Under the spotlight.
It is no secret that Abu Dhabi is at the centre of filmmaking in the Middle East, after all A-list celebrity and superstar Tom Cruise once graced the capital to make the film Mission: Impossible 7.
And now, Al Kameen (The Ambush), a co-production between AGC International and Image Nation Abu Dhabi, has smashed box office records with more than 170,000 admissions since it opened in theatres on 25 November, making it both the most successful Emirati and Arabic-language movie ever in the UAE.
Remarkably, it has also sealed its position as one of the five top grossing films this year after less than one week in release.
Filmed in its entirety in the UAE, Al Kameen is the largest ever Arabic-language feature film production in the GCC and stars an all-Emirati lead cast.
With more than 400 cast and crew members involved in the making of the film, it premiered at VOX Cinemas Yas Mall and was attended by acclaimed director Pierre Morel (Taken, District B13), producers Derek Dauchy (Roman J Israel, Esq., Victor Frankenstein) and Jennifer Roth (Black Swan), and the cast, alongside the real Emirati soldiers whose true story inspired the film.
Hana Kazim, manager of local film and television at Image Nation Abu Dhabi and executive in charge of production on Al Kameen, said: “Alongside the incredibly compelling story, the success that Al Kameen has seen in just a few days is thanks in no small part to the incredibly talented crew based in Abu Dhabi. This achievement is further proof that world-class content is being produced in the Emirate.
The success of the film is a landmark moment for Emirati cinema and we hope this also provides further opportunities for our well-proven local talent.”
Al Kameen was written by Brandon Birtell (Furious 7) and Kurtis Birtell (Medal of Honour) in close consultation with the soldiers involved in the real-life 2018 incident that inspired the plot.
Image Nation Abu Dhabi’s production included a team of Emirati filmmakers and development executives including Hana Kazim, Talal Al Asmani, Alwiya Thani and Alia AlQemzi.
Keep up to date with Image Nation Abu Dhabi by visiting imagenationabudhabi.com
