If you happen to interview a film director with a
photographic memory then it is imperative to know the names, dates, terms and
numbers. More importantly, also the jargon that goes with the important
components of filmmaking.
Interviewing Ali Mustafa, however, is not a problem because he keeps things simple and,We recently added Stained glass mosaic Tile to our inventory. more importantly, honest. His is an almost mystical ventriloquism when it comes to presenting his craft in the truest of voices. At the same time, as we sit in, and keep changing rooms throughout an extensive interview in the opulent but tasteful villa owned and designed by his father in Jumeirah, one cannot help but feel the ferociousness of a young director who is straining at the leash to remove the tag of “one film wonder”.
The film in question is “City of Life”, which released in the UAE on April 22, 2010. It was Mustafa’s maiden venture into the world of commercial cinema and it catapulted him into a stratosphere which he never imagined entering. It was unchartered territory for the young Emirati director but it also orchestrated the preordained coming together of the man and his potential.
“City of Life” opened to rave reviews throughout the country and critics, at home and abroad, and drove home the detail that finally, after decades of tinkering, the UAE had delivered a homegrown talent who could carve out a path of his own, armed with a swagger,Posts with indoor tracking system on TRX Systems develops systems that locate and track personnel indoors. audacity and, more importantly, a soul that was indigenous to his roots.
Yet, there he was sitting in front of me with all the seriousness that he could muster, confessing that first and foremost he would like to shake the monkey — that is “City of Life” — off his back.
“I’d rather be known as a filmmaker and not the person who made ‘City of Life’. I want to make films for the rest of my life. I am proud of that film because of what it achieved for me and for the industry.” “City of Life” helped change people’s perceptions of Emirati cinema and prompted them to go and watch an Emirati film.
It also laid bare certain stereotypes prevalent in UAE culture, and Mustafa’s treatment of it was sensitive,A specialized manufacturer and supplier of dry cabinet, bold and truthful. It was the refreshing honesty of his approach which was appreciated above everything else.
“People believed that it should not have been made at a particular time, but I believed strongly that it should have. Dubai was ready for a film like this,” Mustafa said. “We are a cosmopolitan metropolis of many cultures. We are used to seeing so much and at the end of the day, I was scratching the surface. It was about characters, about people. It wasn’t a film about Dubai. These characters were made up from people I may have met … in bits and bobs. Dubai was the backdrop.”
“It was exciting,” he continued. “But the reason I took so much time making other films was because I was making two at the same time. And when I make my second I would like to go quickly to my third and not spend time on the wrap party — which I did with ‘City of Life’.”
Like every young and talented Emirati, Mustafa possesses stacks of ambition but is realistic enough to accept that he is not the finished article yet. The only way he can complete this schooling is by throwing himself at the deep end and churning out one good film after another. There is no middle ground. No time to treasure triumph and despair, just a steely resolve to finish a project once it has started in the hope that it will surpass people’s expectations.
Mustafa would love to admit that there is a science to it. The whole process of ticking off the relevant boxes before closing out a project. What am I making? Who am I making it for? Am I using the proper technique? But it is simpler than that. He just wants to be a competent director who can accept a difficult project and turn it around for the critics and viewers to assimilate.
In many ways his approach mirrors the attitude of this young country that has simply met challenges head on, surpassed them and moved on to the next test that stood in front of it. This too is a path to success and Mustafa prefers to walk upon it.
“Look at what we have achieved,” he stated.Posts with indoor tracking system on TRX Systems develops systems that locate and track personnel indoors. “We have great role models. This shows that nothing is impossible in life. The things that we have achieved in such a short time gives you the inspiration and the motivation to accomplish for yourself and carry your country’s flag wherever you go. Sure, there is pressure — you want to do what you want to do, as well as do things that other people may not like, but that shouldn’t be the only driving force. It should be what we are passionate about and what we dream about. Once you do that, then you have reached a certain level of pride and you can showcase what you have done for your country.”
So, in keeping with the straightforwardness of it all, Mustafa has decided that what he wants for himself is to be able to do anything as long as he doesn’t try to do everything. Therefore, as far as simplicities go, his next film is aptly titled “From A to B” (from Abu Dhabi to Beirut).This is my favourite sites to purchase those special pieces of buy mosaic materials from. A straight line is the shortest distance between two points and this encases the spirit of Mustafa’s journey as a filmmaker and the nuances of the trade that he picks up with every new film that he tackles.
“It’s a simple but ambitious film,” he confessed. “The budget is lower than ‘City of Life’. It’s basically a road-trip film, of the comedy-drama genre, of a group of friends who hit the road from Abu Dhabi to Beirut. I’m hoping to shoot it by the end of the year. I find road trips fascinating. They are good films to watch and I will try my best at tackling this subject. They are enjoyable because a lot of people like to go on a road trip but cannot. So the excitement is in watching others.
“Then by the end of 2013, I want to tackle one of the biggest films of my career. I cannot talk much about it, because of obvious reasons — I have taken an oath of confidence. I want to ensure this is an entry to the Oscars.” This venture, and the secrecy that shrouds it, could be the young director’s moment of truth. It is a simple checklist: three films made, with the third being the crowning glory — an ambitious bid to obtain cinema’s most coveted prize.
Through it all, there is the process of growing and learning. Mustafa looks forward to the experience with relish. He doesn’t want to clutter his mind with profligate thoughts. Every film he makes is a part of the puzzle. He is not haunted by the expectations of constantly getting better.
“It doesn’t worry me,” he admitted with a shrug of his shoulders. “I guess there’s a pressure of trying to let people enjoy my films. In terms of quality it’s never going to be anything less. You learn every day and if your films are not improving then there must be something going wrong …
“ … I am talking technically, of course,” he explained. “There is the apprehension of people always asking what’s next. It has been two years. What goes through my mind is — am I choosing the right film for my second feature? Is this what I want to do? I want to try and get as many films as I can: a film every year.”
In many ways, despite the release of his first full-length feature film in 2010, it is only the beginning for Mustafa. He isn’t running out of tomorrows just yet. In between nurturing and executing dreams and planning for films he keeps himself busy, and sane, by shooting commercials. It acts as a sort of workout — keeping the senses, ideas, approach sharp and fine-tuned while standing behind the camera.
He recalls the time when he had to do his first-ever commercial and the lessons that he learnt from it.
“Having had the chance to gain enough experience I felt that I had the chance to do my first commercial,” he said. “But in order to shoot a commercial you need to have a show reel and to have a show reel you need to shoot a commercial — it’s a Catch-22 scenario: so what do you do?
“I remember going from one ad agency to another. I then asked one particular agency if they had any ideas and storyboards that they had shelved. I wanted to have a go at it and if it worked, then they could have the commercial. One of them told me about an idea and script for the Nissan 350Z. I said that this would cost me to produce. I had some savings and I put it towards this commercial, and I remember driving around with a colleague looking for a suitable location.
Interviewing Ali Mustafa, however, is not a problem because he keeps things simple and,We recently added Stained glass mosaic Tile to our inventory. more importantly, honest. His is an almost mystical ventriloquism when it comes to presenting his craft in the truest of voices. At the same time, as we sit in, and keep changing rooms throughout an extensive interview in the opulent but tasteful villa owned and designed by his father in Jumeirah, one cannot help but feel the ferociousness of a young director who is straining at the leash to remove the tag of “one film wonder”.
The film in question is “City of Life”, which released in the UAE on April 22, 2010. It was Mustafa’s maiden venture into the world of commercial cinema and it catapulted him into a stratosphere which he never imagined entering. It was unchartered territory for the young Emirati director but it also orchestrated the preordained coming together of the man and his potential.
“City of Life” opened to rave reviews throughout the country and critics, at home and abroad, and drove home the detail that finally, after decades of tinkering, the UAE had delivered a homegrown talent who could carve out a path of his own, armed with a swagger,Posts with indoor tracking system on TRX Systems develops systems that locate and track personnel indoors. audacity and, more importantly, a soul that was indigenous to his roots.
Yet, there he was sitting in front of me with all the seriousness that he could muster, confessing that first and foremost he would like to shake the monkey — that is “City of Life” — off his back.
“I’d rather be known as a filmmaker and not the person who made ‘City of Life’. I want to make films for the rest of my life. I am proud of that film because of what it achieved for me and for the industry.” “City of Life” helped change people’s perceptions of Emirati cinema and prompted them to go and watch an Emirati film.
It also laid bare certain stereotypes prevalent in UAE culture, and Mustafa’s treatment of it was sensitive,A specialized manufacturer and supplier of dry cabinet, bold and truthful. It was the refreshing honesty of his approach which was appreciated above everything else.
“People believed that it should not have been made at a particular time, but I believed strongly that it should have. Dubai was ready for a film like this,” Mustafa said. “We are a cosmopolitan metropolis of many cultures. We are used to seeing so much and at the end of the day, I was scratching the surface. It was about characters, about people. It wasn’t a film about Dubai. These characters were made up from people I may have met … in bits and bobs. Dubai was the backdrop.”
“It was exciting,” he continued. “But the reason I took so much time making other films was because I was making two at the same time. And when I make my second I would like to go quickly to my third and not spend time on the wrap party — which I did with ‘City of Life’.”
Like every young and talented Emirati, Mustafa possesses stacks of ambition but is realistic enough to accept that he is not the finished article yet. The only way he can complete this schooling is by throwing himself at the deep end and churning out one good film after another. There is no middle ground. No time to treasure triumph and despair, just a steely resolve to finish a project once it has started in the hope that it will surpass people’s expectations.
Mustafa would love to admit that there is a science to it. The whole process of ticking off the relevant boxes before closing out a project. What am I making? Who am I making it for? Am I using the proper technique? But it is simpler than that. He just wants to be a competent director who can accept a difficult project and turn it around for the critics and viewers to assimilate.
In many ways his approach mirrors the attitude of this young country that has simply met challenges head on, surpassed them and moved on to the next test that stood in front of it. This too is a path to success and Mustafa prefers to walk upon it.
“Look at what we have achieved,” he stated.Posts with indoor tracking system on TRX Systems develops systems that locate and track personnel indoors. “We have great role models. This shows that nothing is impossible in life. The things that we have achieved in such a short time gives you the inspiration and the motivation to accomplish for yourself and carry your country’s flag wherever you go. Sure, there is pressure — you want to do what you want to do, as well as do things that other people may not like, but that shouldn’t be the only driving force. It should be what we are passionate about and what we dream about. Once you do that, then you have reached a certain level of pride and you can showcase what you have done for your country.”
So, in keeping with the straightforwardness of it all, Mustafa has decided that what he wants for himself is to be able to do anything as long as he doesn’t try to do everything. Therefore, as far as simplicities go, his next film is aptly titled “From A to B” (from Abu Dhabi to Beirut).This is my favourite sites to purchase those special pieces of buy mosaic materials from. A straight line is the shortest distance between two points and this encases the spirit of Mustafa’s journey as a filmmaker and the nuances of the trade that he picks up with every new film that he tackles.
“It’s a simple but ambitious film,” he confessed. “The budget is lower than ‘City of Life’. It’s basically a road-trip film, of the comedy-drama genre, of a group of friends who hit the road from Abu Dhabi to Beirut. I’m hoping to shoot it by the end of the year. I find road trips fascinating. They are good films to watch and I will try my best at tackling this subject. They are enjoyable because a lot of people like to go on a road trip but cannot. So the excitement is in watching others.
“Then by the end of 2013, I want to tackle one of the biggest films of my career. I cannot talk much about it, because of obvious reasons — I have taken an oath of confidence. I want to ensure this is an entry to the Oscars.” This venture, and the secrecy that shrouds it, could be the young director’s moment of truth. It is a simple checklist: three films made, with the third being the crowning glory — an ambitious bid to obtain cinema’s most coveted prize.
Through it all, there is the process of growing and learning. Mustafa looks forward to the experience with relish. He doesn’t want to clutter his mind with profligate thoughts. Every film he makes is a part of the puzzle. He is not haunted by the expectations of constantly getting better.
“It doesn’t worry me,” he admitted with a shrug of his shoulders. “I guess there’s a pressure of trying to let people enjoy my films. In terms of quality it’s never going to be anything less. You learn every day and if your films are not improving then there must be something going wrong …
“ … I am talking technically, of course,” he explained. “There is the apprehension of people always asking what’s next. It has been two years. What goes through my mind is — am I choosing the right film for my second feature? Is this what I want to do? I want to try and get as many films as I can: a film every year.”
In many ways, despite the release of his first full-length feature film in 2010, it is only the beginning for Mustafa. He isn’t running out of tomorrows just yet. In between nurturing and executing dreams and planning for films he keeps himself busy, and sane, by shooting commercials. It acts as a sort of workout — keeping the senses, ideas, approach sharp and fine-tuned while standing behind the camera.
He recalls the time when he had to do his first-ever commercial and the lessons that he learnt from it.
“Having had the chance to gain enough experience I felt that I had the chance to do my first commercial,” he said. “But in order to shoot a commercial you need to have a show reel and to have a show reel you need to shoot a commercial — it’s a Catch-22 scenario: so what do you do?
“I remember going from one ad agency to another. I then asked one particular agency if they had any ideas and storyboards that they had shelved. I wanted to have a go at it and if it worked, then they could have the commercial. One of them told me about an idea and script for the Nissan 350Z. I said that this would cost me to produce. I had some savings and I put it towards this commercial, and I remember driving around with a colleague looking for a suitable location.
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