UAE filmmaker Faisal Hashmi launches horror production company to champion low-budget cinema

The National · Faisal Al Zaabi · 2026-11-06 03:03 UTC

Spine Drop Pictures will begin with three feature films, looking to establish a more sustainable model for independent filmmaking in the region

For more than 15 years, Faisal Hashmi has been making films in the UAE with whatever resources he can get his hands on. Sometimes that means a camera, a few friends willing to act and a house that could double as a film set.

Now, the Dubai filmmaker wants to turn that resourcefulness into a business model that he believes could help change the regional film industry.

Hashmi has launched Spine Drop Pictures, a production company dedicated to making commercially viable horror and thriller films with budgets of less than $1 million each. Its inaugural slate consists of three features, all written and set to be directed by Hashmi, with an emphasis on contained locations, high-concept stories and international appeal.

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