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The National
27-04-2025
- Entertainment
- The National
Abu Dhabi Book Fair 2025: Mena Massoud on rejecting stereotypes and reclaiming Arab stories
After his career breakthrough in the titular role of the 2019 live-action remake of Aladdin, Mena Massoud is learning to say no. Appearing on Saturday's opening day of the Abu Dhabi International Book Fair, the Egyptian-Canadian actor recalled that, despite the growing profile and critical acclaim earned from his role in the blockbuster – partly shot in Jordan and starring alongside Will Smith – he is still being offered roles that exacerbate harmful stereotypes of the region. 'My first ever paid role in America was playing Al-Qaeda Number Two. But I had just graduated from theatre school – I didn't know any better. I was like, 'Yeah, I'm going to do it.' I wasn't at a stage where I could say no to things,' he recalls. 'More recently, there was a show being developed with a character that portrayed the Middle East negatively, and I told my agents, 'I'm not auditioning for it. I don't even want to see it. And quite honestly, I can't believe productions are still telling stories like this.'' It's partly for this reason that Massoud co-founded Press Play Productions in 2021, with offices in Dubai and Los Angeles. All projects under the banner, he says, will feature globally resonant and multicultural stories, aiming to create the kinds of chances he lacked at the outset of his career nearly 15 years ago. The company has already co-produced two seasons of Massoud's food travel series Evolving Vegan (based on his cookbook) as well as the coming Egyptian thriller, In Broad Daylight. "I think the reason I started producing is because there just aren't enough opportunities in Hollywood for people who look like me and you. I believe the only way we make real change is if the people with knowledge of the industry start producing," he says. "There are executives in Hollywood who want to tell these kinds of stories, but they just don't know how, and I think it's up to us to take that responsibility and show it to the world." When it comes to In Broad Daylight, it is also an opportunity for the region to see Massoud in a different light. Set for release later this year, Massoud's first full Arabic-language film has him playing the role of Hamza, a globe-trotting con artist on the run from authorities. With a supporting cast that includes screen veterans Bayoumi Fouad and Shereen Reda, and directed by Kareem Sorour – who helmed both seasons of the Ramadan drama series Kalabsh – Massoud describes his first foray into the Egyptian film industry as revealing. "What I loved about working in Egypt is that they let you do a little bit more than in Hollywood. In Aladdin, I didn't get to do a lot of my own stunts because of insurance purposes," he says. "In Egypt ... I got to perform more of my own stunts, and that was an amazing part of working there. It's very different, but I think it's liberating as well. I understand why artists are so artistic in the Middle East – because it is a little bit more free. 'You can get bound up by the technicalities a lot more in Hollywood. There's so much structure to everything, and that can bind an actor, whereas I felt a little more freedom in Egypt – maybe a little bit too much freedom sometimes – but it works to your advantage." Massoud reveals another passion project he hopes to get off the ground - a TV series based on figures from the golden era of Egyptian music and film, such as crooner and actor Abdel Halim Hafez. "Each episode focuses on a different character from that time," he said. "You would do an episode on Abdel Halim, and at the end of that episode, you would meet another figure and follow their journey in the next one. I think we have such a rich tapestry to tap into, and we have the means to do it now because technology has really levelled the playing field between Hollywood and other emerging industries." Born in Cairo before emigrating to Canada with his family at the age of three, Massoud says the potential series would serve as a form of tribute to his parents, with whom he grew up watching these films – an experience that first sparked his love for acting. "I really fell in love with acting through Egyptian cinema and TV because that's what my parents watched,' he says. 'They weren't watching American TV – that came later for me. But I fell in love with Egyptian cinema, and it was always my dream to come back and act alongside these incredible artists.' While they are fully behind his burgeoning acting career, Massoud says it took some time for his mother to come to terms with his veganism. "She made this dinner once with these Egyptian dishes – qawareh (bone marrow) and feta with meat – and I remember telling her I couldn't eat any of it," he says. "She cried because I only ate the rice. But she's an amazing cook, and she went on to contribute to the Evolving Vegan book with great recipes like koshari. It meant a lot to get her involved there." The Abu Dhabi International Book Fair is running at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre until May 5
Campaign ME
05-03-2025
- Business
- Campaign ME
Ducab Ramadan TVC shows products that silently power memories
Dubai-based cable manufacturers Ducab has launched a new campaign during Ramadan, in collaboration with Press Play Productions, which takes the emotional route to showcase how people often overlook the value of essential products that power the most meaningful memories in their lives. Ducab Group – which has two main divisions, namely Ducab Cables businesss and Ducab Metals business with six factories across Dubai and Abu Dhabi – often operates in the business-to-business (B2B) sector in the Middle East, within which creative advertising and narrative-based brand positioning are minimal. To break the mould, Ducab's latest campaign – which was broadcast on Dubai TV and Abu Dhabi TV and ran across social media channels – spoke to end-users and consumers, evoking nostalgia and reminding viewers of the often-overlooked role of power cables in their daily lives. In conversation with Campaign Middle East, Ani Bazdekian, the Assistant Manager for Public Relations and Corporate Communication at Ducab, said, 'By tapping into sentimental emotions, the campaign highlighted how these essential products power the moments, conveniences, and advancements we often take for granted.' The campaign leaned into a relatable narrative, human-centric approach and emotional visuals and sound in order to translate the brand's objectives into its creative output, Bazdekian told Campaign Middle East. While creatively and subtly showcasing Ducab cables and its role in people's every day lives, the campaign video narrates, 'It's been with us for ages. Countless days and years have passed by with it by our side, always there close at hand since the time of our older generation. In our life's memories, it has had an impact every time. It was the promise behind our dreams, until hope turned into a reality. WIth its presence, the hard becomes easy, drawing those who seem far away, closer together. And when you need support, it appears, always ready to help as a genuine pillar of strength. It's recognised by those who share the call out to prayer, and by those who stand together in devotion. It's known by those who fast during Ramadan, and those who spend that blessed month with their loved ones.' The campaign video leans into daily nostalgic memories of families in the front room, prayer times at the mosque, friends playing video games together, parents talking to their children, teachers in classrooms, visits to the hospital, long-distance calls between loved ones, and families breaking their fast at iftar – all while Ducab cables power these memories and moments silently in the backdrop. The brand also leaned into elements of celebrity marketing by partnering with well-known and locally recognised Emirati actors, including Fatima Alhousani (@alhousani.f_a), Aisha Alzaabi (@3ashaalz3abi), and Moza Almazrooei (@moza_almazrooei1). The campaign will run for a month and the success metrics will be reviewed based on awareness as well as social media engagements. CREDITS Client: Ducab Production house: Press Play Productions
