Film & Video Production in Dubai

    Documentaries, brand films, and campaign work. Long-form, short-form, social-first.

    Film is the centre of what we do. The rest of the work moves around it.

    What we make

    Documentary. Long-form storytelling for organisations with a real story to tell. Built on interviews, archive, and considered direction. We made a 40-minute documentary for Careem that won multiple awards and is still used by their leadership to articulate their story to investors.

    Brand films. The hero asset of a campaign or rebrand. Designed to outlast the campaign and travel between channels. Recent work includes Abu Dhabi's Department of Culture and Tourism, MAD Impact, and PLXSUR.

    Campaign films. Films built to live inside an integrated campaign. Hero cuts, social-first edits, and the surrounding content system. Done across multiple cycles for Careem, including their MENA Ramadan programme.

    Corporate film. Corporate video production in Dubai for listed companies, government, and family offices. IPO videos, leadership interviews, internal launches, and the kind of films that live behind the firewall but matter more than most things outside it. James led this discipline at Brunswick for seven years.

    How we work

    Every project starts with a small senior team. A producer, a writer-director, an editor, and the right specialist crew for the brief. We don't run a fixed-roster production company; we build the team for the job.

    For broadcast-grade film work in the UAE and GCC, we hold permits, work with experienced local crew, and have shot at scale across federal entities, government attractions, and private locations. For international-quality directing or specialist craft, we draw from a network across London, New York, and the EU.

    Some clients want to sit in every revision; others want to hand over the brief and approve the final cut. We work both ways. And because the team is small and senior rather than carrying agency overhead, more of the budget ends up on screen.

    Working with an international crew or production? Read about our production support for international firms.

    Recent work

    Careem: A Decade in Motion. A multi-award-winning 40-minute documentary, still used by Careem's leadership to tell their story to investors.

    A brand film on the emirate's cultural assets, for Abu Dhabi's Department of Culture and Tourism.

    More: UAE Space Agency programme content · Christie's auction films · Marc Quinn at Waddington Custot · PLXSUR corporate film.

    Frequently asked questions

    What kinds of films does Mana Creative produce?

    Documentaries, brand films, campaign films, and corporate film (IPO videos, leadership interviews, and internal launches) for organisations across the UAE and GCC.

    How much does a corporate or brand film cost in Dubai?

    It depends on scope. We start with a 30-minute scoping call, then send a one-page response with a budget range within a working day. No fixed packages; the team is built around the brief.

    Do you handle filming permits and crew in the UAE?

    Yes. We hold permits and work with experienced local crew across federal entities, government attractions, and private locations. Read about our production support in the UAE.

    Do you work outside Dubai?

    Most of our work is in the UAE and wider GCC: Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and beyond. For specialist craft we draw on a network across London, New York, the EU, and Asia.