"Dreaming Together"

10 May 2022

2 mins 43s

The sands of time.

This animated film played during the recent World Expo in Dubai and charts the history of the United Arab Emirates (UAE). the culture may be ancient but the UAE is a young country, having been founded in just 1971. Ace directing duo Smith & Foulkes visited the country and worked with an all-female team of researchers before returning home to create this masterpiece.

Let's get the awkward bit out of the way first... favourable representations of a countries with patchy human rights record do not always sit comfortably, and the UAE has a lot to improve upon in this regard. Having said that, with the UK currently planning to export refugees to Rwanda, we may not be in a position to criticise other countries for much longer.

With that rider in place, DAVID has to marvel at the beauty of this film. Watching it is a blissful experience, as the graceful imagery flows across the screen, and the beguiling soundtrack by Matthew Herbert enhancing the sense of calm. These days, we know that computing has greatly enhanced what animation can achieve, but the best use of technology takes advantage of what it has to offer without overwhelming the artistry, and this is a superb example of how magical the outcome can be when that balance is perfectly judged.

United Arab Emirates

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