Film, Culture and Identity

While Dubai is known for building a palm island, an§indoor snow dome, and a scaled-down size of the§world, it has more to offer than just a tourist§industry. Given the economic wealth established by§its petroleum industry, one of Dubai s newest§projects, Dubai Studio City, has a potential§contingency in becoming the entertainment hub within§the Arab World.§However, Dubai is situated within a region tainted§with a history of religious domination and colonial§rule. A close examination of Islam, Arab culture, and§globalization provides insight into the Islamic§confines and the suppression of sociocultural§development, and helps determine the source for the§inhibition of freedom of expression and the denial of§access to unfiltered information.§This study explores the paradoxical concepts of§establishing a film industry in an§expression-restrictive environment and presents a§strategic design to foster the positive development§of a unique film industry despite the present§restraining regulations.§This book will prove an interesting read and a§valuable resource for those who appreciate the§history of Islam, Arab culture, and the development§of cinema within the Arab region.