The Sultan Bin Ali Al Owais Cultural Foundation hosted the red-carpet premiere of “Samson of Arabia: The Story of an Emirati Hero,” a documentary film by Emirati filmmaker and author Nasser Al Dhaheri, on Saturday, October 31, 2026, at VOX Cinemas, Wafi Mall, Dubai.
The screening, held as part of the Al Owais Film Club’s activities, was attended by H.E. Mohammed Ahmed Al Murr, Chairman of the Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Library Foundation; H.E. Dr. Abdullah Majed Al Ali, Director General of the National Library and Archives; H.E. Abdul Hamid Ahmad, Secretary General of the Foundation; and Dr. Fatima Al Sayegh, a member of the Foundation’s Board of Trustees. The event also attracted a large gathering of intellectuals, media professionals, filmmakers and enthusiasts of the UAE’s history and heritage.
Mohammed Al Murr poses for a commemorative photograph with Samson of ArabiaPrior to the screening, Abdul Hamid Ahmad, Secretary General of the Foundation, honoured the film’s protagonist, Ali bin Hassan, known as “Samson of Arabia,” and its director, Nasser Al Dhaheri, presenting each with the Foundation’s commemorative shield. The recognition celebrated the legendary strongman’s remarkable career, which etched the UAE’s name into the region’s collective memory during the 1960s and 1970s, as well as the director’s efforts to document this extraordinary figure through film
Abdul Hamid Ahmad presents the Al Owais Memento
“Samson of Arabia,” with his long hair, thick beard and familiar smile, received a warm welcome from the audience, many of whom were eager to take commemorative photographs with him.
Director Nasser Al Dhaheri spoke about the making of the documentary, which took nearly two years to complete. The production involved extensive field research, the collection of rare archival materials, including photographs and Arab magazines that had featured Samson on their covers, and interviews with eyewitnesses who had attended his performances.
Nasser Al Dhaheri introduces his documentary ahead of the screening
Al Dhaheri said: “The greatest challenge was not documenting his extraordinary strength but finding a way to transform the stories we heard as children in Al Ain, Abu Dhabi and Dubai, about a man who could break rocks on his stomach and pull cars with his hair, into a visual narrative that preserves the man’s legendary status without slipping into fantasy. I wanted to discover the man behind the legend, Ali bin Hassan, who carried the UAE’s name with him as he travelled across Arab cities, earning just a few dirhams from his performances, at a time when we had no institutions to project our image to the world.”
He added: “Samson was a one-man media powerhouse. He would shout the names of the UAE and Dubai at every stage. He was a people’s ambassador long before the era of ambassadors. This film is an attempt to revive a part of our collective memory that we had almost forgotten, and to pay tribute to a man who is now over 80 and lives alone after bidding farewell to his Delilah, yet the echoes of the audience’s cheers still ring in his ears.”
Abdul Hamid Ahmad, the Foundation’s Secretary General, said: “At the Al Owais Foundation, we believe that cinema is the nation’s visual memory. If literature writes history, images preserve it, keeping it alive and vibrant. A figure like ‘Samson of Arabia’ has lived in the collective memory of the people as an oral legend for 50 years. It was our cultural duty to transform his story from one that is told into a visual document that can be seen, ensuring that the legacy of this folk hero remains alive for future generations.”
He added: “This screening is part of the Al Owais Cultural Foundation’s comprehensive strategy to support Emirati documentary cinema, a form of filmmaking that delves into the nation’s collective memory, documents oral tales and folk narratives, and transforms them into a permanent visual archive. We have revitalised the Al Owais Film Club to serve as a platform for screening and discussing Emirati, Arab and international films, and as a bridge between filmmakers and audiences, and between the past and the future.”
Abdul Hamid Ahmad continued: “Our recognition tonight of the film’s protagonist and director with the Al OwaisFoundation’s commemorative shield is a tribute to an entire generation that brought joy to people at a time when resources were limited. It is also a tribute to an accomplished Emirati filmmaker of Nasser Al Dhaheri’s stature, who succeeded in capturing this story and giving it both cinematic and human dimensions.
The Al Owais Film Club’s upcoming activities will be even more diverse and far-reaching, reflecting our firm belief that supporting cinema means supporting our national identity.
Produced in 2025, the 85-minute documentary has been screened at several international film festivals, attracting considerable attention for documenting the life of one of the most enduring figures in the region’s collective memory. The film chronicles his famous feats of strength, including breaking rocks, allowing cars to drive over his hands, pulling vehicles with his hair, lifting weights with his teeth, lying on broken glass and even lifting a donkey with his teeth.
The legend hero, Ali bin Hassan, was given the title “Samson of Arabia” by the late King Hussein bin Talal of Jordan and “Samson the Mighty” by the late Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser. However, he chose the former as his official name, which was subsequently recorded on his identity card and passport.
