New UAE Film "51" Promises To Be A Winner; Omar Borkan Al Gala In Talks To Act, Make His Movie Debut

A new film is currently in the financing stage of production, and is already generating quite a bit of buzz..

"51" is a short film that will be directed by John Steven Baltazar and was written by Michelle Nickelson who reached out to Latinos Post. It is touted as the United Arab Emirate's first major short film, and already has some quality talent associated with it.

Navid Negahban (of "Homeland" fame) has already agreed to come on board, and professional model Omar Borkan Al Gala, also known as the "Too Handsome Guy for Saudi Arabia", is in advanced talks to appear in the movie and make his acting debut although no deal has been formally reached*. In addition, Mylène Gomera, Dana Hamdan and Rik Aby will also be a part of the production.

So what is the exciting new production about? Well, perhaps the crowd-funding site for "51" at aflamnah.com says it best:

"David Massomi literally runs into a beautiful, mysterious woman, Mylène, in the airport. Their encounter leads him on a journey where nothing is as it seems, is it all a frightening coincidence, or planned? Is Mylène friend or foe, and is David really who he seems to be?"

The premise is certainly interesting, but it appears that the second and third acts may pack and even greater punch.

"Mylène forces David to face the truth, the secret he knows from years past. It's a secret that only he has the answer to as it's part of him, and everyone wants to control it. Will revealing this secret be the key to the ultimate power, or destroy everything?"

Beyond just the movie, however, is the greater good that "51" is trying to accomplish. They state that helping UAE filmmakers get exposure by working with a known Hollywood entity will immeasurably help the community there, and the production team is also trying to make the film as cross-culturally relevant as possible.

It will still be a while before "51" will be on any screens, but it promises to be an exciting film with a lot of potential. For more information you can visit the film's Facebook site here.  

* Correction made on May 2, 2013 since no deal between the producers and Omar Borkan Al Gala has been reached.