Documentary Screening: Farewell Arabia (1967)

Time: 7:00pm – 8:00pm

Location: The Beach House Lawn, Park Hyatt, Saadiyat Island, Abu Dhabi. (Enter through the hotel lobby)  This is an outdoor venue, so please wrap up warm.

About the Film: This fascinating Sheikh Zayed documentary called ‘Farewell Arabia’ (1967) follows the beloved Founding Father of the United Arab Emirates, in Abu Dhabi in the late 60s.

The 52-minute long documentary is gripping from the very first frames – when Zayed appears out of nowhere cruising over a sand dune in his limo singing to himself. Abu Dhabi is almost unrecognisable and referred to as “A little kingdom in Arabia, called Abu Dhabi” by the English voiceover.

This NET Journal film contains historic footage of life in Abu Dhabi in the 1960s and covers societal issues and changes surrounding petroleum discovery in Abu Dhabi in the modern day United Arab Emirates, the new found wealth the oil industry has brought to those countries, and how Abu Dhabi's ruler Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan dealt with the situation.