Published: Sept. 11, 2023
Last Updated: Sept. 11, 2023
In the United Arab Emirates, the people must consider some serious legal issues when filming documentaries, otherwise, it would be troublesome for the producers as well as the whole production team, because of these legal issues it is quite problematic and hectic to plan a documentary in UAE, the combined multiple factors cause a great hindrance for the filmmakers.
To make documentaries in the UAE, the production company must obtain a permit. In this permit, the filming location is finalized. For filming in a private location or residence, you must obtain a permit from the owner.
The worse thing is a separate permit is needed for aerial filming, from the Ministry of Interior United Arab emirates. Planning is very important in UAE because the whole procedure takes a lot more time, several commissions are involved in the permit like Dubai TV and film Commission which is localized for the documentaries in Dubai only for other Emirates you must seek permission from the media zone.
Every minute point of filming and shots must be included in the script which is submitted to the authorities, the major authority for this purpose is (NMC) National Media Council, which is a federal government department of UAE and it requires a filming permit application with a brief detail of the script and each and everything related to it. This legal issue is problematic because the approval of the script almost takes 3 weeks at least.
UAE is a sophisticated state when it comes to maintaining the privacy of the state and its citizens, it has established a lot more substantial policies for filmmakers when taking shots related to their documentaries.
If including someone in the film the producers must seek consent from the individual and they cannot interfere in the personal life of anyone without permission.
To use a copyrighted work in your documentary, for example, a piece of background music, you will need to obtain consent from the copyright owner for that specific use (this may well be a license to use the copyrighted work for which you will be charged a license fee). If you use the work without the copyright owner’s permission, you will likely have infringed the owner’s copyright, for which there are high penalties in the UAE. To obtain your documentary’s relevant copyright clearance, discuss it with your legal advisor to ensure that you have obtained the required permissions.
Sometimes documentaries require the involvement of a group of people and if the people are the citizens of the state of the United Arab emirates you must avoid any kind of discrimination based on creed, caste, and, color as well as you must check your words in a detailed way because a simple slip of the tongue can cause serious issues for you in UAE.
A Legal adviser can be of great help to manage the legality of documentaries you are planning on filming.