UAE: Time to teach cinema in classrooms, say Emirati filmmakers

Khaleej Times

28-05-2025

Cinema classes should be taught in schools and introduced as part of the curriculum to instil a love of film culture in young people, according to leading Emirati filmmakers.
Speaking at a panel discussion during the Arab Media Summit, Emirati director and writer Abdalla Al Kaabi emphasised that a lack of exposure to local stories and characters from an early age contributes to the limited success of Emirati cinema. He stressed the need for familiarity with homegrown cinema in schools to help shape a strong national film identity.
"We need to embed the cinema culture all the way with different elements,' he said, adding that he has been calling for the adoption of an Emirati cinema class in schools since 2016. 'How is [cinema] not beneficial to the human mind that we're trying to build? Imagine the effect of that across schools in the UAE, in a matter of 5 or 10 years. But we have to start today," Al Kaabi added.
"The panel session, titled 'Behind the Lens: Emirati Filmmakers,' took place on the second day of the Arab Media Summit, running from May 26 to 28.
He said one of the biggest challenges young Emirati filmmakers face is the 'culture' surrounding UAE-made cinema.
"We should have our own Emirati cinema. Our music doesn't look like American music. Our painters do not paint like Americans. So, we should also do that as Emirati filmmakers, but we have to start today," he urged. "I think we wasted a lot of time."
Also present at the session were Hana Kazim, an Emirati producer and director, and Nawaf Al Janahi, an Emirati director. Al Janahi, who is the director of the award-winning short films 'Roads' and 'Shadow of the Sea', said that the reason why people do not see Emirati cinema as normal is because it is not embedded in the Emirati psyche.
'Why didn't they know? Not because nothing existed before that, but because there was not enough integrated into the psyche so that it becomes part of their awareness. 'I believe these kinds of clashes happen mainly because the society is not used to seeing itself on the screen,' the Emirati director said.
'It's not that they mind, it's just that they're not used to it,' he added. 'And we're still having this conversation until today.' He said today things are progressing, but 'it's not where it should be.'
Kazim, who has also played a large role in the Emirati film movement and was involved in producing and directing several Emirati films like MAKR and AL KAMEEN, said, 'If we tell our own stories like there's a lot of stories set in New York, Berlin, etc., it attracts more people to come and shoot here,' She added, 'It's part of the soft power we have as a city, putting it in the hearts and minds of people who watch films.'
The first Emirati film
Although the Emirati film movement is a few decades old, with Emirati movies dating back to 1988, it is still a niche within Emirati society. Film scholar and communications professor Hania Nashef cites in her research paper that Emirati director Nayla Al Khaja said, 'There isn't such a thing as a film industry in the UAE; it's a film movement."
The Emirati film industry is currently growing with the government's support, thanks to the introduction of film festivals throughout the Emirates, including the Abu Dhabi Film Festival, the Dubai International Film Festival, and the Sharjah International Film Festival. In 2024, the UAE Media Council announced that the UAE accounted for 30 per cent of the Mena region's cinema market share.