The United Arab Emirates (UAE), or simply the Emirates, is a country in West Asia, in the Middle East. Located at the eastern end of the Arabian Peninsula, it shares borders with Oman and Saudi Arabia; as well as maritime borders in the Persian Gulf with Qatar and Iran. The United Arab Emirates is an elective monarchy formed from a federation of seven emirates. As of 2023, the UAE has an estimated population of 9.97 million. Emirati citizens are estimated to form 11.6% of the population; the remaining residents are expatriates, the majority of whom are South Asian. Islam is the official religion and Arabic is the official language. Abu Dhabi is the country's capital, while Dubai, the most populous city, is an international hub.
Najat Makki is an Emirati visual artist. She is a member of the Dubai Cultural Council. and one of the pioneers in Emirati contemporary art scene.
Human Rights in the UAE are substantially restricted. The UAE does not have democratically elected institutions and citizens don't have the right to change their government or form political parties. Activists and academics who criticize the government are detained and imprisoned, and their families are often harassed by the state security apparatus. There are reports of forced disappearances of foreign nationals and Emirati citizens, who have been abducted, detained and tortured in undisclosed locations, and denied the right to a speedy trial and access to counsel during investigations by the UAE government. Human Rights Watch states that Emirati laws maintain capital punishment and discriminate against women, migrants and LGBT individuals.
Cinema of the United Arab Emirates began with a number of feature films that were broadcast on national television since the late 1980s.
According to Human Rights Watch, there is substantial discrimination against women in the United Arab Emirates. The status of women has improved over the years. UAE performs better on metrics of gender equality than many other states in the Gulf region, and it has been making reforms to protect women's rights and empower women in different sectors. Critics describe some of these reforms as window dressing.
The Emiratis are the native citizen population of the United Arab Emirates. Within the UAE itself, they number approximately 1.15 million.
Indians in the United Arab Emirates constitute the largest part of the population of the country. Over 3,860,000 Indian expats are estimated to be living in the UAE, which is over 38 percent of the total population of the UAE and the fourth highest number of overseas Indian people in the world, after the United States, Saudi Arabia and Nepal. Indian contact with the emirates that now constitute the UAE dates back several centuries, as a result of trade and commerce between the emirates and India. The UAE has experienced a tremendous increase in the population of resident Indians who initially migrated to the country as a result of opportunities in petroleum. Now, Indians are key to the UAE's construction, retail, financial services, healthcare, manufacturing and transport sectors. A sizeable minority of Indian migrants are involved in professional services and entrepreneurship. Relations between India and the UAE have traditionally been very friendly.
Emirati cuisine is the local traditional Arabic cuisine of the United Arab Emirates. It is part of Eastern Arabian cuisine and shares similarities with cuisines from neighboring countries, such as Omani cuisine and Saudi Arabian cuisine, as well as influences from different Middle Eastern and Asian cuisines.
Iraqis in the United Arab Emirates have a population exceeding 200,000, closer estimates report a total of 250,000 Iraqis in the Emirates. Since its independence, Iraqis have contributed in the development of UAE, as engineers, politicians and in other fields. Most notably Adnan Pachachi who was appointed as Minister of State in the first Government of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi. Pachachi is known for his role in submitting the UAE's application for membership in the United Nations. In a meeting with Prime Minister of Iraq, Mustafa Al-Kadhimi, Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan stated that "Iraqis have contributed in building the UAE, and there are many of them who worked, built, developed and helped build the Emirates, and we mention this credit to them, whether engineers, doctors, or even politicians and others. There are still many Iraqis living in the UAE, and they are credited.”
Mohammed Ashraf Ghori, is a Dubai-based Indian comic book artist, filmmaker and entrepreneur. He is best known for creating UAE's first CGI science fiction film Xero Error a futuristic cyborg thriller which was shown at the 63rd Cannes Film Festival. and as the artist behind UAE's acclaimed Arabic Graphic Novel Antara. He is the CEO and founder of digital design agency Xpanse CGI.
Xpanse CGI is an Emirati animation design visual effects company that was founded in March 2007 by Ashraf Ghori who currently serves as Xpanse's CEO. The studio originated in and operates from Dubai, UAE. Xpanse CGI is best known for creating Xero Error, the first computer generated science fiction film produced in the UAE which gained regional acclaim and official selection at prominent film festivals internationally.
The United Arab Emirates Five are five activists who were arrested in April 2011 on charges of breaking United Arab Emirates law of defamation by insulting heads of state, namely UAE president Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, vice president Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, and Abu Dhabi crown prince Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, through running an website that expressed anti-government views.
The Cabinet of the United Arab Emirates, or Council of Ministers, is the chief executive body of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) federal government. The cabinet consists of federal government ministers, and is led by the prime minister of the United Arab Emirates. Although not stated in the Constitution of the United Arab Emirates, the position of prime minister is nominally held by the ruler of Dubai. The cabinet reports to the president of the United Arab Emirates and the Federal Supreme Council.
Nayla Al Khaja is the first female screenwriter, director, and producer in the United Arab Emirates,
Amal Al-Agroobi is an Emirati documentary filmmaker, director, producer and writer. Her career as a director began in 2012 when her first short documentary Half Emirati premiered at Dubai International Film Festival and was nominated for best film. She is also founder and owner of the production company ALAGROOBI Films. Al-Agroobi has raised money for many of her films through crowdfunding.
Reem Al Marzouqi is an Emirati engineer and the first female citizen of the UAE to be granted a patent in the United States of America for designing a car that can be driven without hands.
The Sons of Two Suns is an Emirati post apocalyptic science fiction short film directed by S. A. Zaidi and produced by Ghanem Ghubash, it is known to be the first science fiction film of United Arab Emirates.
Ghanem Ghubash is an Emirati film producer in the United Arab Emirates. He is the creator and producer of the first Emirati science-fiction film in the Arab world called Aerials, and the producer of the Emirati post-apocalyptic science-fiction film The Sons of Two Suns.
S. A. Zaidi is a Dubai-based film director in the United Arab Emirates. He is best known for the first Arab science fiction film Aerials, and the Emirati post-apocalyptic science fiction film The Sons of Two Suns.
Al Kameen is a 2021 Emirati action-war film directed by Pierre Morel and written by Brandon Birtell and Kurtis Birtell. The film is based on the true story of a 2018 ambush of Emirati soldiers by insurgents. As of December 2021, it is highest grossing Emirati and Arabic-language film ever in the UAE.
