Dubai is often glamorized in the media, portrayed as an isolated tourist destination full of rich people and material wonders. However, Dubai is a city that is more than money. Its primary source of income is not oil and not everyone here is rich. The city is the most cosmopolitan in the world with people from various backgrounds and classes who have their own stories to tell.
In this documentary, videographer Nithisha Nantha Kumar (a Dubai resident and international student at the University of Michigan) reflects on her personal experiences of being stereotyped as a wealthy person from Dubai by her American peers. This documentary explores why is Dubai constantly glamorized in the media and advocates for more diverse representations of Dubai in the media by humanizing the region with stories of actual people who live in the city rather than only those about material wealth.
Sources for further reading:
Toward a Cinema of Contact Zones, Dale Hudson, 2020
Migrant Images, Bindu Menon, 2021
Media’s Representation of Places
Summer Managing Video Editor Nithisha Nantha Kumar can be reached at nithisha@umich.edu.