Print
Email
Discuss this article ( Comments)
zoom
It made US$70m in its opening weekend and stars A-list actors Jamie Foxx and Jennifer Garner, but despite The Kingdom having all the glitz and glamour of Hollywood, the film was shot in Abu Dhabi.
And this isn't the first multimillion dollar Hollywood production to take advantage of the region's vast desert and Middle Eastern authenticity. The Oscar-winning 2005 film, Syriana, produced by and starring George Clooney, alongside Matt Damon and Chris Cooper, was also filmed in the region, in Dubai.
While Dubai develops Dubai Studio City and attracts large Hollywood studios for its high-end theme parks, another emirate is focusing its attention on producing home-grown talent in this relatively new industry for the region. No longer content with its massive oil revenues, enchanting palaces and a life of luxury, Abu Dhabi is setting its sights on the brightest stars of them all - Hollywood icons.
In a bid to become the "cultural capital of the region" Abu Dhabi will be playing host to the Middle East International Film Festival (MEIFF) from 14-19th October. The festival will show a range of international and regional films as well as encourage the region's talent to step forward and share the limelight through the InCircle Pearl Grant, created to expose emerging film-makers to high-level industry decision makers and facilitate financing for talented film-makers from around the world.
The festival will also concentrate on one of the most important aspects of the film industry - finance - through The Film Financing Circle. Nashwa Al-Ruwaini, executive director of the MEIFF and CEO of production company, Pyramedia, describes the circle as an important industry initiative: "Western finance and industry executives will meet their counterparts here; relationships will be forged, ideas exchanged and deals made.
"This is an exciting time for culture and film in Abu Dhabi. Under the visionary leadership of the Abu Dhabi Royal family, culture reigns supreme. You read about the Louvre, the Guggenheim, the performing arts centre and many other museum projects that are happening in Abu Dhabi but in fact, I believe that this is the most grand, extensive proactive and aggressive cultural infrastructure building plan ever rolled out," she adds.
The circle is expected to attract top-level financiers and executives from the international and entertainment arena who will collaborate and participate in a number of programmes offering much-needed information on the film industry. Al-Ruwaini says, "Unlike many festival conferences, our goal is to offer more than information. Our mandate strives to provide industry insiders with fresh and innovative investment options, while allowing film-makers a one-of-a-kind opportunity to have their work brought to fruition."
As well as educating local investors and business executives, The Film Financing Circle is setting up its own fund in association with the government of Abu Dhabi, to support regional film-makers. "The Abu Dhabi Fund will act as the financial engine to attract filming in Abu Dhabi and to create co-production opportunities worldwide and contribute a slate of films for our festival. The fund is independent and looking to support film-makers from around the world with an emphasis on our local film-makers," says Al-Ruwaini.
The fund, which has no set amount, and will consider all projects from any budget range, aims to produce between four and six international projects every year and will focus on films from the region. While private investors will not be a part of the official fund, they will be able to partner projects which Al Ruwaini says will help balance the funding but will determine the profit-sharing structure.
