As the official brand ambassador for Alfred Dunhill in the Middle East, Emirati filmmaker and producer Ali F. Mostafa recently attended the Cannes Film Festival impeccably dressed in one of Dunhill’s latest creations, a classic black one-button suit and bowtie.

Mostafa attended the Cannes Film Festival to promote his new film ‘City of Life’, which delicately portrays the essence of Dubai as a whole. The urban drama follows the lives of three strangers in Dubai: a privileged young male Emirati struggling with his cultural identity, an Indian taxi driver who bears a strong resemblance to a famous Bollywood star, and a former Romanian ballerina turned flight attendant searching for love. ‘City of Life’ explores how all three lives become part of a complex network, intertwining with one another in the face of tragedy and hope.

Born in London to an English mother and Emirati father, Mostafa fueled his passion for film production by pursuing a Masters degree in filmmaking from the London Film School. Returning to the Emirates, he went on to direct a series of commercials for companies such as Nissan and Etisalat.

Soon after, Mostafa founded his own film production company AFM Films, and has won Best Emirates Film 2006 in the Annual Emirates Film Competition for his graduation film ‘Under the Sun’ (Taht al Shams). ‘Under the Sun’ was also nominated for Best Foreign Film at the San Fernando Valley International Film Festival in California, USA. In 2007, Mostafa was awarded Best Emirati Filmmaker at the Dubai International Film Festival. In addition to ‘Under the Sun’, his films and documentaries to date include ‘Scarred’, ‘Missing’, and the recent ‘City of Life’. Shot entirely in the United Arab Emirates, ‘City of Life’ is the first feature film project by AFM Films.

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