Emirati Cinema Night at BOZAR builds bridges between the UAE and Europe through film

The Embassy of the United Arab Emirates in Brussels hosted an Emirati Cinema Night at the Centre for Fine Arts (BOZAR), bringing Emirati filmmaking to a European audience of policymakers, cultural institutions and members of the diplomatic corps.

The evening was hosted by H.E. Mohamed Ismail Al Sahlawi, Ambassador of the United Arab Emirates to the Kingdom of Belgium, the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, and the European Union, and brought together more than 200 guests, including members of the Brussels cultural and diplomatic community.

Opening the evening, the Ambassador noted the UAE is today home to more than 10,000 media companies and 55,000 media professionals, with the sector growing at over 11 percent a year, the fastest rate of any media and entertainment market in the Middle East.

The program featured the participation of three Emirati filmmakers. Nawaf Al Janahi, one of the founders of the Emirates Film Competition and a director whose feature films have screened in 27 countries, presented his short film "Somewhere in Time." Abdulla Al Kaabi presented his short film "The Philosopher." Both directors travelled to Brussels for the evening.

The centrepiece of the program was a private preview of "Voice of the Waves," directed by Nahla Al Fahad with co-director Jibin Jose. The documentary draws on seven years of research and two years of production, following fisherwomen in Rameshwaram in India and Jaffna in Sri Lanka whose lives are shaped by the ocean. Edited to completion in the week of the screening, it was presented to one of the first audiences to see the film anywhere.

In his remarks, H.E. Mohamed Ismail Al Sahlawi said: "Cultural exchange and movies are tools of quiet diplomacy. This is stating the obvious, but it is worth repeating: when people encounter each other's movies, music and culture they develop a deeper appreciation for each other, in a way that politics or traditional diplomacy cannot."
He added: "The UAE has never been a place that looks inward. From its earliest days as a trading hub to its position today as one of the world's most connected nations, this country has always oriented itself toward the wider world. We are a country that has always reached outward: building connections, forging partnerships, and finding common ground across continents and cultures."

The screenings were accompanied by "Behind the Frame," a photographic exhibition presenting the craft behind Emirati filmmaking, from location and set to post-production, offering visitors an account of the creative and technical work that supports the country's expanding film industry.

The screenings were followed by a moderated discussion with the filmmakers on Emirati storytelling, the growth of the national film sector, and the role of cinema in building understanding between societies.

Closing his remarks, the Ambassador invited the audience to leave with a question rather than a conclusion, asking which story stayed with them, "Not which film was best made, but which one you are still carrying when you step out onto the street," and observing that the answer would differ for every person present, and that the difference was the point.
The Emirati Cinema Night forms part of the Embassy's cultural diplomacy program in Brussels, which advances people-to-people engagement alongside the UAE's political, economic and development cooperation with the Europ. The United Arab Emirates has invested substantially in its creative industries in recent years, supporting national film production, training and infrastructure as part of the country's wider economic diversification.