Landscapes of Production: Filming Dubai and the Trucial States

Abstract

Between 1957 and 1958, the British government wrote, financed, and produced a propaganda film about the city of Dubai and a shore of Arab sheikhdoms that would eventually be assembled into the United Arab Emirates. An analysis of government archives and the finished film reveals conscious manipulation of cultural symbols for creating political narratives that continue to influence the nation’s urbanization. Although eventually shelved, the film represents an attempt at encapsulating the motivations for the continuing British political and military presence in the region. Produced at a time when the British government was searching for a new means of engagement in the broader region, the resulting product recalls the historical legacy of wartime propaganda films and, more specifically, colonial films, which sought to maintain British colonial control in the postwar period. After consideration of the filmmakers’ intentions, the article concludes with postulation of why the film was permanently shelved.