How a Dubai trip to see his mom launched a film career

James Durias Arieta came to Dubai with no plan other than to be with his ‘TNT’ mother, a visit that unexpectedly launched his career in cinematography

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates – He came to Dubai to visit the mother he had not seen in ages. Years later, he would become a renowned cinematographer running his own creative agency in UAE.

It was a big leap, but that’s just how it has been for 33-year-old James Durias Arieta. He originally arrived here to see his mom, Preciousa, who at the time was an undocumented worker making ends meet, trying to send money home.

“Since Grade 1, around six years old po ako, hanggang college hindi kami nagkita,” Arieta shared. “Hindi nya pa ako ma-sponsoran kasi TNT (tago nang tago) siya dito sa Dubai — one of the reasons din kung bakit hindi siya maka-uwi. Mas pinili nya na mag-stay dito sa Dubai for us, may maipadala.” 

(From Grade 1, when I was around six years old, up to college, I never saw her. She could not sponsor me because she was overstaying — one of the reasons why she could not go home. She chose to stay here in Dubai for us, to keep sending money.)

Tough start

Living without a mother was tough, said Arieta. To help cover school fees and daily expenses, he and his siblings sold eggs and newspapers in the morning, and pork at night — at times working from 11 pm to 5 am.

“It taught me how to survive at a young age,” he said.

He was unable to finish college because what his mother sent home was only enough for food, and his father was not earning a regular income.

“I could not sustain payments for school fees and the transportation,” said Arieta, who was taking up civil engineering at the University of Mindanao.

Eventually, his mother was able to send him to Dubai through a tourist visa, though there was no assurance he wouldn’t be offloaded at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA).

“Salamat at nakapasok naman,” Arieta said. “Bisita lang sana ako, to see my mother’s situation. Wala po talaga akong plan, pero ayun, two weeks remaining ng visa nag-decide ako na mag-work at samahan ang nanay ko since nakita ko sitwasyon. Luckily, nakahanap agad ng trabaho.”

(Thankfully, I got in. I was really only visiting my mother, to see her situation. I did not plan to stay long, but with two weeks remaining on my visa, I decided to work and stay with my mother after seeing her situation. Luckily, I found a job right away.)

That first job was as a procurement officer for a construction company.

To save money, they stayed in Sharjah, a city neighboring Dubai to the north. There, his mother managed to run an apartment unit where they occupied a single room, renting out the rest to others. 

But just as Arieta was settling into his new life, his mother had to surrender to authorities and be flown home to the Philippines because her own mother was hospitalized.

Finding photography

Left on his own, life as a photographer — his first love — slowly seeped back into Arieta. He began spending his weekends wandering around the city, shooting everything he saw.

“Marami rin akong pinagdaanang rejections. Minsan bina-block pa nga ako kasi makulit talaga ako magtanong sa mga veteran sa industry. Pero malaking part din yun ng learning process ko,” said Arieta.

(I went through a lot of rejections. Sometimes, I even got blocked because I was so persistent with my questions to veterans in the industry. But it was a big part of my learning process.)

Eventually, he started reaping what he sowed. His work was recognized at the Doha Photography Festival in Qatar, and he was later invited as a guest speaker at a Nikon launch event in Karachi, Pakistan, where he moved the audience with his life journey. Capping it all off, he became a “who’s who” in the regional creative industry.

It did not stop there. In 2024, he opened his own creative agency, handling commercial campaigns and visual storytelling for major companies.

“Doha was my first workshop outside the country under Nikon. I was also recognized there as an aspiring trainer for the region,” he shared.

“Karachi was a bigger event with about 700 attendees. It was a cinema setup and my video was the first to flash on the screen. I received really good feedback. Right after that, I was given an award,” added Arieta, who was officially taken on by Nikon as one of its regional trainers last year.

“We have workshops almost every weekend. For me personally, most of the time, I hold workshops around twice a month.”

Today, Arieta is focused on passing his learnings down to aspiring cinematographers in the region.

And his mother? They say you can take the worker out of the country, but you can’t take the hustle out of an overseas Filipino worker (OFW). True to form, Preciousa is back on the move — this time, working in Saudi Arabia. – Rappler.com

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