Dubai’s position as an international filming hub got a further boost as two major project started shooting in the emirate. The Dubai leg of the filming of the Star Trek movie and Jackie Chans Kung Fu Yoga has begun. Residents spotted helicopters hovering over buildings in Jumeirah Lakes Towers this week and trucks carrying equipment and crew were also seen in some neighbourhoods […]
Dubai’s position as an international filming hub got a further boost as two major project started shooting in the emirate. The Dubai leg of the filming of the Star Trek movie and Jackie Chans Kung Fu Yoga has begun. Residents spotted helicopters hovering over buildings in Jumeirah Lakes Towers this week and trucks carrying equipment and crew were also seen in some neighbourhoods in Dubai.
Dubai Police has been assisting in diverting traffic from the areas involved in the filming of these two international projects. Some of the roads in the iconic locations in the emirate such as Downtown Dubai, DIFC, Jumeirah Lakes Towers and Meydan were cordoned off to accommodate film crew.
Star Trek: Beyond, which is due to release in July next year will be using shots of the emirates skyscrapers to create the look of a vertical city of the future. The films producer Jeffrey Chernov, suggested Dubai as a fitting location to Star Trek Beyond director Justin Lin, after working on Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol. A lot of the exterior work on the film is being done in Dubai
The shooting of this film in the emirate is a testament to Dubai and the UAEs development into a hub for film and production, and Paramount Pictures joins the growing interest from regional and international filmmakers who are recognising the emirate as an established filming destination.
Dubai Film and TV Commission also introduced an internship programme to nurture local talent in the emirate by giving aspiring filmmakers a chance to work on a big-scale international project. Two Emirati interns spent four days on-set in Vancouver for Star Trek Beyond. Sponsored by the Dubai Film and TV Commission (DFTC), the interns, Mohammad Ahmed Fikri and Abdulrahman Saleh Al Madani, gained filming experience with more than 200 of some of the worlds best film crew, and were given exposure to the structure and organisation of a large international film set.
The interns are both emerging filmmakers and have written and directed their own films, winning acclaimed awards at local and regional film festivals, and it was their first time on a Hollywood set.
Meanwhile, the shoot on Kung Fu Yoga is also underway in Dubai and will continue until 30 October 2015. This is Chans first time filming in the Middle East. Kung Fu Yoga has brought around one hundred international crew to the emirate, as well as use a large pool of local talent for filming. A series of car chase sequences have been shot in Downtown Dubai. The film is showcasing Dubais skyline and luxury attractions, as well as its world-class infrastructure, roads and bridges.
Commenting on these high profile projects, Jamal Al Sharif, Chairman of Dubai Film and TV Commission and Managing Director of Dubai Studio City, said: We are very excited to welcome Jackie Chan and the Kung Fu Yoga production team to Dubai. The UAE is becoming an increasingly popular destination for Hollywood and Bollywood productions, and the filming of Kung Fu Yoga in Dubai is another major boost for our film industry.
The shooting of large productions here in Dubai has not only facilitated the development of a sustainable local film industry, but has showcased the emirates attractions, lifestyle, locations and culture to a global audience, and truly established the emirate as a leading international filming hub.
