ABU DHABI AND DUBAI JOIN FORCES TO PROMOTE UAE’S FILM INDUSTRY AT CANNES

Abu Dhabi, UAE (May 13, 2014) – The media and entertainment organizations in Abu Dhabi and Dubai have united at the UAE Pavilion at Cannes, to promote the United Arab Emirates’ emerging film industry. The world-renowned Cannes Film Festival takes place from 14 to 25 May in the south of France.

The delegates of twofour54, the commercial arm of the Media Zone Authority – Abu Dhabi, will be from Abu Dhabi Film Festival (ADFF), one of the regions most anticipated annual cultural events; twofour54 creative lab, the media and entertainment talent development arm; Abu Dhabi Film Commission (ADFC), which supports the development of Abu Dhabi’s film and TV industry and promotes the emirate as a production location regionally and internationally; and twofour54 intaj, the leading production facilities and services provider.

The pavilion will also be hosted by representatives of the Dubai International Film Festival (DIFF), who celebrated 10 years of nurturing and developing local and international talent and showcasing the very best of cinema from around the world back in December last year. In addition, the Dubai Film Market (DFM), the business hub of DIFF and the only platform in the Middle East dedicated to the development, production and distribution of Arab film. The DFM is at the heart of the Festival’s industry initiatives and the destination to discover the best in Arab cinema. Also the Gulf Film Festival which aims to develop the local and regional film culture in the Gulf and introduce the international film community to discover state of the art Gulf Cinema.

“I would like to thank the UAE’s leadership for bringing so many media organisations together under the same umbrella at this wonderful event,” Ali Al Jabri, ADFF Director. “Cannes is an excellent platform to build awareness of what is happening in the UAE, and by working together we can show that the emergence of a regional media and entertainment hub in the UAE is not just an idea – it’s already happening.” “We take pride in highlighting to the world that our leadership and the entire country are behind our talent and production, through the UAE Pavilion. Cannes is a great opportunity for audiences to experience Arab Films.”

Abdulhamid Juma, the Chairman of DIFF, said: “The Festival de Cannes has been spearheading the development of the film industry worldwide for 67 years. The Festival celebrates cinema at an international level, welcoming some of the world’s greatest film artists whilst also acting as a springboard for creation and emerging talent. The budding Arab film industry has made great progress over the past 10 years of our establishment and we are very excited to showcase the achievements and new talent coming out of the region in collaboration with our partners.”

Jamal Al Sharif, Chairman of Dubai Film and TV Commission, said: “The UAE has a lot to offer international filmmakers – state-of-the-art sound stages; an abundant choice of outdoor locations; and world class infrastructure. Bringing the full UAE film industry out in force at Cannes plays an important role in supporting the development of the film industry, and associated industries such as tourism, transportation, financial services and construction sectors in the UAE, benefiting the whole country.”

In addition to building relationships with some of the most influential players in the global film industry, twofour54 will raise awareness of its initiates to help build a media hub. Delegates from ADFF will scout for films to screen at the next edition of the festival, ADFC will highlight the 30 percent rebate on qualifying spend that is drawing international productions to Abu Dhabi, and intaj continues to raise awareness of its facilities and services.

creative lab will show films from the creative community in the Short Film Corner. Participation in the popular screening event increases the chances of the films being selected by international festivals and reveals talent to potential partners. It designed to build bridges between the worlds of short and feature films for talented moviemakers.