Emirates premiers City of Life in the air
City of Life, the first full-length feature film written, produced and directed in the U.A.E., continues to make waves internationally, this time with its exclusive debut onboard Emirates flights from October 2010.
City of Life, which had its world premier at the Emirates-sponsored 6th Dubai International Film Festival (DIFF), will now entertain passengers onboard Emirates flights. While the film is still touring the international film circuit, Emirates customers can enjoy this highly acclaimed film on ice (information, communications and entertainment), the award-winning, inflight audio and video-on-demand system. The screening of the film is a testament to Emirates’ ongoing commitment to promoting Middle Eastern art and culture.
Patrick Brannelly - Emirates' Vice President Corporate Communications (Product, Publishing, Digital & Events) said: "City of Life is a ground-breaking film and we were not surprised by its box office success and international appeal. We wanted to let our passengers enjoy it onboard as soon as possible, and are proud to offer it as a world-wide airline exclusive. Emirates carries a truly global mix of passengers, which gives City of Life an evolving international audience that will further contribute to its success."
Directed by award-winning Emirati filmmaker Ali F. Mostafa, City of Life is a multi-lingual film with an international star cast, set entirely in Dubai. The film’s central plot revolves around the individual stories of three culturally diverse characters; a young Emirati man, an Indian taxi driver, and a Romanian flight attendant, whose lives reveal the complex network that underpins Dubai’s multi-faceted personality. The three lives ultimately collide in a dramatic turn of events that expose the transience and delicate balance that govern urban life.
“I am honoured that City of Life’s world airline premier starts exclusively with Emirates airline. To be associated with the international prominence of Emirates gives us a very exciting launch platform. Both the film and the prestigious airline were born in a city where growth and vision are encouraged, so this partnership was a very easy and proud decision to make,” said Ali F. Mostafa, director of City of Life.
The October edition of Open Skies, Emirates’ inflight magazine, also features an exclusive interview with Ali F. Mostafa, where passengers can get a further insight into the director’s creative process and learn the story of the making of City of Life.
Emirates’ multi-award winning ice system - which is now available on over 80 per cent of the Emirates fleet - is unparalleled in the industry and City of Life is one of up to 230 movies from around the world. ice also offers a staggering choice of up to 1200 channels of entertainment. In 2009-2010 Emirates selected movies from over 15 countries that were available in over 20 languages, as well as many with the option to choose closed captions for the hard of hearing, a first for Emirates in the airline industry. Emirates’ commitment to providing passengers with the very best in in-flight entertainment began in 1992, when it became the first airline in the world to offer personal TV screens in all classes on its entire fleet.
