This Dubai-based actress is on a mission to connect Brazilian and Emirati cinema
Before moving to the UAE, Sabrina, like many others, had preconceived notions about the region. However, experiencing the country firsthand altered her perspective entirely. Now, she is on a mission to bridge the gap between Brazil and the Emirates through cinema. 'Cinema can bridge cultures, and I believe in the power of Brazilian film,' she says in a chat with City Times. 'Connecting Brazil with the UAE through film is something I'm determined to make happen—and as soon as possible.'
Brazil's Ainda Estou Aqui (I'm Still Here) won Best International Feature Film at the Oscars. In doing so, it became the first Brazilian film to achieve that feat, proving the country's artistic depth and storytelling prowess. Sabrina, who knows lead actors Selton Mello and Fernanda Torres personally, was thrilled by the recognition. 'Seeing Brazilian cinema gain recognition on this scale strengthens my commitment to cultural exchange and production,' she explains. 'This victory will shift global perceptions of our industry and open many doors for Brazilian talents internationally.'
Blending Brazilian and Emirati storytelling
Inspired by the landscapes, people, and vibrancy of Dubai, Sabrina has a desire to create; she wants to make the city a character, she says, "showcase its beauty, rhythm, and culture through film. That said, Sabrina is currently working on a Portuguese-language film that will introduce Dubai to a Brazilian audience. 'The Emirates is a place where even the boldest ideas feel possible,' she says. While keeping project details under wraps, she reveals that the script is in its final editing stages and that discussions are underway to begin filming later this year. 'It's something that has never been done before in this country or in Brazil.'
Sabrina's first major step in cultural exchange came with the UAE premiere of Mar de Mães (Ocean of Mothers), a Brazilian film centered on motherhood and female solidarity. 'I started with a 60-seat cinema, then 100, then 200, and by the premiere day, over 600 people from diverse backgrounds had signed up to attend,' she revealed, adding that the overwhelming reception proved that Brazilian films resonate with Middle Eastern audiences. With key figures such as Brazilian Ambassador Sidney Romero and Rafael Solimeu from the Arab Chamber of Commerce in attendance, doors opened for future collaborations.
Beyond film, Sabrina's work with TV Globo, Latin America's largest entertainment network, has further connected Brazil and Dubai. When she joined Família É Tudo, she persuaded the writer to incorporate Dubai into the storyline, leading to a landmark moment where scenes were filmed at Burj Khalifa and the Museum of the Future. 'It was a way to showcase Dubai to millions of Brazilian viewers,' she says. 'And it worked beautifully.'
The UAE's influence on her vision
Sabrina is deeply inspired by the UAE's ethos—its discipline, ambition, and collective vision. 'The philosophy here is that nothing is impossible. That energy is real,' she shares. 'It makes you want to value your own work even more.' Her goal is to merge Brazilian creativity with the structure and scale of Emirati productions, setting the stage for unprecedented collaborations between the two cultures.
Sabrina's next step is to bring an entire Brazilian film crew to the UAE for her latest project. But she isn't just focusing on acting—she is stepping into the role of producer, aiming to be the bridge between the two countries.
She wants audiences to immerse themselves in her productions, she says, "to experience the Middle East through our eyes, and to see our talent working on Arab soil.'
And while every actor dreams of walking the Oscars red carpet, Sabrina's aspirations go beyond personal accolades. 'I want to see multiple Brazilian and Middle Eastern films at the Oscars,' she says. 'I believe in unity, in bringing different worlds together—yes, I dream big!'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
What's On
13 hours ago
- What's On
Hatta Sustainable Waterfalls: what's currently open and what's coming up
Seeking a dose of calm away from the bustling city? Hop in a car with loved ones and head to Hatta, to check out the mountainous region's newest attraction: Hatta Sustainable Waterfalls. It opened last year but was a vision of HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, announced back in 2021. Over the years, it was gradually taking shape before opening in December 2024, days before the new year. But work is still ongoing, with new elements being added. Here's what's currently open at Hatta Sustainable Waterfalls in Dubai Hatta Sustainable Waterfalls Since it opened, the key feature of the Hatta Sustainable Waterfall is, of course, the waterfall. It was unveiled by Brand Dubai and features a beautiful mural of the founding fathers of the UAE. It is said to be the world's largest mosaic artwork, spanning 2,198.7 square metres and 1.2 million pieces of natural marble. It recreates a historical photograph of the late His Highness Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan and His Highness Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum. How is the waterfall sustainable? Well, the project uses the slope of the upper dam (Al Ghabra dam), thus creating a natural waterfall. The water in the attraction is collected, recycled, and pumped back to the top of the dam, which makes it sustainable. Once you've taken in the view of the mural from the bottom, you can climb to the top of the dam to admire the views of the landscaped area below and the mountain range in the back. There's also a waterway below the dam for picture opportunities and a scenic boardwalk for visitors to enjoy leisurely strolls. You can even spot olive trees in the area that are close to 400 years old. The space is also home to recreational spaces, including a children's play area. You can also visit at night, as the space is well-illuminated. If you're driving, don't worry about parking, as there is plenty. If you are planning on visiting during peak summer, ensure you have a lot of sunscreen on and stay hydrated during your trip. *Top outdoor attractions in Dubai to visit over winter* What's next for the Hatta Sustainable Waterfalls project? Under the directive of Sheikh Mohammed, the Hatta Sustainable Waterfalls project is now offering new investment and commercial opportunities aiming to empower local citizens, create job opportunities, and support sustainable economic and social development in the region. Four retail spaces at Hatta Sustainable Waterfalls will be allocated to Emiratis residing in Hatta for free for a one-year period. This will provide the perfect platform for small businesses just starting out to establish themselves. Besides this, the area will feature four restaurants and six food and beverage kiosks. The restaurants will offer up a span of cuisines, including Emirati, Arabic, Western, and traditional, while the local cafes will serve quick refreshing bites and sips. Besides this, visitors can also visit the souvenir and gift shop and even rent equipment. According to Bader Anwahi, CEO of the Public Facilities Agency at Dubai Municipality, the move marks a 'significant step in strengthening the local economy and empowering Emirati entrepreneurs.' We can't wait to see who will set up home here. Images: Dubai Media Office > Sign up for FREE to get exclusive updates that you are interested in
Sharjah 24
a day ago
- Sharjah 24
Rubu' Qarn's virtual journeys to global cultures
Launching on Tuesday, the programme will extend for three consecutive days, from August 19 to 21, 2025. Targeting 160 members from Sharjah Children, Sharjah Youth, and Sajaya Young Ladies of Sharjah, aged 6 to 18. Three virtual trips The programme is a continuation of the successes of the Rubu' Qarn and the World programme, which the Foundation has organised over the past two years, and an advanced and developed phase. It will take members on a more in-depth and interactive journey through three virtual trips to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the Republic of Italy, and the Federative Republic of Brazil, to discover their cultural, artistic, and literary features. Learning about the world's civilisations and cultures The programme, which is held in a creative atmosphere that combines applied knowledge with sensory experience, aims to motivate participants to read and connect it to the joy of travel and wandering. It also arouses their curiosity about the importance of research and learning to learn about the world's civilisations and discover their diverse cultures and the customs and traditions of their people. The programme provides participants with the opportunity to develop effective communication skills and constructive participation by exchanging ideas and information and gaining experiences inspired by their interactive virtual experiences, in a unique harmony that blends the magic of culture with the joy of discovery. Interactive workshops The programme includes reading sessions and specialised interactive workshops on Saudi, Brazilian, and Italian culture and arts, enhancing in-depth understanding and lively communication with the civilisations of these countries. This reflects the efforts of the Rubu' Qarn for Creating Future Leaders and Innovators and its strategic vision to build and empower informed and influential generation capable of communicating effectively with the peoples of various countries around the world.
Khaleej Times
5 days ago
- Khaleej Times
This app changes how UAE can hire musicians, artists, and even magicians
For three decades, Nizar Ahmadi operated in the upper tiers of global finance. Now, he's channeling that operational discipline into a mission that's decidedly human: connecting magicians, DJs, dancers, painters, and performers directly with the people who want to hire them — without commissions or gatekeepers. 'I've been in banking for over 30 years,' he says in a chat with City Times . The itch to build in the arts, though, never left. 'Music and entertainment, since I was a kid, I've been exposed to it through my parents, through friends, which I had loved… And it's always stayed in the back of my mind. And I always wanted to get involved in it. I just didn't know how.' Recommended For You The 'how' arrived after Covid. 'After Covid, when tech came in, the idea came and I actually spent about three, four months just with a blackboard in my room, putting the user journey together,' he said. That idea became MADE — short for Music, Arts, Dance, Entertainment — a Dubai-born platform where creatives can post video showcases, set prices, be vetted for authenticity, and connect with clients in minutes. Ahmadi's frustration with the old discovery model is visceral — those fleeting living-room moments where someone sings beautifully and then, nothing. 'What about the 99 per cent talents that are out there that are unseen?' he asks. The premise of MADE is simple: 'Let's have thousand people looking at the talents that are out there instead of a thousand talents being seen by one or two agents.' That extends to access. 'I needed entertainment to come into everybody's lives," he said. "It's not a rich man's game.' MADE allows a hotel with a tight budget, a restaurant just starting out, or a parent planning a birthday to find talent at transparent prices, fast. 'All they have to do is showcase their talent clearly, where we have to do a bit of vetting to make sure that they do have a talent… It's free for them to showcase their talent and post a free video.' The driver, he adds, is livelihood: 'A person can eat. A person can pay his rent that night and they're exposed.' UAE as a launchpad If MADE's ethos is global, its launchpad is intentionally local. 'UAE is such a melting hub for everybody… it's the best place to come in because entertainment is growing,' Ahmadi says, noting government-backed cultural momentum and an events calendar that needs talent at every price tier. 'We've launched four or five months ago. We've gotten a couple of thousand talents to begin with.' Early on, the team nudged creators to raise their presentation game: 'We had to filter some and clean up some posts and send them messages to upgrade the quality of the posts… you're going to stop to the ones that catch your eye.' A mentor gave him another shorthand: 'Basically this is the Uber of talents.' But he stresses the role: 'We're not competing with anyone. We're facilitating and connecting talent to talent seekers in minutes.' For all the tech, this is still about human habits. When asked about the challenges, he takes a minute to ponder. 'From many, many sessions that we've had… the main bottleneck for talents, they're lazy," he says. "I need them to come and put a profile and put a video.' Clients have habits too. He adds, 'For the talent seeker, they're wary because they're so used to having an events manager… They think it's already vetted.' MADE's answer is to keep the process simple but rigorous: vet profiles for authenticity and performance, then make contact instantaneous. 'The connection is instantaneous… Here, the pricing is right there. You see the pricing, you connect, you can meet them in an hour.' The platform also serves makers through a second track: 'On Made, you have two platforms. You have a performance platform and you have a made to sell platform… it's not an e-commerce, it's a one-to-one where they meet.' That covers independent fashion, jewelry, sculpture — work you might see at a pop-up or gallery, now discoverable without a storefront. Commission-free by design On monetisation, Ahmadi is explicit: 'We are not taking any commission.' Growth, he says, is about scale and simple paid tiers. 'We're looking at the scalability and the numbers game over the next couple of years.' Because MADE doesn't skim fees, there's no incentive to 'go behind our back' after a first booking. 'It's futile… we're not taking a penny. So why leave when you have a thousand people looking at you?' That philosophy underpins the mission: 'The philosophy we've built it to begin with is two things, is to empower talents, increase their livelihood, and expose talent seekers to talents that they never thought existed or they haven't seen.' Early traction matters more than press clippings. 'We have quite a few people that were connected,' Ahmadi says. 'There are people that got connected after a day and there's people that got connected after two or three months.' The genres span 'bands… musicians, DJs, some artwork and painters.' AI: Filter, accelerate, but don't replace Ask Ahmadi about AI and he's candid. 'I feel sorry for a lot of the artists and musicians out there today,' he says. He isn't doom-scrolling, though; he's building. 'There's three things that I want AI for. It's to filter through a lot of the posts… AI is going to be implemented in the app in January, and what we're trying to do is expedite the connection even faster.' He also wants MADE to surface in external AI searches: 'People will go on AI… it will show you the top five searches. So we will strive to be one of the top five names.' What he won't concede is the core experience. 'We are blessed and lucky that the performances are still done by people… you still need that human factor.' As for 'future-proof'? He adds, 'I'm not going to say future-proof… AI is a must. And we have to incorporate AI into certain angles to facilitate and make the user journey easier, friendlier. But using humans is extremely important.' What comes next? Geographically, the expansion arc is clear: Saudi Arabia, Egypt, then global hubs in Europe, South America, and the Far East. Strategically, the platform continues refining the 'supply of talent' and the speed of connection. Emotionally, the north star hasn't changed. 'Seeing the smile on their faces,' he says of newly booked performers, 'nothing happier than when a person has talent and he's been discovered'. And if you're looking for the founder's identity, he says, 'I see myself as somebody that just wants to empower talent. Just to be a small bandage in this world to bring out the talented people out there that are unseen and unheard and undiscovered.' husain@ Husain Rizvi is a Senior Features Writer who covers entertainment and lifestyle stories and has a profound interest in tech (games) and sports. When he's not working, you can find him at the gym, or finishing a boss fight in a video game.
