Dubai (2005 film)

Plot summary

Raffy and Andrew were orphaned as kids and had only each other to depend on. Raffy has spent the last nine years of his life working in Dubai. His ultimate goal is to fulfill a lifelong dream: to eventually move to Canada with his younger brother, Andrew. The Alvarez brothers are finally united when Andrew goes to Dubai.

In Dubai, Andrew meets Faye, one of Raffy's many girlfriends. They hit it off well in spite of their age difference. She becomes his guide, comfort and lover. Seeing the two together, Raffy realizes that he still and really loves Faye. When Andrew discovers that Raffy still loves Faye, conflict arises between the brothers, almost severing the ties that bind them. In the end, what they choose and achieve are not as planned, but their experiences in Dubai lead to new beginnings in their lives.

Main cast

Supporting cast

Pre-production

In February 2004, Scriptwriter Ricky Lee, along with co-writer Shaira Mella Salvador, director Rory Quintos and producer Tess Fuentes, flew to Dubai in the United Arab Emirates to conduct research for the film and interview various Overseas Filipino Workers in the emirate. The interviews would serve as a composite for the film.

Development

Two months after the production teams visit to Dubai, Director Quintos along with the three main cast and a skeleton crew composed of 13 people went to Dubai to shoot the movie. Among the shooting locations were the Dubai International Airport, Burj Al-Arab, Dubai Creek, and Sheikh Zayed Road. Scenes were also shot in a shopping mall, a souq and in the desert.

Scripwriter Lee remarks about the reason about making the film tens years later, in 2015: “While I don’t remember much about making Dubai, I do remember that what we wanted to show was that no matter where a Filipino is, wherever he is in the world, he will remain a Filipino,” Lee says. “That being a Filipino is not about where you are, it’s something ingrained in the heart.”

Release

The film premiered in Philippine cinemas on 28 September 2005. On October 2005, the film was screened in the United Arab Emirates for three days at the Al Nasr Cinema in Dubai.

Soundtrack