Mohammed F Mostafa shares his experience filming in Abu Dhabi’s Liwa Desert, collaborating with Denis Villeneuve, and becoming part of one of Hollywood’s biggest sci-fi franchises.
While Timothée Chalamet and Zendaya take centre stage in Dune: Part Three, hundreds of crew members behind the scenes are helping bring the world of Arrakis to life. Among them is Emirati stunt performer Mohammed F Mostafa, who joined the production during its 31-day shoot in Abu Dhabi’s Liwa Desert.
Met Mostafa on July 9 at VOX Cinemas, Al Maryah Island, during the first look at the newly released Dune: Part Three trailer. He spoke about how he secured the role, his experience working with director Denis Villeneuve, and the responsibility he feels representing the UAE on a global production of such scale.
“I remember the moment,” Mostafa said, recalling how he discovered he had secured a role in the film.
The call came from stunt coordinator Nejmeddin Scorpion, who led the UAE stunt team on Dune: Part Three.
“He called me and said, ‘Listen, man, I’ve got a project for you, and it’s big.’ I already knew that if he was calling me, it was going to be something major. But the moment he told me it was Dune, I couldn’t wait for it to begin.”
For Mohammed, the opportunity marked another milestone in an expanding international career, which already includes a role in Apple TV+’s Hijack alongside Idris Elba, as well as appearances in several Netflix productions.
“I hope this inspires other Emirati talents to realise that this goal is achievable. They don’t have to travel across the world to make it happen — they can do it right here in their own backyard.”
Childhood dream
The 35-year-old Mohammed said his journey into acting began long before he stepped onto international film sets.
“My brother Ali Mustafa is a film director, and when we were kids, we used to make home movies — Baby Batman, Baby Bond. We were doing stunts before we even knew what stunts were.”
Although he later pursued football, acting eventually became a passion he could not ignore.
“I think sometimes when you realise something is your calling, you have to stop everything else you’re doing and focus on that one thing.”
Beyond acting and stunt work, Mohammed has also launched MFM Media in partnership with the Creative Media Authority Abu Dhabi, with the aim of attracting more international productions to the emirate.
“We can create more continuous productions and more opportunities for Emirati talent to be part of these international projects.”
Working on Dune
Reflecting on his experience working on one of Hollywood’s biggest productions, Mohammed said the atmosphere on set was as impressive as the world audiences see on screen.
“The energy was exactly what Denis described. Every time you get on set with a director like Denis, the energy is lifted. He’s such a perfectionist, and he’s involved with every single member of the crew. I was so happy to be part of that.”
Despite years of experience, Dune: Part Three brought its own challenges.
“In film, especially in stunts, you have to be agile. One of the biggest challenges for me was having to use my weaker hand during one of the sequences.”
“It was a privilege representing UAE talent on a production this big, but it also challenged me to push myself further.”
