Ali Mustafa

Ali Mustafa is a British-Emirati filmmaker and director born on 25 September 1981. His breakthrough came with City of Life (2009), the first Emirati feature film, which he directed after studying at London Film School. The project emerged from Mustafa's frustration with global perceptions of Dubai as artificial; he wanted to show the city's 'real people with real problems,' aiming to position it alongside cities like London and New York. Despite initial controversy from cinemas claiming the film portrayed Dubai negatively, City of Life ranked second at the local box office and earned over 500,000 dirhams in its opening weekend.

Mustafa's subsequent work confirmed his standing in regional cinema. He opened the Abu Dhabi Film Festival in October 2014 with From A to B, the first Emirati film to receive that honour, presenting three friends on a road trip from Abu Dhabi to Beirut as a vehicle for challenging Middle Eastern stereotypes. The Worthy (2017), a collaboration with Hollywood producers Peter Safran and Steven Schneider, premiered at the BFA London Film Festival in October 2016 and the Dubai Film Festival that December, depicting a water-scarce dystopian future. Variety credited him as the Gulf's first director of international standing, while he earned the 'Best Emirati Filmmaker' title at the Dubai International Film Festival and 'Young Filmmaker of the Year' at the Digital Studio Awards in 2010. In 2022, he announced City of Life Continuum, a sequel to his 2009 debut. As a Life Path 8, Mustafa embodies ambition and material achievement tempered by artistic vision. His screenwriting practice extends beyond film direction; in 2011, he developed Classified, the first online-only short series produced in the Middle East, as part of a Land Rover brand collaboration.