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Airing kicks off on Feb 14, 2018
Abu Dhabi, UAE – National Geographic Abu Dhabi (NGAD) announced today the release of its latest documentary film, which takes viewers behind the scenes of this unique cultural, shopping and entertainment destination, giving them a rare glimpse on what it takes to create a brand new Global Village every year.
Through rarely seen footage and interviews, the 44-minute documentary which will start airing on Wednesday February 14, 2018, showcases the highly complex, large-scale and intensive work that goes into tearing down the old pavilions and build up new ones based on original concepts developed every single year, working against the clock in grueling conditions. It also brings to life the design of the entertainment shows and the systems and manpower required to ensure the timely preparation and smooth running of such a large-scale operation.
From a small home-grown concept back in 1997 located at Dubai Creek, Global Village has witnessed a meteoric rise with a huge increase in popularity which led to its relocation in 2005 to its current location at Dubailand spanning 1.6 million square meters.
The documentary showcases the refurbishment of each pavilion, F&B outlet, entertainment concept annually, including culture, shopping, food, entertainment and a funfair ground to over 5.6 million visitors who pass through its doors every season.
Commenting on the film, Bader Anwahi, CEO of Global Village, said: “The National Geographic Abu Dhabi Global Village documentary shows the careful planning and care that goes into the design and development of all Global Village activities and activations, which has led to it being a mainstay delighting visitors and residents alike for over 20 years. This has allowed us to deliver a highly ranked exceptional guest experience to a record-breaking number of seasonal guests through our adherence to the highest international quality standards while providing a diverse multi-cultural experience and through the tireless work of over 10,000 people.”
Commenting on the film, Abdulrahman Awadh Al Harthi, Acting Executive Director of Television at Abu Dhabi Media, said: “The Global Village documentary reflects Abu Dhabi Media’s vision of offering audiences unique and purposeful content, in this case celebrating UAE landmarks and success stories and sharing these through National Geographic Abu Dhabi from Abu Dhabi to the world.”
“Global Village is a UAE icon that has become a regional and international family, entertainment and shopping destination. In this new National Geographic Abu Dhabi, we wanted to highlight the scale and magnitude of this project and what goes into creating one of the region’s leading cultural attractions and showcasing it to a global scale.”
Speaking about the documentary Sanjay Raina, General Manager, National Geographic Abu Dhabi MENA and Senior Vice Presidents, Fox Networks Group, said, “We at National Geographic Abu Dhabi always go deep into the heart of the story and push beyond what is expected to uncover new challenges. We are very excited to bring Global Village to audiences across the region, which spotlights one of the most fascinating landmarks in the region and one of the most anticipated seasonal attractions in the UAE. With this premium visual documentary, we wanted to go further and take our viewers on a journey that brings to life the year-round tremendous efforts and workforce that go into the concept development, construction, creation and logistics of the Global Village.”
The film will be on air in Arabic on NGAD’s Free-to-Air channel this coming Wednesday February 14th, 2018 at 10:00pm UAE and 9:00pm KSA.
National Geographic has been extremely successful in becoming a favorite with millions of Arab households throughout the Middle East & North Africa. It has achieved leadership in the edutainment industry, through its local productions narrating local achievements. Its stories from our region for the world include such features as 'Every Emirati’s Son', The Epic “Mission Everest”, “Megastructures: Super Tunnel”, ‘” Megastructures Louvre Abu Dhabi” the landmark documentary on Al Marai's farms in Argentina, among many others.
For more information please contact:
Samar Abdulhadi
Samar@inspirat.us
+971504546313
Mahmoud Hassan
mahmoud@inspirat.us
+971566767945