa desert to double for the planet of Arrakis in all three films.

The UAE is central in the region and has two major international airports. As a tourist hotspot, most nationalities receive an automatic (and complimentary) visiting visa on arrival without advance plan-ning. State-of-the-art infrastructure, roads and access has seen Dubai dubbed the "20-minute city" because most locations are reached easily and quickly by car. Abu Dhabi is grander and spans a larger landscape, which includes Al Ain, the UAE's 'oasis, and Liwa, the mostly untouched 'empty quarter' desert. 

"The UAE is currently the biggest production hub in the region, where a lot of the artists and talents are based," says Film Pudding's Layal Moukahal. "You can film just about anything all year long, with access to gorgeous beaches, lavish hotels, desert, modern hubs."

UAE is the filming hub connecting Asia and Europe. Within 300kms radius, you can find everything from modern cities to rocky mountains, and beaches and dunes.

Dubai is rich in its locations as it provides all types of scenery along with the trademarks of Burj Khalifa, The Palm, Burj Al Arab, and Bluewater Islands amongst others. The overall planning of Dubai can cater to scenes of a futuristic nature, urban subcultures, desert landscapes, luxury lifestyles and along with humbly lived areas that are full of stories and texture.

Beyond its wealth of locations, other major draws are the emirate’s 30% cashback rebate for all productions and the burgeoning services and facilities offering that Abu Dhabi has worked hard to build over the past decade.

The neighbouring emirate of Dubai is also drawing international productions with its futuristic buildings and luxury hotel complexes, such as the palatial Atlantis, The Palm. There are plenty of locations to choose from and the weather is constantly good. It is also one of the safest places to shoot these days as it has put very strict rules in place from the start.

One of the most stunning locations just outside Dubai is Hatta, which offers massive desert mountains, with turquoise waters calmly resting between them at Hatta Dam. There’s also the Wasit Nature Reserve in Sharjah; the Hajar mountains; and the desolate Snoopy Island in the Emirate of Fujairah, where the mountains meet the sea.

Just be aware that a sub-tropical, arid climate dominates the United Arab Emirates. Summers tend to be hot and humid, and there’s only marginal respite in the winter months. Thunderstorms can also strike during the summer and sandstorms are an occasional threat, which can have a dramatic effect on visibility.

Permits

Permits are easy to get provided you have a local based production service provider, insists Tamba.

In Abu Dhabi, there are two classes of permits for filming: ground permits and aerial permits. While in Dubai, the Dubai Film and TV Commission (DFTC) is the sole entity authorised to issue media shooting permits.

Most locations are easily accessible. Price and permission depend on the location and the type of production. The UAE requires an entire script to be approved by the relevant authorities, not just the segments to be filmed in the UAE.

Dubai claims the deepest crew base and largest concentration of suppliers in the region, while Abu Dhabi offers growing studio capacity and experienced crews capable of handling large-scale productions. English is spoken widely across both emirates. International HoDs are often brought in, but reliance on local crew is increasing. Trusted production services companies include Filmworks Group, Production by Nomad and Epic Films, all of which have worked on major projects.

Dubai is compact, with modern skylines, historical districts, beaches, deserts, mountains and luxury hospitality settings accessible within 1-2 hours at most. Abu Dhabi is bigger, though key locations from the Liwa desert to Yas Marina Circuit are still within a few hours’ drive. Crews are experienced in servicing desert shoots.

Contact :

Samr Al Marzooqi, director of films and production, Dubai Media Council

samr.almarzooqi@dfgc.ae

Abu Dhabi Film Commission, Abu Dhabi Creative Media Authority

info@film.gov.ae