Tom Struthers, one of Hollywood’s top stunt directors, filming in Abu Dhabi, took time out from overseeing the Salman Khan Bollywood production of Race 3, to share his knowledge and expertise with aspiring filmmakers during a panel discussion organized by twofour54.
H.E. Maryam Eid AlMheiri, CEO of Media Zone Authority – Abu Dhabi and twofour54, said: “Educating future film professionals is a key part of our work at twofour54. We’re here to support the full spectrum of the media and I believe it’s vital that young people who are training and working towards becoming the leading film producers of tomorrow hear from experts like Tom. His wealth of experience can only help us to produce better productions and become established as the capital of content creation.”

H.E. Maryam Eid AlMheiri, CEO of Media Zone Authority

Moderated by Emirati production manager Sameer Al Jaberi, a special panel discussion took place at twofour54’s creative lab. Struthers talked about and discussed with students and media professionals his 25-year career as a stunt director and the complex production process around stunts. Commenting on his experiences of filming in Abu Dhabi, and the Emirate’s growing popularity as one of the world’s top film locations.
 
Struthers said: “It’s a very competitive landscape in the film industry and Abu Dhabi is becoming increasingly popular with filmmakers from around the world because of the many advantages of filming here, It’s rare to find such a supportive environment combined with incredible locations and world-class talent and facilities. During my time here, we’ve received help from so many organisations, including the support of the UAE military.”
Tom Struthers is behind some of the most daring stunts featured in Hollywood’s action films, including Dunkirk, The Dark Knight Rises Inception, Terminator: Salvation, and Saving Private Ryan. In recent years, Struthers has brought his stunt expertise to Bollywood, and previously worked on Tiger Zinda Hai, which was also filmed in Abu Dhabi. Race 3, which is being produced by Salman Khan Films & Tips Industries Ltd, is currently shooting across Abu Dhabi over 35 days.

Tom Struthers continued: “I personally enjoy shooting here because we have all of the backdrops that we could possibly need alongside the ability to film incredible action sequences. It’s the perfect environment for us to take our productions to another level.”
 
Increasingly Abu Dhabi is attracting international film productions to the Emirate. Among the Hollywood studios that have utilized Abu Dhabi as a location are Universal Pictures Furious 7, and The Bourne Legacy, Disney ‘s Star Wars: The Force Awakens, and Paramount Pictures latest Mission: Impossible – Fallout. Bollywood films shot in Abu Dhabi include Dishoom, Baby, and Bang Bang.

About twofour54 Creative Lab
The panel discussion was held at creative lab, a community of more than 13,000 aspiring media professionals who have the chance to volunteer on live projects, shadow industry experts, and learn from twofour54 partners via workshops, projects and competitions. Any community member can also use #thelab to brainstorm, share ideas or simply hang out. It features workstations, editing suites, a sound suite and chill out zones.