At Tech Tuesdays — one of Dubai’s most respected gatherings for innovation, creativity, and global dialogue — guests were recently offered a first look at the upcoming chapter of the international cultural project Women and Roads. The Way to Yourself.
Held at Belcanto at Dubai Opera, the event featured the exclusive draft teaser of the project’s sixth film, which is currently in production across all seven Emirates. On stage, the project’s directors duo, Kristina Kretova and Anna Kameneva, shared the teaser and introduced the vision behind this new work — a cinematic tribute to women, cultural identity, and the diverse beauty of the United Arab Emirates.
Women and Roads. The Way to Yourself is an award-winning project that brings together documentary filmmaking, storytelling, and the visual dynamism of a road movie format.
The films have been screened at international festivals, featured in cinema and on television, and presented at governmental and business events, cultural gatherings and curated platforms across different countries.
The UAE chapter reflects a particularly important evolution for the project, with production now based in Dubai. This chapter highlights stories of both Emirati women and long-term residents, showing how women contribute to the country’s development across diverse fields — from science and arts to business, sports, medicine, education, and public service.
The project places special emphasis on the fact that female empowerment in the UAE is deeply connected to tradition. The film challenges assumptions and offers a respectful, balanced view — showing how leadership, strength, and creativity flourish within cultural and spiritual traditions.
Two heroines of the upcoming film — a leading surgeon from Al Ain and the founder of the jewelry brand Virée Dubai — attended the event, each representing a unique voice and strength within the story. Their presence was a meaningful gesture of support, reinforcing the spirit of the film and its aim to connect people through shared values, culture, and lived experience.
The teaser — and the upcoming film — highlights the visual beauty of the Emirates. From desert roads and mountain peaks to museums, mosques, and design hubs, the cinematography presents the UAE as a land where heritage and innovation coexist with elegance, depth, and continuity. Staying true to the project’s vision, the film brings together powerful female stories and a rich visual portrait of the country.
The event followed the directors’ return from the Cannes Film Festival, where the previous chapter of the project — filmed in Azerbaijan — was presented at the Palais des Festivals as part of the Marché du Film. Kretova and Kameneva were also invited to give speeches during a special event hosted by Forbes, HerFlix, and Female Film Club, where they shared their experience of building cross-cultural narratives and creating platforms for women’s stories across the world.
As co-founders of A&K Production and the fashion brand East&West, Kristina Kretova and Anna Kameneva bring together storytelling, entrepreneurship, and design across cultures. In addition to their leadership roles, Kristina is a best-selling author of numerous books and the scriptwriter behind the films, while Anna is a songwriter and singer who creates and performs the original soundtracks for the project. Their professional network includes business leaders, artists, and creators from the UAE, Russia, Europe, and beyond — many of whom are long-term supporters of Women and Roads.
Tech Tuesdays, founded by Gordon Einstein, Mohammed Siam Husseini, and Iryna Erzen, proved an ideal setting for the teaser presentation — bridging ideas in technology, culture, and community. The atmosphere reflected the essence of the project: dialogue, connection, and discovery.
As part of the evening, Kristina Kretova and Anna Kameneva — true to their passion for capturing real voices — filmed additional moments during the event. In a spontaneous gesture, they asked several men a single, powerful question: “Who is the Emirati woman?” Their thoughtful answers may become part of the final film, adding depth to the project’s narrative on identity, culture, and perception.
They also interviewed Iryna Erzen, co-founder of Tech Tuesdays, for It’s My Way — a global short-format initiative launched by East&West under the creative wing of A&K Production. The project features women doers from around the world — active voices across fields such as science, business, art, education, and beyond — responding to a series of personal questions that reflect values, purpose, and self-expression. Unlike Women and Roads, which offers immersive, cinematic journeys, this series presents brief portraits: a mosaic of voices designed to resonate across cultures through short, personal reflections.
The premiere of Women and Roads. UAE is planned for next year, with international festival submissions, private screenings, and regional events already in development. More than a film about women, this chapter is a tribute to the landscapes, values, and diversity of the UAE — a country whose elegance and spirit continue to inspire meaningful stories.
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