"Constantly fuelled by passion": How Emirati siblings Ali and Mara Mostafa found their calling

Jet-setting siblings Ali and Mara Mostafa are reunited, even if it is for a little while: Mara lives in Bahrain, and Ali lives in the UAE, but they are meeting in London, where Mara’s company 5A Consultancy just completed a project for a Bahraini client. Meanwhile, Ali is in town to attend the world premiere of his third feature film, The Worthy.

UAE nationals and residents alike are familiar with Ali’s work after his first feature film City of Life opened to rave reviews and international critical acclaim. His work not only brought attention to the potential for filmmaking in the UAE, but it also inspired many others to follow in his footsteps and pursue their passion for filmmaking, leading to exponential growth in the industry. Since the debut of his film, the Dubai International Film Festival has witnessed an increase in submissions by up-and-coming Emirati filmmakers year after year.

Mara is not far behind. She is the creative director of 5A Consultancy, a boutique agency that specialises in marketing consultancy, modest-fashion consultancy, PR, and events. They are currently working on organising a Modest Fashion Week that will be a platform for fashion designers to do business in an ever-growing global multi-billion-dollar industry. 

“I recently worked on a film set, shooting for a client’s YouTube Channel with a full production team, and got a taste of what Ali does on a daily basis,” she grinned, adding, “I love the energy and buzz of the fashion and creative industry. I love being able to come up with concepts for clients and brands, and how completely different each project can be. I’m constantly fuelled by my passion.”

INFLUENCES

Mara and Ali attribute their creative inclinations to their family. While Ali was influenced by his father’s massive Betamax collection and spent all his time with his cousins making videos featuring his toys, Mara found her inspiration in her mother, who had a theatre background and was always creating or designing something. 

“My last year in high school, when everyone would only wear black hijabs or scarves, I started to design coloured garments and make matching accessories,” Mara said. “Marriage and family inspired me to start my line of mother and baby products called Baby m. I also started blogging and focused on modest fashion, which is a strong passion of mine, as I believe women who want to dress modestly should have fashion catered to them without compromise.” 

Mara believes that when you are creative, entrepreneurship comes naturally, which is why she harnessed all her experiences from Dubai, London, Bahrain, and Istanbul to start 5A. Ali’s inspiration to launch AFM Films was movies like Star Wars, Indiana Jones, and most importantly, The Message. “It is my dream to remake that film,” he said. “Films have always been an essential part of my life.” 

So much so that, even though home-grown films were not very commonplace in the UAE (according to Ali, up until 2005–2006, there were only one or two films made every couple of years), his family knew it was a natural progression and career choice for him. 

“But now film has come to occupy quite an important role in the creative industry in our country, and it is developing very fast. We are now making four to five films a year, which is great. The older generation is looking at it as something acceptable, even important to have in our country,” he said.

Mara agreed: “We are very lucky that in the Middle East, our leaders focus on building the youth, both male and female. The UAE was growing when we were growing up, and there was an energy and desire for more across all sectors, including the arts, fashion, film, etc.” 

GROWING UP IN THE UAE

As children, Mara and Ali had seen the city before the skyscrapers came. “But even then, the leaders were ahead of their time, constantly looking to gear the youth to a brighter future,” Mara smiled in recollection. “I never felt that as a girl I was limited in what I could do. It’s amazing to have seen the change happen right before our eyes. Being around during that time inspired everyone to be passionate and want to be part of that growth.” 

Ali added, “It’s very difficult to live in Dubai and not be inspired, and not want to create and be a pioneer in whatever it is that you do. When I made City of Life, we didn’t have many incentives for filmmaking. But when I sought funding, even as a filmmaker who didn’t have a track record, people showed a lot of faith in me as a person. 

“That was an amazing feeling to have, to be able to gather the investment, but more importantly, to see the support a UAE national who had nothing but passion can get.”

LOOKING AHEAD

Mara is amazed at the flourishing fashion and creative industry in the UAE today. “Local Emirati brands and regional brands are emerging, and the talent and competition is fierce,” she said. “Our regional talent can easily compete on the international stage, and it is only going to get better.” Mara intends to be a part of that, focusing on modest-fashion consulting and curating.

Ali simply wants to continue making as many films as he can. His next production is a collaboration with Mohammed Saeed Harib, creator of the cartoon series Freej. It will be co-produced by Image Nation Abu Dhabi. 

“My goal since Day One has been to help this industry grow. And that is happening, with more people showing an interest in the field, and more productions happening in the country,” he concluded. “Personally, so far, I have made a drama, comedy and thriller film, and I intend to continue to make films in different genres to show my versatility as a filmmaker.… My main goal is to lift up the UAE flag and film industry as much as I can in the world.”