"Beyond the desert".. A feature film that highlights the pioneering achievements of the UAE in the field of space

Dubai, 12 November / WAM / The team working on the feature film “Beyond the Desert”, inspired by real events of the UAE space programme, announced the start of preparations for the production of the film, which tells a fictional story about the experience of the first Arab astronaut, and reflects the journey of ambition and the Emirati determination to excel in the field of space exploration.

Rasha Khalifa Al Mubarak, founder of Naiy Production House, an Emirati company focused on social storytelling, will executive produce the film. It is co-produced by Carla DiBello, founder of Arabia Plus, a UAE-based production company that aims to highlight stories from the region with a global vision. The company has already produced a range of documentaries and short fiction films across the Middle East. Stephen Strachan, an award-winning producer through his company Globa 3, will join the team. The 90-minute feature will be directed by Academy Award nominee and Emmy Award winner David Darg. The film will be shot in Dubai and various parts of the UAE.

The film “Beyond the Desert”, which is supported by the Dubai Film and Electronic Games Office, presents a mixture of human drama and an exciting narrative of ambition in the world of space, as it tells the story of Maryam, a young Emirati engineer who embarks on the experience of becoming the first astronaut in the UAE. While undergoing a precise and strict selection process, she finds herself facing a double test between national ambitions and her inner voice, and between her family’s legacy and her personal dream, to discover that the path to the future begins with understanding the past.

On this occasion, His Excellency Nihal Badri, Secretary General of the Dubai Media Council, said: “The Dubai Film and Electronic Games Office’s support comes in line with the efforts aimed at consolidating Dubai’s position as a global center for creative production and media, and is in line with the approach of stimulating creative talent in the film industry, whose opportunities for growth and prosperity in Dubai we are working on. We wish the work team every success in presenting distinguished work that sheds light on a pioneering Emirati experience whose title is the ambition that has always distinguished the UAE’s vision for the future.”

She added: “The UAE has many inspiring success stories that deserve to be told in creative works of a global nature… There is no doubt that the Emirati experience in the field of space exploration, and the achievements it has achieved, deserve creative work that reflects important features of this experience, especially with regard to the role of women, which the country seeks to strengthen in various fields, especially those related to future industries.”

For her part, Rasha Khalifa Al Mubarak, the executive producer of the work, and one of the most prominent supporters of Gulf cultural innovation, expressed her appreciation for the support of the Dubai Film and Electronic Games Office, and said: “The idea of ​​​​the film “Beyond the Desert” was inspired by the exceptional achievements of the Emirati space program, and by the courage of figures such as Noura Al Matroushi, the first Emirati astronaut.” She added: “The film highlights the journey of transformation at the personal, national and intergenerational levels and celebrates our heritage as we confidently step into the future.”

For her part, producer Carla DiBello said: “This is a story that has never appeared on screen before. We present a narrative that embodies the achievements of Arab women before a global audience, and highlights how their role is not limited to breaking barriers, but also formulates new concepts for the role of women in the development process in the region.

Since the establishment of the Emirates Space Agency in 2014, the country has begun implementing the Emirates Mars Exploration Project, sent astronauts Sultan Al Neyadi and Hazza Al Mansouri to the International Space Station, and Noura Al Matroushi became the first female astronaut in the Arab world. These achievements represent a milestone whose importance is evident in all the events of the film.

The process of selecting the crew for the film is scheduled to begin soon. Capstone Pictures is handling global sales, while Front Row Filmed Entertainment is overseeing the film’s distribution in the Middle East and North Africa. The film will be shown first in cinemas, before being released globally on digital platforms.

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