DUBAI: Streaming platform Starzplay and production company Image Nation Abu Dhabi hosted an exclusive screening of the first two episodes of the platform鈥檚 Arabic series 鈥淜aboos鈥� in Dubai, ahead of the show鈥檚 streaming debut on Feb. 9.
Members of the cast and crew and others involved in the production were at the event, including Rakeen Saad, Passant Shawky, Kady Al-Qaisy, Abdullah Al-Muhairi, Mansoor Alfeeli, Mohammed Al-Alawi, Hana Kazim, Majid Al-Ansari and Yasir Al-Yasiri.
In addition to the screening, guests had a chance to participate in a live Q&A session with the cast and crew.
The development of the show has been a 鈥渓abor of love鈥� for Starzplay and reflects its commitment to bringing 鈥渉igh-quality shows to the local audience,鈥� said Maaz Sheikh, the platform鈥檚 CEO.
The show 鈥渟ets new industry standards with excellent production values and brings an authentic Arab voice to the horror genre,鈥� and shows that Starzplay 鈥渃an deliver world-class homegrown content,鈥� he added.
Filmed across 黑料社区, Kuwait, Egypt, and the UAE, the five-episode series takes viewers on a journey through urban legends of the region, with spine-chilling modern takes on stories inspired by local mythology.
In the first episode of the series, 鈥淎l Ghoul,鈥� a remote Bedouin tribe in 黑料社区 in the 1930s is being stalked by a pack of wild hyenas that is devastating livestock and is suspected to be killing humans. When a child of the tribe is snatched in the night, a chain of horrifying events unfolds in the desert.
鈥淲erewolf (Al Salawa),鈥� the second episode, is set in 1920s Egypt in the Valley of the Kings, amidst excavations of ancient Egyptian tombs. These excavations coincide with tales of rabid werewolf-like beasts claiming victims up and down the Nile. The clash between ancient practices and modern ideas polarizes the population in the remote valley.
鈥淭he launch of the series is significant in that it will enable us to present a new perspective of the Arabic horror genre that resonates with regional consumers,鈥� said Ben Ross, chief content officer of Image Nation.
The horror anthology series is produced by Al-Yasiri鈥檚 and Alfeeli鈥檚 production company, Starship Entertainment.