DUBAI: UAE filmmaker Nayla Al-Khaja, a pioneering voice in Emirati cinema, has wrapped production on her second feature film, “BAAB,” and is also taking part in a renewed partnership with Canon Middle East as part of the brand’s “See No Limits” campaign.

In a conversation following the film’s completion, Al-Khaja told Arab News “BAAB,” set for release after the summer, marks a creative milestone in her career. 

“It really feels like I found a language I enjoy in filmmaking,  like my own artistic voice,” she said, highlighting its striking visual style and deeply immersive atmosphere. Compared to her debut feature “Three,” she described “BAAB” as a significant evolution in her storytelling and visual approach.

“Haunted by a mysterious rhythm after her twin sister's death, Wahida's journey to find answers pulls her deep into the mountains. As she unravels her grief, she descends into madness, blurring the line between reality and imagination,” the logline of the film reads.

Her previous feature “Three” played at Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea International Film Festival and the Shanghai International Film Festival. She is also a frequent guest at the Cannes Film Festival and partnered with Oscar winning Indian musical composer and record producer A. R. Rahman on the score for her latest film.

Al-Khaja continues to work in psychological horror, drawn to its emotional impact and the technical challenge of filming in low light. “You feel like you are pulled like a magnet, pulled into a very ethereal, very haunting world… it is just so visually beautiful,” she said.

The director is also working with Japanese corporation Canon on educational initiatives aimed at emerging filmmakers. 

As part of the “See No Limits” campaign, she led a workshop for film students, emphasizing both the technical strengths of Canon’s EOS R5 Mark II and the importance of narrative-driven visual decisions. “Although you have the camera, if you don’t know how to position it in sense of what your story is trying to say… how far can you push your own limit?” she said.

Al-Khaja’s collaboration with Canon began in 2011. Their latest campaign focuses on empowering female filmmakers across the region. 

While she notes there are still only a handful of women working full-time in the UAE film industry, she sees growing momentum driven by regional grants, commissions and the demand for streaming content.

“When I started, I didn’t have a role model,” she said. “It is good to know that you now have an older generation that you can reach out to.” 

DUBAI: You know those fake films you see in TV shows like “30 Rock” or, more recently, “The Studio”?  Guy Ritchie’s latest misfire, “Fountain of Youth,” captures that vibe perfectly.

A chaotic, charmless attempt at action-adventure, “Fountain of Youth” clearly takes its inspiration from “Indiana Jones,” but ends up as a muddled mess of clichés, clunky dialogue, and a lead who never quite convinces.

The latter is John Krasinski as Luke Purdue, an archaeologist-turned-art thief racing to uncover the location of the legendary Fountain of Youth — believed to be capable of bestowing eternal life — with the help of rich benefactor Owen Carver (Domhnall Gleeson), a billionaire with a fatal illness who’s ready to throw all his money into the quest.

When things go awry, Luke reaches out to his younger sister Charlotte (a resplendent Natalie Portman) for help. The squabbling siblings then set off on a globetrotting adventure, while being chased by shadowy organizations and Interpol.

The problem? Krasinski brings all the gravitas of a put-upon history teacher on a school field trip. There’s a stiffness to him that means you never quite shake off the sense that he’s just playing dress-up.

Portman and Gleeson fare better. Portman, playing a sharp-tongued art curator and a mother on the brink of divorce, injects moments of tension and vulnerability that almost make you care about the story. Gleeson, meanwhile, steals every scene he’s in as he descends into villainy. But even their combined charisma fails to inject life into the limp script.

Other noteworthy performances come from Eiza Gonzales, who plays Esme, just one of the many people trying to stop the siblings from uncovering the Fountain of Youth; and Arian Moayed, who plays Interpol’s Inspector Abbas.

Ritchie’s signature snappy style is drowned under a deluge of poorly choreographed chase sequences, same-y set pieces and exposition-heavy dialogue. The film looks expensive but feels lazy, with international locations reduced to postcard backgrounds.

“Fountain of Youth” wants to be thrilling, funny and smart. Instead, it’s repetitive, cringey and talks down to its viewers.