The first International Emirati Cinema Milestone.
United Arab Emirates – 8 th January 2026 – BAAB, the acclaimed feature movie of Emirati Director Nayla Al Khaja, opens in theatres in the GCC and Egypt block on 8 January 2026, a historic step in the international journey of the film. This will be followed by the national release which will be in Turkiye and other international markets will be announced after a few months.
With a successful world premier at Cairo International Film Festival in its rear view mirror, it now moves out of the world-touring festival scene and now BAAB premieres in theatres, a sign of the increasing distribution of Emirati-directed film in the region and worldwide.
Emirati Storytelling: A Festivity
The official UAE release of BAAB happened on the evening before its regional launch. BAAB premieres in theatres in VOX Cinemas at Wafi City,and some of the most influential personalities in the world of film, culture, and the creative sector have assembled. It was a festive occasion both for the film and for the increased recognition and self-confidence of Emirati cinema in the international arena.
As a reminder of this international level and artistic desire of the film, the premiere was attended by the Oscar Award-winning composer A. R. Rahman as Guest of Honour. The respected guests were H.E. Sumaya Bin Hareb Al Suwaidi, the Member of the Federal National Council; Ms. Khadija Al Bastaki, Senior Vice President of Dubai Design District (d3); Ms. Hongxiang Qi, screenwriter, author, and film and television producer; and Eng. Maitha Alblooshi, the advocate of women empowerment in Emirates; Mayssa Maghrebi, the Emirati-Moroccan actress; and Mansour Al Feeli, the Emirati actor.
They were co-presented with major creatives, industry leaders, and cultural icons, who appeared to demonstrate the high degree of resonance of BAAB in the areas of cinema, culture, and leadership in the UAE. The whole aspect as BAAB premieres in theatres was a special event.
Guided by the first Emirati female director and aided by the National Grant of Culture and Creativity of the UAE Ministry of Culture, BAAB is an unquestionable advance of Emirati narrative, rooted in space and emotional viewpoint, and appeal outside of the region.
In BAAB it was about listening more than talking, to anecdote, to recollection, and to the silent power of Arab film. As BAAB premieres in theatres, the trip has been a very humbling and personal experience and the cross-border response has been very touching. Yet this is not an arrival. It’s the beginning. Arab cinema is developing with sincerity and fearlessness, and this is just the beginning of a very protracted journey.
About BAAB
Against the far mountainous backgrounds of Ras Al Khaimah, BAAB traces a woman in her journey of losing her twin sister. Tormented by great tinnitus, she is caught between remembrance and fantasy with the loss of her reality broken by grief. Uncertainting the limits between life and death, the movie turns silence into expressive words and the desert into the inner landscape of the mind.
As BAAB premieres in theatres, the movie draws an outstanding international creative team of A. R. Rahman, who wrote his first score in an Arabic-speaking movie, and acclaimed cinematographer Rogier Stoffers, ASC, NSC (School of Rock, Mongol), and a screenplay by one of the Emirati filmmakers, journalists and a cultural figure, Masoud Amralla. Sultan Saeed Al Darmaki, Nayla Al Khaja and Jude S. Walko are the authors of BAAB and Dark Dunes Productions is the foremost company in the project, the first collaboration between Emirati authors and international talent.
The creation of BAAB by the Dark Dunes Productions is indeed a highly proud moment of our years of sponsoring filmmakers. As BAAB premieres in theatres, the reestablishment of Emirati films, the breaking of rules, and the motivation of future generations of filmmakers is precisely the type of work that we are proud to back with the Executive Producer Sultan Saeed Al Darmaki.
BAAB And The Future Of Emirati Cinema
BAAB is a tribute to Emirati storytelling and a genuine milestone to the local talent. The movie saw the congregation of over 140 performers and technicians including more than 20 Emiratis in key creative and technical positions. The movie is shot in the UAE as a whole and the focus of it is the richness of talents, the ability to create, and independence in the modern movie industry.
BAAB premieres in theatres and having begun its theatrical release in the GCC and Egypt region since 8 January 2026, and then in Turkiye and other foreign markets, BAAB is at the vanguard of a new era of Emirati storytelling; one that is self-confident, reaches wide and with international aspirations.
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