Turning Exploration Into Reflection

A global exploration series premieres in Dubai, linking science, story, and responsibility

Dubai will open the year with a rare kind of premiere, one that places storytelling, science, and responsibility at the center of the red carpet. On 9 January 2026, Will Smith will attend the Middle East premiere of National Geographic’s original series Pole to Pole with Will Smith at SEE Institute, the region’s first net zero emissions building, located within The Sustainable City Dubai.

The setting is deliberate. Rather than a traditional cinema or hotel ballroom, the premiere unfolds inside an architectural statement dedicated to sustainable living. The evening will begin with a Hollywood style red carpet, followed by a private screening of an episode from the series and a live conversation with Smith alongside the explorers and scientists who shaped the project. It is an intimate format that mirrors the spirit of the series itself, focused less on spectacle and more on meaning.

Five years in the making, Pole to Pole with Will Smith is a seven part cinematic journey across all seven continents. From Antarctica’s ice fields to the Amazon’s dense jungles, from the Himalayas to the African deserts, the Pacific islands, and the Arctic’s frozen waters, the series documents a one hundred day expedition that tests endurance, perspective, and purpose. Smith skis to the South Pole, dives beneath the ice of the North Pole, and ventures into environments that challenge both physical strength and emotional resolve.

“This journey was unlike anything I’ve ever experienced,” Smith has said. “There were moments when I was genuinely shook and wondered if I was going to make it home. But it became far more than a physical adventure. It’s an exploration of our planet’s outer edges and of the remarkable people who call those places home.” His reflection captures the tone of the series, which moves fluidly between awe and vulnerability, danger and beauty.

Told with the scale and access that National Geographic is known for, the series blends exploration with science and environmental insight. Guided by researchers, local experts, and seasoned explorers, Smith helps uncover scientific discoveries while forming meaningful connections with communities whose knowledge offers lessons about resilience and coexistence. The result is a narrative that feels human first, global second, and urgent without being alarmist.

Hosting the premiere at The Sustainable City reinforces those themes. The development has become a global reference point for integrated sustainability, built around renewable energy, biodiversity protection, circular economy principles, and community wellbeing. Faris Saeed, founder and chairman of The Sustainable City, has described the partnership as a shared belief in the power of storytelling to inspire action, noting that sustainability is not a single solution but a way of life embedded into daily systems.

That alignment gives the premiere added resonance. The series is not only about remote landscapes and extreme journeys, but about the choices societies make and the futures they shape. Presenting it within a living model of sustainable urban design turns the event into more than a screening. It becomes a conversation between story and place.

Pole to Pole with Will Smith will premiere on National Geographic on January 13 at 8:00pm UAE time, followed by National Geographic Abu Dhabi on January 14 at 9:00pm. The series will also stream exclusively on Disney+ starting January 14. Produced by Westbrook Studios, Nutopia, and Protozoa, with Smith serving as host and executive producer, the project stands as one of the most ambitious exploration series in recent years.

In a region increasingly invested in culture, sustainability, and global dialogue, the Middle East premiere feels well placed. It is a reminder that powerful stories do not need to shout to be heard. Sometimes, they arrive quietly, in the right setting, and ask us to look at the world and our role within it with renewed clarity.