Since its release on November 25, Al Kameen has smashed UAE box office records, marking a big moment not only for Emirati cinema, but for Arab films as a whole.
The Emirati war drama has had more than 170,000 cinema admissions since its release in cinemas, according to Vox Distribution, making it the most successful Emirati and Arabic-language movie in the UAE.
Moreover, it has become one of the top-five grossing films of this year, a week after its release, behind Fast & Furious 9, Venom 2, No Time to Die and Godzilla Vs Kong, Vox Distribution said.
The movie, which translates as "The Ambush", is based on the true story of a daring mission by a group of Emirati soldiers who set off to rescue their compatriots trapped by rebel fighters in a mountainous valley.
Directed by Pierre Morel, the man behind 2008 movie Taken, Al Kameen is a co-production between AGC International and Image Nation Abu Dhabi. It was filmed entirely in the UAE, and features more than 400 cast and crew members – making it the largest Arabic-language feature film production in the GCC.
The movie’s world premiere at Vox Cinemas Yas Mall on November 22 was attended by Morel, producers Derek Dauchy (Victor Frankenstein) and Jennifer Roth (Black Swan), and the cast, alongside the real Emirati soldiers whose true story inspired the film.
“The feedback we have received from audiences across the UAE has been overwhelming and I am so proud to have been a part of this fantastic project. I hope audiences continue to resonate with this inspirational story of brotherhood,” said Morel.
Ignace Lahoud, chief executive officer, Majid Al Futtaim Leisure, Entertainment & Cinemas, said the success of the film reiterates the growing popularity of home-grown productions.
“We are committed to championing local talent and providing the necessary platform to ensure that premium Arabic content is made accessible to audiences,” he says.
Al Kameen stars an all-Emirati lead cast, including Marwan Abdulla Saleh, Khalifa Al Jassem, Mohammed Ahmed, Abdullah Saeed Bin Haider, Saeed AlHarsh and Hassan Yousuf Alblooshi.
The script was written by Brandon Birtell (Fast & 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.
“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,” said Kazim, manager of local film and television at Image Nation Abu Dhabi and executive in charge of production on Al Kameen.
“This achievement is further proof that world-class content is being produced in the emirate. The success is a landmark moment for Emirati cinema and we hope this also provides further opportunities for our well-proven local talent."
Al Kameen is in cinemas across the UAE
Mubadala World Tennis Championship 2018 schedule
Thursday December 27
Men's quarter-finals
Kevin Anderson v Hyeon Chung 4pm
Dominic Thiem v Karen Khachanov 6pm
Women's exhibition
Serena Williams v Venus Williams 8pm
Friday December 28
5th place play-off 3pm
Men's semi-finals
Rafael Nadal v Anderson/Chung 5pm
Novak Djokovic v Thiem/Khachanov 7pm
Saturday December 29
3rd place play-off 5pm
Men's final 7pm
RESULTS
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Infobox
Western Region Asia Cup Qualifier, Al Amerat, Oman
The two finalists advance to the next stage of qualifying, in Malaysia in August
Results
UAE beat Iran by 10 wickets
Kuwait beat Saudi Arabia by eight wickets
Oman beat Bahrain by nine wickets
Qatar beat Maldives by 106 runs
Monday fixtures
UAE v Kuwait, Iran v Saudi Arabia, Oman v Qatar, Maldives v Bahrain
RACECARD
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The most expensive investment mistake you will ever make
When is the best time to start saving in a pension? The answer is simple – at the earliest possible moment. The first pound, euro, dollar or dirham you invest is the most valuable, as it has so much longer to grow in value. If you start in your twenties, it could be invested for 40 years or more, which means you have decades for compound interest to work its magic.
“You get growth upon growth upon growth, followed by more growth. The earlier you start the process, the more it will all roll up,” says Chris Davies, chartered financial planner at The Fry Group in Dubai.
This table shows how much you would have in your pension at age 65, depending on when you start and how much you pay in (it assumes your investments grow 7 per cent a year after charges and you have no other savings).
|
Age
|
$250 a month
|
$500 a month
|
$1,000 a month
|
|
25
|
$640,829
|
$1,281,657
|
$2,563,315
|
|
35
|
$303,219
|
$606,439
|
$1,212,877
|
|
45
|
$131,596
|
$263,191
|
$526,382
|
|
55
|
$44,351
|
$88,702
|
$177,403
|
if you go
The flights
Flydubai offers three daily direct flights to Sarajevo and, from June, a daily flight from Thessaloniki from Dubai. A return flight costs from Dhs1,905 including taxes.
The trip
The Travel Scientists are the organisers of the Balkan Ride and several other rallies around the world. The 2018 running of this particular adventure will take place from August 3-11, once again starting in Sarajevo and ending a week later in Thessaloniki. If you’re driving your own vehicle, then entry start from €880 (Dhs 3,900) per person including all accommodation along the route. Contact the Travel Scientists if you wish to hire one of their vehicles.
Islamophobia definition
A widely accepted definition was made by the All Party Parliamentary Group on British Muslims in 2019: “Islamophobia is rooted in racism and is a type of racism that targets expressions of Muslimness or perceived Muslimness.” It further defines it as “inciting hatred or violence against Muslims”.
If you go…
Emirates launched a new daily service to Mexico City this week, flying via Barcelona from Dh3,995.
Emirati citizens are among 67 nationalities who do not require a visa to Mexico. Entry is granted on arrival for stays of up to 180 days.
The years Ramadan fell in May
More on Quran memorisation:
Read more about the coronavirus
Who are the Sacklers?
The Sackler family is a transatlantic dynasty that owns Purdue Pharma, which manufactures and markets OxyContin, one of the drugs at the centre of America's opioids crisis. The family is well known for their generous philanthropy towards the world's top cultural institutions, including Guggenheim Museum, the National Portrait Gallery, Tate in Britain, Yale University and the Serpentine Gallery, to name a few. Two branches of the family control Purdue Pharma.
Isaac Sackler and Sophie Greenberg were Jewish immigrants who arrived in New York before the First World War. They had three sons. The first, Arthur, died before OxyContin was invented. The second, Mortimer, who died aged 93 in 2010, was a former chief executive of Purdue Pharma. The third, Raymond, died aged 97 in 2017 and was also a former chief executive of Purdue Pharma.
It was Arthur, a psychiatrist and pharmaceutical marketeer, who started the family business dynasty. He and his brothers bought a small company called Purdue Frederick; among their first products were laxatives and prescription earwax remover.
Arthur's branch of the family has not been involved in Purdue for many years and his daughter, Elizabeth, has spoken out against it, saying the company's role in America's drugs crisis is "morally abhorrent".
The lawsuits that were brought by the attorneys general of New York and Massachussetts named eight Sacklers. This includes Kathe, Mortimer, Richard, Jonathan and Ilene Sackler Lefcourt, who are all the children of either Mortimer or Raymond. Then there's Theresa Sackler, who is Mortimer senior's widow; Beverly, Raymond's widow; and David Sackler, Raymond's grandson.
Members of the Sackler family are rarely seen in public.
