Love in Slow Motion (Ahebak Min Zaman) Filming Locations and Cast Details

Love in Slow Motion knows the oldest romantic-comedy trick in the book: the person you overlook becomes impossible to ignore the moment someone else claims them. Released in Arabic as Ahebak Min Zaman, the film follows Haya, a chronically single woman who has always regarded Jawad as her dependable best friend. When he announces his engagement to successful actress Zeina, Haya finally recognizes that her feelings are not entirely platonic. Jealousy, family interference and a series of revealing video diaries follow, with a chimpanzee named Cuba periodically stealing the frame. The film premiered globally on Netflix on July 23, 2026.

Where was Ahebak Min Zaman filmed?

Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

The publicly confirmed filming base for Love in Slow Motion was Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Gulf News identified the UAE capital as the movie’s production location, while the Abu Dhabi Film Commission promoted the release as a showcase for several recognizable places around the emirate. Eagle Films produced the Arabic romantic comedy for Netflix.

The characters, accents and wider Gulf atmosphere may lead some viewers to assume that the film was shot in Kuwait. Nour Al Ghandour and Shoug Al Hadi speak in Kuwaiti dialect, while Saudi actress Fatima Al Sherif performs in her own Saudi dialect. Filming was announced for Abu Dhabi, with no additional unit announced in Kuwait or Lebanon.

The Island Setting

Al Sherif supplied the most intriguing location clue beyond the city name. While discussing her experience on the project, she revealed that an island hosting part of the film’s events created a particularly memorable atmosphere for the cast and production team. She did not identify the island, and neither Netflix nor the Abu Dhabi Film Commission has published a precise address.

Abu Dhabi contains numerous island communities, beaches and private resort properties that regularly attract screen productions. Still, assigning these sequences to one particular destination without direct confirmation would be guesswork. Until the producers provide a location map, the island should remain exactly that: an unnamed Abu Dhabi setting used for part of Haya and Jawad’s story.

Judging from the film’s visual language, the island material appears to supply a quieter and more secluded environment for some of its romantic and social scenes. It gives the characters space away from the busier family interiors, even if Haya’s emotional confusion follows her wherever she goes.

Villas and Gardens

Rather than relying on enormous desert vistas or presenting Abu Dhabi as a succession of tourist landmarks, Love in Slow Motion keeps its locations intimate. Netflix’s trailer and promotional photographs feature contemporary villas, pastel-toned interiors, landscaped gardens, palm-framed outdoor areas and polished spaces suited to engagements and family gatherings.

That choice keeps the camera close to Haya’s personal world. Nearly every living room, doorway and garden becomes a potential stage for another awkward encounter, unwanted piece of advice or failed attempt to separate Jawad from his new fiancée.

The exact houses, gardens and event venues have not been publicly named. It is also unclear which interiors were filmed inside practical residences and which were decorated or adapted specifically for the production. Although the Abu Dhabi Film Commission stated that the movie features some of the capital’s iconic locations, it did not match individual properties to particular scenes. Specific landmark claims circulating without production confirmation should therefore be treated cautiously.

Why Abu Dhabi Works

Abu Dhabi gives the film an expensive-looking visual finish without overwhelming its relatively small, character-driven story. Contemporary homes, coastal spaces, manicured greenery and luxury hospitality settings suit a romantic comedy about outwardly comfortable lives becoming emotionally untidy.

The polished surroundings also create an amusing contrast with Haya’s increasingly desperate campaign to prevent Jawad from marrying someone else. Everything around her appears calm, controlled and carefully arranged. Haya, meanwhile, is making romantic decisions several years too late.

Al Sherif described the Abu Dhabi shoot as enjoyable and exceptional, praising both the working atmosphere and the selected locations. Her comments suggest that the settings were not chosen merely as attractive decoration. The island scenes, in particular, helped establish the film’s relaxed but aspirational Gulf romantic-comedy world.

Who Starred in Ahebak Min Zaman?

Nour Al Ghandour leads the cast as Haya, whose realization that she loves her closest friend arrives at the worst possible moment. Ali Kakooli plays Jawad, the longtime companion whose engagement forces Haya’s buried feelings into the open. Their easy friendship provides the story’s emotional foundation, while much of the comedy comes from Haya attempting to redirect a relationship she had kept safely in the friend zone.

Noha Nabil makes her acting debut as Zeina, Jawad’s conspicuous and successful actress fiancée. Shoug Al Hadi portrays Dalal, Haya’s pregnant sister, whose support is complicated by mood swings and comic family interference.

Fatima Al Sherif plays the sisters’ unmarried aunt. After their mother’s death, she takes responsibility for raising them while continuing to regard herself as closer to their generation than they might prefer. She also tries to push Haya and Jawad together, including through increasingly playful attempts to provoke jealousy.

Supporting Cast

The wider ensemble includes Elie Mitri and Mahira Abdel Aziz, while television presenter Neshan Der Haroutiounian appears as a guest. Cuba the chimp supplies the movie’s most unusual supporting presence and became a prominent part of its publicity campaign.

Elie El Semaan directed Love in Slow Motion from a screenplay by Eyad Saleh. Jamal Sannan produced the film through Eagle Films, with Joelle Bitar serving as executive producer. The project continues Eagle Films’ collaboration with Netflix in the Arabic romantic-comedy space.

For viewers searching for the exact Love in Slow Motion filming locations, the confirmed answer is Abu Dhabi, including an unnamed island and a collection of residential, garden and city settings. Until a fuller production map is released, anything more precise risks turning deduction into fact. What can be said is that the locations suit the film perfectly: warm, polished and just private enough for a best-friend romance to become everyone’s business.