Will Smith Brings Pole to Pole to Dubai for Middle East Premiere
A star-studded Middle East premiere at The Sustainable City highlights the Hollywood icon’s powerful seven-continent journey exploring climate, resilience, and the future of the planet
A sustainability-driven red-carpet event at The Sustainable City will spotlight the Hollywood star’s five-year, seven-continent journey for National Geographic
Hollywood icon Will Smith is set to arrive in Dubai next week for the Middle East premiere of Pole to Pole with Will Smith, National Geographic’s ambitious new docuseries that blends cinematic storytelling with environmental advocacy. The exclusive event will take place on January 9, 2026, at the SEE Institute in The Sustainable City — the region’s first net-zero emissions building — underscoring the project’s strong sustainability ethos.
The premiere promises a Hollywood-style red carpet, a private screening of an episode, and a live Q&A session featuring Smith alongside the explorers and scientists who shaped the groundbreaking series. The choice of venue is deliberate: The Sustainable City is globally recognised as a living model for renewable energy integration, biodiversity protection and circular economy practices, mirroring the core themes of the docuseries.
Five years in the making, Pole to Pole with Will Smith is a seven-part cinematic journey that follows the global superstar across all seven continents over 100 days. From the frozen extremes of Antarctica and the Arctic to the dense Amazon rainforest, the towering Himalayas, African deserts and remote Pacific islands, the series documents Smith undertaking extraordinary physical challenges. These include skiing to the South Pole and diving beneath the ice at the North Pole — feats that test both endurance and perspective.
Beyond the spectacle, the series is rooted in science, sustainability and human connection. Guided by leading scientists, seasoned explorers and local communities, Smith explores climate resilience, environmental change and humanity’s evolving relationship with the planet. Local knowledge and lived experience play a central role, offering insight into how communities are adapting to some of Earth’s most extreme environments.
Reflecting on the experience, Smith described the expedition as transformative. “This journey was unlike anything I’ve ever experienced,” he said, calling it both a physical and deeply personal test that ultimately offered hope and renewed perspective on the future of Earth.
Pole to Pole with Will Smith will premiere on National Geographic on January 13, followed by National Geographic Abu Dhabi on January 14, and will be available to stream exclusively on Disney+ from January 14. With its Dubai debut, the series positions the emirate once again at the crossroads of global culture, sustainability and storytelling.
