News

Stuart Ford’s AGC International has picked up world rights to two Arab-produced titles, Hwjn by Yasir Al-Yasiri and To My Son by Dhafer L’abidine, ahead of their debuts at Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea Film Festival.

AGC nabbed Hwjn, which opens Red Sea this evening, from Image Nation Abu Dhabi, Mbc Studios, and Vox Studios. To My Son was acquired from O3 Medya and L’Abidine’s Double A Productions.

Adapted from the best-selling Young Adult fantasy novel by Ibraheem Abbas, Hwjn combines Arabian folklore elements of fantasy, blended with modern themes. Set in modern-day Jeddah, Hwjn follows the story of a kind-hearted jinn as he discovers the truth about his royal lineage. Synopsis reads: Hwjn (Baraa Alem) sets off on an epic journey to reclaim his birthright, and while battling ancient evils to maintain the harmonious balance between his world and ours, falls in love with Sawsan (Nour Alkhadra), a young medical student.

AGC Intl., the international sales and distribution arm of Stuart Ford’s fast-growing independent content studio AGC Studios, has picked up world rights from Image Nation Abu Dhabi, Mbc Studios and Vox Studios on Yasir Al Yasiri’s “Hwjn,” and from O3 Medya and Dhafer L’Abidine’s Double A Productions on L’Abidine’s “To My Son.”

Saudi fantasy romance ‘Hwjn’ will open the Red Sea Film Festival on Nov. 30, while the emotional family drama “To My Son” will premiere in Red Sea’s Arab Spectacular section.

The deals mark another significant step in AGC Studios’ drive to bringing theatrical features from the Middle East and North Africa region to global audiences. AGC has partnered with Image Nation Abu Dhabi on Arabic blockbusters “Al Kameen” and “Voy! Voy! Voy!” (with Vox), Egypt’s box-office juggernaut and selection for Academy Award consideration for best international feature. AGC is also partnered...

Deal furthers AGC Studios’ commitment to championing Mena region theatrical features.

AGC International has acquired world sales rights to Hwjn and To My Son on the eve of their world premieres at Red Sea International Film Festival.

Iraqi filmmaker Yasir Al Yasiri’s Saudi fantasy romance Hwjn from Image Nation Abu Dhabi, Mbc Studios and Vox Studios will open the festival today (November 30) and is adapted from the YA novel by Ibraheem Abbas.

The feature combines Arabian folklore elements with contemporary themes and takes place in modern-day Jeddah as the kind-hearted titular jinn (Baraa Alem) discovers the truth about his...

Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea International Film Festival will open its third edition, running from November 30 to December 9, with local movie Hwjn, a fantasy romance combining Arabian folklore with modern themes that unfolds against the backdrop of the event’s home of Jeddah.

Deadline exclusively revealed a trailer for the production earlier this year. Watch it here.

The choice of a Saudi movie marks a break with Red Sea’s first two editions – which kicked off with English-language features Cyrano and What’s Love Got To Do With It? in 2021 and 2022 respectively.

Hwjn is the most ambitious production to date to come out of a partnership between major Gulf players Image Nation Abu Dhabi, Vox Studios and Mbc Studios first announced in Cannes in 2019.

“Opening the festival with a highly anticipated film like Hwjn is a momentous event,” Rsiff Arab Programs & Film Classics Director Antoine Khalife said of the opening night honor,...

Story of a kind-hearted jinn is a co-production from Image Nation Abu Dhabi, Mbc Studios and Vox Studios.

Red Sea International Film Festival has set the world premiere of Saudi feature Hwjn, directed by Yasir Al Yasiri, as its opening-night gala on November 30.

Adapted from the young adult fantasy novel by Ibraheem Abbas, Hwjn combines elements of Arabian folklore with modern themes.

A co-production from leading regional players Image Nation Abu Dhabi, Mbc Studios and Vox Studios, Hwjn is set in modern-day Jeddah and follows the story of a kind-hearted jinn. As he discovers the truth about his royal lineage,...

The Red Sea International Film Festival will open with a local Saudi Arabian film for the first time, with Yasir Al Yasiri’s fantasy romance Hwjn set to raise the curtain on the third edition of the Jeddah event on Nov. 30.

Adapted from the best-selling young adult fantasy novel by Ibraheem Abbas, Hwjn blends Arabian folklore and modern themes for a story set in modern-day Jeddah and follows a kind-hearted jinn (Baraa Alem) on an epic journey to reclaim his birthright. Along the way, he meets and develops an unexpected romantic connection with Sawsan (Nour Alkhadra), a young medical student. Hwjn, which had already been announced as screening at the festival in the Arab Spectacular section, is one of the biggest projects to date under a 2018 production partnership between regional giants Image Nation Abu Dhabi, Mbc Studios and Vox Studios.

“The story of Hwjn is an epic tale of romance,...

Starzplay has announced its first Arabic-language original series, created in collaboration with Emirati content powerhouse Image Nation Abu Dhabi.

The international streaming service of Starz has a big following in the Middle East and North Africa where its regional offering Starzplay Arabia is available in 19 territories.

The new show, called Kaboos, features five standalone episodes and is billed as a modern-day retelling of Arab folklore. It explores urban legends in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Egypt and the UAE, across a variety of genres from classic horror stories to noir psychological thrillers.

Some of Mena’s hottest rising young directors are attached to the show, including the UAE’s Majid Al Ansari and Hana Kazim (Makr) as well as Iraq-born, Abu Dhabi-based Yasir Al Yasiri (122), Egypt’s Ahmed Khaled (30 March) and Bahraini, U.S.-based director and producer Hala Matar (Streetcar).

The horror anthology series is produced by Al Yasiri...

Bein Motor Sports Revving Up In Asia

beIN Sports has picked up exclusive rights to the Formula 1 World Championships in ten territories across Asia. The new media rights agreement begins this year and runs until the conclusion of the 2025 championship.

The ten Asian territories included in the agreement are Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia, Brunei, Indonesia, Timor-Leste, Philippines, Thailand, Laos and Cambodia. In many territories in Asia, Formula One previously played on the Disney-owned Fox Sports channels.

The new deal includes rights to all Grand Prix races, the new sprint races, qualifying and practice sessions.

Coverage begins with the season opener, in Bahrain from 3-5 March, and runs through to the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix from 24-26 November.

The coverage will be available on major pay-tv platforms in the region, including on beIN’s live streaming app, beIN Sports Connect.

Storm Warning

Jonas Baur will take the role as executive producer...

Saudi director Shahad Ameen‘s feminist fable “Scales” has been selected as Saudi Arabia’s official candidate for the Oscar in the international feature film category.

“Scales” draws on Arabic folklore about a young woman named Hayat – played by newcomer Basima Hajjar – who rebels against the tradition in her fishing village of sacrificing female children to monstrous mermaids lurking in the sea. The groundbreaking film launched from the 2019 Venice Film Festival’s Critics’ Week, where it won the Verona Film Club award for innovative filmmaking, and has since been shown at a slew of other festivals, including London, Carthage, Cairo, Singapore, where it won best picture, and at SXSW 2020.

In November 2020, “Scales” was released theatrically in Saudi Arabia. Variance Films will release the film in the U.S. next year.

“I have only ever wanted ‘Scales’ to be seen, enjoyed and to act as a catalyst for wider conversations about gender roles,...

In a move to increase Middle East/North Africa region programming Netflix has released its very first Egyptian original series. This is Paranormal, a six part horror series based on the novels of best selling author Ahmed Khaled Tawfik. The show is set in the 60s and follows the adventures of Dr. Refaat Ismail (Ahmed Amin), a haematologist who is confronted by various supernatural occurrences he finds it increasingly difficult to explain with science.

It’s an anthology show of sort (in the same way Lovercraft Country was), with each ep focusing on a different paranormal phenomenon, with an overarching story relating to Refaat and his family, his fiancee who is also his cousin, and his former love, his Scottish former class mate Maggie Mckillop (Razane Jammal).

The two have a kind of Mulder and Skully vibe if Mulder was a balding middle aged sad sack who smokes a lot...

Nelly Karim and Dhafer L’Abidine star in groundbreaking genre picture by Rami Yasin.

Groundbreaking Arabic-language vampire feature Bloodline has secured a Halloween launch on Shahid VIP, the rising Mena region streaming platform which has seen subscriber numbers surge since a revamp by parent company Mbc Group earlier this year.

The feature, which will launch on Shahid on October 30, brings together some of the Arab world’s hottest directing, acting and producing talent.

It marks the feature debut of respected UAE-based producer and director Rami Yasin, whose producing credits include Sea Shadow, Rattle The Cage and The Worthy. His short film...

Exclusive: Variance Films has acquired the North American theatrical rights to Shahad Ameen’s debut drama of magical realism Scales. the film, which comes from Image Nation Abu Dhabi will be released theatrically later this year.

Written and directed by Saudi Arabian filmmaker Ameen, the visually enticing Scales is described as a “feminist parable set in a dystopian landscape”. The film premiered at the Venice International Film Festival’s Critics Week, where it won the Verona Film Club Award. It was also set to screen at this year’s SXSW Film Festival before it was canceled due to the pandemic.

Shot on location in Oman, the story follows a young girl by the name of Hayat. She lives in a poor fishing village which has a dark tradition where every family must give one daughter to the mermaid-like sea creatures who inhabit the waters, to ensure the village can continue their fishing expeditions.

Three-year production deal aims for one genre film a year.

Image Nation Abu Dhabi has struck a production deal with veteran producers Roy Lee and Steven Schneider on a slate of high-concept, modestly- budgeted English-language genre films.

The goal is for the projects to demonstrate broad international appeal and franchise potential and make at least one film a year that Image Nation will fully finance. The parties declined to reveal titles.

The deal reunites Schneider with Image Nation after their recent collaboration on Ali F. Mostafa’s dystopian thriller The Worthy, set to debut worldwide this month on Netflix after it became the streaming service’s first acquisition in the UAE.Schneider produced with Peter Safran and Rami Yasin.

Lee and Schneider helped launch genre franchises including The Ring, Paranormal Activity, Insidious and The Grudge.

Besides The Worthy, Image Nation’s regional genre credits encompass Djinn, Majid Al Ansari’s debut feature Rattle The Cage (Zinzana).

Schneider...

Rattle The Cage director Majid Al Ansari [pictured] will be an executive producer on the projects.

Middle East-based production outfit Image Nation Abu Dhabi plans to begin production on three feature projects in the final quarter of 2016.

All three films will shoot on location in the UAE and Oman. The first of which, comedy On Borrowed Time, will commence principle photography next month in Dubai.

The second film, body-switch comedy Rashid & Rajib, is set to shoot in November, and the final film, Scales, a dark drama about mermaids, will film in early 2017.

Film-maker Majid Al Ansari will be an executive producer on each of the projects. His 2015 crime thriller Rattle The Cage (Zinzana) was Netflix’s first UAE acquisition.

Image Nation’s recent projects include Ali Mostafa’s UAE thriller The Worthy and legal drama television series Justice. The company was also a producer on the Mark Wahlberg-starring disaster film Deepwater Horizon, which premiered...

Image Nation Abu Dhabi, one of the leading media and entertainment companies in the Arabic-speaking world, came onboard Hany Abu-Assad’s "The Idol" during the film’s final postproduction phase.

"The Idol" will have its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival today in the Special Presentations section.

Directed by acclaimed Palestinian filmmaker Hany Abu-Assad ("Paradise Now," "Omar"), "The Idol" tells the inspirational true life story of Mohammad Assaf, a wedding singer from Gaza who became a worldwide sensation after winning the live-singing competition Arab Idol in 2013.

Read More: Tiff Films from African and the Middle East

Michael Garin, CEO of Image Nation said: “Hany Abu-Assad is one of the Arab region’s most gifted filmmakers and we greatly admire his work. Image Nation’s decision to join the project at this stage is a validation of the quality of that work. Not only is this a great team, but it’s a great film and we are thrilled to be part of it. ”

Added Abu-Assad: “This is the first time I’ve worked with Image Nation and I am very happy with our first collaboration on 'The Idol.' I hope this film will mark the beginning of a beautiful friendship".

"The Idol" is one of Image Nation’s two high-profile screenings at Toronto Film Festival, which will feature the highly-anticipated feature documentary "He Named Me Malala," directed by Academy Award®-winner Davis Guggenheim ("An Inconvenient Truth"). The film is being released by Fox Searchlight, in association with Image Nation Abu Dhabi, Participant Media, and National Geographic Channel. The documentary was produced by Walter Parkes and Laurie MacDonald under their long-term partnership with Image Nation.

"The Idol" will then be showcased at BFI London Film Festival, where Image Nation will be celebrating the European premieres of three other titles – "He Named Me Malala," Majid Al Ansari’s "Zinzana" and Ali Mostafa’s "From A to B."

Garin added: “Image Nation is starting the festival season strong with notable lineups at Toronto Film Festival and BFI London Film Festival. It’s a particular high point for us to be able to bring the work of two gifted Emirati filmmakers to international audiences, and it’s a testament to the rapid development of our narrative and documentary slates.”

Read More: SydneysBuzz' Tiff's Feature Films Report Available Now!

"The Idol" has already made an impact in the market. Seville Sales is handling international rights to the film outside the Middle East and has already closed a number of deals in over 20 territories including France (TF1), Germany (Koch), Japan (New Select), Australia (Umbrella), Latin America (California Filmes), China (Beijing Xiangjiang YiHua Films), Hong Kong (Edko), India (PVR), Taiwan (Spring International), and South Korea (Kaon Contents & Media). Mbc is releasing in the Middle East and North Africa through its 03 production arm. EOne will distribute in Spain. U.S. rights are still available.

Streaming giant builds local slate ahead of 2016 Middle East launch.

Netflix has acquired worldwide streaming rights to Emirati director Majid Al Ansari’s debut film Rattle The Cage (Zinzana).

The claustrophobic thriller set in a dilapidated police station “somewhere in Arabia in the 1980s” is the latest Emirati production to come out of Image Nation Abu Dhabi as part of its on-going drive to build a film industry in the UAE.

It is adapted from a screenplay by Us duo Lane and Ruckus Skye and was originally set in a southern Us prison.

The deal, negotiated last December but only confirmed now, marks Netflix’s first major foray into the Middle East.

Speaking via a live link-up to the Dubai Film Market (Dfm) last December, Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos announced the company would launch across the Middle East in 2016 and to that end had already started talks with local content producers in the region.

One of his...

This year we are seeing many films from Mena, that is an acronym for the Middle East and North Africa. More commonly called “Arab” cinema, (though the term is inaccurate because several countries in the region are not actually “Arab”) the films of this region are winning many awards and garnering much interest worldwide.

More than 10 Arab films participated in the Berlinale’s Forum and Forum Expanded programs this year, in addition to the ones which participated in the Official Competition (“Inhebek Hedi”/ “Hedi” from Tunisia and “A Dragon Arrives!” by Mani Haghighi from Iran). This makes an especially remarkable year for Arab cinema’s presence in Berlin.

The Forum focus on Arab cinema, represented with films from Egypt, Palestine, Lebanon, Syria and Saudi Arabia highlights mostly young directors whose works explore both the past and present of their homelands.

The films included: “A Magical Substance Flows into Me” by artist Jumana Manna (Palestine), “Akher ayam el madina”/ “In the Last Days of the City” (Egypt) by Tamer El Said (international sales by Still Moving), documentary “Makhdoumin”/ “A Maid for Each” (Lebanon) by Maher Abi Samra (Isa: Docs & Film), “Barakah yoqabil Barakah”/ “Barakah Meets Barakah” (Saudi Arabia) by Mahmoud Sabbagh and Manazil (Isa: Mpm), “Bela abwab”/ “Houses without Doors” by Syrian-Armenian director Avo Kaprealian. Of course the 46th Berlinale Forum also screens films from European, Latin American and Asian directors.

The Tunisian film in Competition “Inhebek Hedi”/ “Hedi” by Mohamed Ben Attia, won the Best First Feature Award and its leading man, Majd Mastoura, received the prestigious Silver Bear for Best Actor for his role as Hedi. Attia’s debut feature film is a thoughtful love story about identity and independence in Tunisian society. It is being sold internationally by Luxbox.

Palestinian director Mahdi Fleifel won the Silver Bear Jury Prize for Short Film for “ A Man Returned”, a 30-minute portrayal of a young refugee struggling to make a life for himself in Lebanon’s Ain El-Helweh camp, being sold internationally by 3.14 Collectif. He previously made an award-winning documentary about his own experience as a refugee. The short film was also selected as the Berlin Short Film Nominee for the European Film Awards.

The Ecumenical Jury awarded the Forum Prize to Saudi filmmaker Mahmoud Sabbagh for his well-received romantic comedy “Barakah Yoqabil Barakah”/ “Barakah Meets Barakah”, a social commentary on the lives of young people in Saudi Arabia. It shared the prize with Danish production “Les Sauteurs”/ “Those Who Jump” – a film that also highlights the plight of Europe-bound refugees.

Egyptian filmmaker Tamer El-Said’s feature film “Akher Ayam El-Madina”/ “In the Last Days of the City” won the Caligari Film Prize. The film looks at a young filmmaker’s struggle to complete a film about Cairo. It was the only Egyptian film to participate in the 2016 Berlinale Forum.

Lebanese filmmaker Maher Abi Samra’s documentary “Makhdoumin”/ “A Maid for Each”, a look at the legal system that controls the lives of Lebanon’s foreign domestic workers, won the Peace Film Prize.

“Zinzana”/ “Rattle the Cage” director, Majid al Ansari, from the Arab Emirates, was honored with Variety’s Mid-East Filmmaker of the Year Award at the Berlinale. The film is the first genre movie of its kind produced in the UAE. It was financed and produced by Abu Dhabi’s ImageNation. It is repped for Us by Cinetic and international sales are by Im Global.

Projects “Mawlana”, based on Ibrahim Issa’s best-selling novel and shortlisted for the Arabic Booker Prize and director’s Mohamed Yassein’s “Wedding Song” based on Naguib Mahfouz’s novel, the Nobel Prize Winner for Literature were being promoted at the Arab Cinema Center at the Market. Reflecting a decadent Egypt from the 1970s, “Wedding Song” is one of the largest TV productions in the Arab World in 2016.

“Theeb”, a Jordanian Epic about Bedouins, is the Academy Award nomination for Best Foreign Language Film. It played in Venice. International sales agent Fortissimo has licensed it to Film Movement for U.S., ABC for Benelux, New Wave for U.K., As Fidalgo for Norway, Jiff for Australia, trigon-film for Switzerland. Mad Solutions is handling the Middle East. “Ave Maria” a 14-minute Palestine satirical short is the Academy Award nomination for Best Short Fiction and is being sold internationally by Ouat Media. “ The Idol” (Palestine) played Tiff 2015 and other top fests and has sold widely throughout the world through Canada-based international sales agent Seville. Not since Elia Suleiman won the Grand Jury Prize at the 2002 Cannes Film Festival for “Divine Intervention” has a Palestinian film director made as much of an impact as “The Idol” director Hany Abu-Assad whose “Paradise Now” and “Omar” both went to the Academy Awards.

Kudos for much of the success of Arab cinema go to Mad Solutions, the Cairo, Abu Dhabi and New York based marketing and distribution company for its marketing and social media strategies as well as its release of “Theeb”, “Zinzana” and “Ave Maria”. It also helped create the Arab Cinema Center which was launched last year at the Berlinale and Efm.

In all, 20 Mena films played in the Festival and Market this year.

And what of that other small country in the region called Israel (and/ or Palestine) which is not included in the term Mena? While Israeli films that showed in Berlin received international praise, they will never show in any of the Arab countries and are sometimes boycotted by international film festivals who succumb to censorship tactics.

Most of the larger Israeli features go to Cannes, Venice and Toronto; “Afterthought” went to Cannes, “Mountain” to Venice, “Barash” to San Sebastian”, “Wedding Doll” to London and “A.K.A. Nadia” to Talinn Black Nights Film Festival. In Berlin many are screened as German Premieres.

What Israeli films have won acclaim lately? Is it possible that our hero, Katriel Schory, head of the Israel Film Fund, whose stand for true art has earned him Israeli government censure at home (A prophet is never honored in his own land) and fame abroad with new countries striving to create national cinema, is being eclipsed by the growth of “Arab” cinema?

“Sandstorm” directed by Elite Zexer (international sales by Beta) made its way to Panorama from its world premiere in Sundance where it won the Best Actress Award for Palestinian actress Lamis Ammar’s portrayal of a young Bedouin woman forced to choose between modern freedom or traditional societal strictures within an arranged marriage.

Panorama also screened “Junction 48” (international sales by The Match Factory) which received international praise and audience acclaim. The Israeli-Palestinian hip-hop movie by Israeli-American filmmaker, Udi Aloni, was supported by the Israel-based Rabinovich Foundation. The story is about Kareem who lives in a mixed Jewish-Arab crime-ridden ghetto outside Tel Aviv. He deals drugs and lives dangerously until he discovers hip-hop and decides to express his life as a Palestinian youth along with young singer Manar. Palestinian and Israeli musicians drive this music movie and for Aloni, just seeing the film made, and then shown at the Berlin Film Festival proves its success.

“Suddenly a group of people just choose to make a film and the film is extremely professional. It’s very important that this bi-national energy can create high quality stuff, the high quality is almost the symbol of the resistance. We should not even have to tell the story about the issue. The fact that we could create it is amazing,” Aloni told Euronews.

Thirty-seven-year-old Arab-Israeli rapper Tamer Nafar plays the lead role, and has known the 56-year-old Aloni for some time. “We have been on the same demonstrations, in the parties since 2000, so we live in each other’s world. He has been to my concerts many times, he directed a video clip, I was in his movies as a producer a few times. It’s not about an old generation and new generation, it’s just about creating the right generation,” he said. “He has that gift of being a good story teller and director but he gives us the stage, no, he doesn’t give us a stage, we are building a stage together… he has his own perspective but we are all on the same level,” said actress Samar Qupty. The struggle for equal rights for Palestinians or Arab Israelis inside Israel is at its crux.

Panorama Documents screened “Who’s Gonna Love Me Now?” directed by Tomer Haymann and Barak Heymann co-directed by Alexander Bodin Saphir and being sold by Austria’s Autlook. Forum showed “ Inertia” by Idan Haguel being sold by Oration Films’ Timothy O’Brian of the U.S., and “Between Fences” by Avi Mograbi, being sold by Docs & Film’s Daniela Elstner of France. Culinary Cinema showed “Café Nagler” by Mor Kaplansky and Yariv Barel is being sold internationally by Go2Films.

Teddy 30 (the retrospective of Teddy Award winners over the past 30 years) honored Dan Wolman’s 1979 film “Hide and Seek”/ “Machboim”. Berlinale Shorts screened Rotem Murat’s “Winds Junction” from Sapir College which also holds international rights; Generation 14 Plus screened “Mushkie” by Aleeza Chanowitz from the Jerusalem San Spiegel Film School, being sold by Cinephil. Seven other films were sold in the market by various sales agents.

One of the very special events I attended at the Berlinale this year was the Shabbat Dinner, held the first Friday in the Festival and hosted by Nicola Galliner, Founder and Force of the Berlin Jewish Film Festival. There was a table full of Jews: the new Director of the Jerusalem Film Festival, Noa Regev, PhD; Jay Rosenblatt, Program Director of San Francisco’sJewish Film Institute and its former Director, Peter Stein, now the Senior Programmer of Frameline, San Francisco’s Lgbtq Film Festival; Judy Ironside, the Founder and President of UK Jewish Film and of the sixth edition of the Geneva and Zurich Jewish Film Festivals, the new young director of the Boston Jewish Film Festival, Ariana Cohen-Halberstam who recently moved from the New York Jcc to Boston, the prolific Israeli director, filmmaker Dan Wolman whose new film will soon be out and whose 1979 film “Hide and Seek”/ “Machboim” was part of the Teddy 30th Anniversary Retrospective held by the Berlinale Panorama.

Talk was about films, about politics including gender politics, about our concerns, (we Jews are better worriers than warriors) and just plain gossip.

Now if my readers will excuse my interjecting myself into this article:

It is my opinion that the region of the world called the Middle East, and the three major monotheistic religions of the world whose origin is there had better learn to do more than merely co-exist peacefully if we are to see peaceful and fruitful consequences which will set the world back upon its proper axis.

Art breaks down borders; it is subversive rather than observant of the exigencies of ever changing governments. It creates new perspectives and breaks down old ways of seeing. What I call “Cinema” is Art. Other movies may simply entertain and not aspire to more or they may propagate dogmas, but Art serves no master; it is not tethered; it is freedom of expression which should be honored with freedom to travel.

Abu Dhabi film company Image Nation gave a sneak peak of Emirati director Ali Mostafa’s upcoming feature The Worthy, set in a dystopian future in chaos following a chronic water shortage, at Diff on Sunday.

“I think it’s safe to describe it as the Arab world’s first post-apocalyptic feature,” said Mostafa [pictured] who was joined at a news conference by Image Nation’s head of narrative Ben Ross and producer Rami Yasin.

A short trailer showed a fast-paced high-octane work set in a derelict world reduced to rubble in which everyone has to fight for survival.

It is Mostafa’s third film after his breakthrough title City Of Life and pan-Arab road movie From A To B. The director said the decision to shoot an action thriller was in keeping with his long-term aim to shoot a variety of genres.

“As a filmmaker, it’s always been important to me to be as diverse as possible...

Former Doha Film Institute director of film financing Paul Miller and development producer Stephen Strachan are launching Abu Dhabi-based company, The Film Bureau, aimed at supporting the development and financing of projects by Gulf region directors.

“The idea is to use our combined knowledge of development, education and financing, both regional and international, to help raise the bar here; gearing films, whatever their size, towards an audience and a more market-driven model of financing,” said Miller [pictured].

Its first two projects comprise an Arabic-language adaptation of Rob Meyer’s A Birder’s Guide To Everything and Saudi director Shahad Ameen’s mermaid fantasy Scales, which was one of the nominees in this year’s Iwc Filmmaker Award.

Strachan said the new entity would focus on script development, packaging and ultimately connecting projects with finance partners, both local and international.

“In the four years that I’ve been here, I’ve seen the whole region mature. We’re getting...

Regional exhibitor and distributor Vox Cinemas has acquired Arabic-language rights to Emirati film-maker Majid Al Ansari’s Rattle The Cage (Zinzana) ahead of its gala screening at Diff today.

The UAE-based company is set to release the thriller on 50 screens across the region, kicking off with the UAE, Bahrain, Qatar and Kuwait on December 10, followed by Egypt, Iraq and Jordan on December 17 and Lebanon in early 2016.

“Zinzana has already played very well in a number of festivals outside the Arab world and received rave reviews from major film publications. We hope it will also find an audience across the Middle East. We’re targeting adult audiences across the cultural spectrum,” said Vox’s director of distribution and film content Toni El Massih.

Vox Cinemas, which is owned by UAE retail and leisure giant Majid Al Futtaim, is one of the fastest-growing exhibition chains in the region with 122 screens in the UAE and 154 across the region.

The company...

Rattle the Cage

Written by: Majid Alansari, Nidal Morra and Rami Yasin

Directed by: Majid Al Ansari

United Arab Emirates, 2015

One often wonders what they would be capable of if their life depended on it. Would you take charge, delegate responsibility but do your part, or would you completely break down and cower in the corner? Would you be able to think clearly enough to find a solution to the problem or would your emotions be too overpowering? These are questions that ran through the mind when watching the superbly paced and tense thriller Rattle the Cage. Set entirely in the jail of a local sheriff’s station, the film capitalises on the claustrophobic location to ratchet up the tension almost to a boiling point. There is almost something scientific about the way every character’s action has an equal and opposite reaction as director and co-writer Majid Al Ansari...

Alal has come to town to win back his wife and son, but he's off to a rough start. After picking a fight with a local citizen for no apparent reason, Alal lands himself in jail, where he'll wait for approximately two days until he goes to trial to further decide his fate. While he sits shamefully in his cell, thinking his situation couldn't possibly get any worse, a man named Al Daban strolls into the holding station with a secret hidden up his sleeve. Al Daban may bear an officer's uniform, but his regard for respecting laws and ancient customs comes to a screeching halt once the subject in question begins to involve anyone other than himself.

This dangerous stranger does take a certain set of rules seriously, but they mostly involve men keeping their word, particularly when it comes to keeping mum about the dead man in the hall closet.

Image Nation Abu Dhabi has released the first trailer for Majid Al Ansari’s eagerly awaited psychological thriller Zinzana. Also known as The Rattle Cage, the film has been described as a Tarantino-esque psychological thriller set in a prison and revolves around a man trapped in a jail cell with no ID and no memory of what happened the night before. When he wakes up he is forced to play a sadistic game with a madman who takes over the penitentiary. The film is set to make its world premiere at Fantastic Fest, though a definite release date is yet to be confirmed. It made our list of most anticipated films for the festival and hopefully we will have a review within the next week. In the meantime, check out the trailer below.

Here’s the official synopsis:

Talal (Saleh Bakri) has just woken up in a police cell, feeling like hell.

Bruce Campbell and Edgar Wright will be on hand for a groovy 35mm double bill of The Evil Dead and Evil Dead II at this October's Beyond Fest, held in Los Angeles and presented by Shudder. Other screening highlights include the Kurt Russell-starring Bone Tomahawk, Karyn Kusama's The Invitation, the Henry Rollins-starring He Never Died, and much more.

Press Release: Los Angeles, CA - Thursday, September 3, 2015- Beyond Fest, the highest attended genre film festival in the Us, is excited to announce its full slate of 2015 programming featuring 25 events of mind-bending, movie madness. Presented by Shudder, Beyond Fest returns to Hollywood's famed Egyptian Theatre for 11 days of movies, music and mayhem spanning Thursday, October 1st - Monday, October 12th to generate funds for co-presenter, the nonprofit American Cinematheque.  

With a diverse slate that includes films from all corners of the globe Beyond Fest is proud to present...

It is time for me to make my peace with the fact that I will not be at Fantastic Fest this year. Last year's fest was one of my favorites ever, fitting for a tenth anniversary, and I would love to go this year. It's just not in the cards, though. It guts me, too. The event continues to grow and change and evolve, and it features one of the greatest programming teams in the business right now. There are films playing at the festival that I'll see in Toronto, and I'm sure I'll catch up with others, but that's not the point. Fantastic Fest is an experience, and an amazing one. If you want to go, you still can. "Daytime Only Badges, Fan Badges, and 2Nd Half Badges for Fantastic Fest 2015 are available for purchase here," today's press release urged. If you can go for the second half, you'll...

One of the greatest genre film festivals in the world (some say the best) has just announced its second wave of titles, including a few titles so anticipated you’ll wish you’re in Austin next month. Below are 35 more films to add to the 23 already announced in the first wave. They include Ridley Scott’s The Martian, Yorgos Lanthimos’ The Lobster, Ben Wheatley’s adaptation of J.G. Ballard’s High-Rise and Jeremy Saulnier’s follow up to Blue Ruin, The Green Room. In addition to the films, Fantastic Fest is also delivering something special this year with a performance from Itchy-o – “a blazing, 32-member aural assault from the darkest depths of Colorado.” Fantastic Fest will also host the World Premiere of Lazer Team, the first feature film from web series gods Rooster Teeth. “This is a big year for genre cinema. We’re exceptionally proud to honor incredible filmmakers...

It’s hard to believe that we are a month away from what is possibly the best genre film festival in North America! After announcing a Kurt Russell included first wave, we get a wave that probably includes all the films I have the most interest in. The French remake of what I consider is one of Mario Bava’s best films, Rabid Dogs is included. Along with Jeremy Saulnier’s follow up from Blue Ruin, Green Room where Patrick Stewart plays a Neo-Nazi club owner, Ridley Scott’s The Martian, Ben Wheatley’s adaptation of High-Rise and the horror film that has some chilling buzz, The Witch, are all included. Check out the full listing below and wait with anticipation for our coverage of the festival!

Fantastic Fest is excited to announce the second wave of programming featuring the Us Premiere of Yorgos Lanthimos’ The Lobster as the opening night film.

Austin, TX – Wednesday, August 26, 2015 — Fantastic Fest is excited to announce the second wave of programming featuring the Us Premiere of Yorgos Lanthimos’ The Lobster as the opening night film. Lanthimos will be in attendance to share his wonderfully surreal examination of human connections. Joining The Lobster is a dazzling array of the year’s most anticipated genre films from heavyweight directors including Ridley Scott’s sci-fi epic The Martian, Ben Wheatley’s High-rise and Jeremy Saulnier’s Green Room. Fantastic Fest will also host the World Premiere of Lazer Team, the first feature film from web series gods Rooster Teeth. Lazer Team director Matt Hullum and cast members Burnie Burns, Alan Ritchson, Colton Dunn, Michael Jones, and Gavin Free will be in attendance to celebrate the highly anticipated sci-fi comedy and join Fantastic Fest’s official opening night party, presented by Rooster Teeth. “This is a big year for genre cinema.

Cannibalistic skyscraper tribes, a punk band forced to fight for survival, and 17th century-set supernatural happenings will grace the big screen this fall at Fantastic Fest 2015, as High-Rise, Green Room (co-starring Patrick Stewart), and The Witch are among the films announced in the festival's second wave of programming.

Taking place September 24th–October 1st at the Alamo Drafthouse South Lamar theater in Austin, TX, Fantastic Fest 2015 celebrates an abundance of titles spanning multiple genres (as well as those that don't fit into one specific genre). Stay tuned to Daily Dead for the upcoming final wave of Fantastic Fest 2015 programming, and to read about the first wave of the festival's programming, visit:

http://dailydead.com/fantastic-fest-2015-first-wave-includes-bone-tomahawk-the-invitation/

Press Release: Austin, TX - Wednesday, August 26, 2015 - Fantastic Fest is excited to announce the second wave of programming featuring the Us Premiere of Yorgos Lanthimos' The Lobster as the opening night film.

Pioneering Emirati filmmaker Ali Mostafa ("From A To B") is reteaming with Image Nation Abu Dhabi on his next feature, "The Worthy," which will go into production later this year.

The "From A to B" director will be joined by Hollywood veterans Peter Safran ("The Conjuring," "Annabelle") and Steven Schneider ("Paranormal Activity," "Insidious") who have come on board to produce the project with Mostafa’s regional producer Rami Yasin ( Sea Shadow," "From A to B").

"The Worthy" is set in a dystopian future which has been plunged into chaos due to a chronic water shortage. The story follows a small group of survivors seeking refuge with the only clean remaining water source in the area. When two visitors infiltrate their compound, they soon become pawns in a test for survival, where only one of them shall be chosen worthy.

Ali Mostafa was joined by producer Rami Yasin and Image Nation’s head of narrative, Ben Ross in Cannes to make the announcement.

Mostafa said: “As the first action/thriller I’m directing, 'The Worth' is a new adventure for me. My producers, Peter and Steven, have produced some of the best genre movies ever made with critical and commercial hits such as 'The Conjuring' and 'Paranormal Activity.' They are really at the top of their game right now and their expertise will be invaluable on The Worthy so I’m excited to be working with them and with Image Nation again on 'The Worthy.'”

Producer Peter Safan said: “The film industry in Abu Dhabi is at an extremely exciting time in its development, I am looking forward to playing a small part in its growth by working on this fantastic film.”

Steven Schneider said about joining the project as a producer: “Image Nation is a pioneering force in the UAE community and Ali Mostafa is such a unique talent. I think we have an amazing team working on this project and I’m grateful to be a part of it.”

The announcement comes on the heels of Mostafa’s last film "From A to B," co-produced by twofour54 and Image Nation, topping iTunes charts across the Middle East. The hit comedy drama is set to be released theatrically in the UK and Italy this year.

Mohamed Al Mubarak, Chairman of Image Nation, said of the upcoming project: “We’re so happy to be working with Ali Mostafa again on this exciting new genre film. He is a true talent and shares our vision for growing the local and regional film industry.”

Michael Garin, CEO of Image Nation said: “Image Nation Abu Dhabi is able to create projects like this due to our unique ability to team Hollywood expertise with local talent.”

Image Nation has been ramping up its film and TV production output over the last year and recently wrapped its next feature film from first time feature Emirati director, Majid Al Ansari. "Zinzana" is set to release in the UAE this fall. The news follows the recent announcement that The Media Zone Authority is set to focus on new initiatives to further support local and Arab films and filmmakers.

Michael added: “This announcement comes at an exciting time as we prepare to enter a new era of filmmaking in the UAE and the region. To be announcing two huge productions with Emirati directors in such a short period of time is an incredible step and is reflective of how we are continuing to grow rapidly as a local industry.”

Earlier this week, Image Nation announced they will be fully financing James Ponsoldt’s upcoming feature adaptation of Dave Eggers’ contemporary thriller "The Circle" starring Tom Hanks and Alicia Vikander. The film will be presented by Image Nation in association with Parkes MacDonald Productions. The film is being produced by Hanks and Goetzman for Playtone, Anthony Bregman for Likely Story, and Ponsoldt.

Image Nation’s documentary slate includes the high-profile feature documentary "He Named Me Malala," directed by Oscar-winning filmmaker Davis Guggenheim ("An Inconvenient Truth") and co-produced by Participant Media. Fox Searchlight will open the film in the U.S. on October 2. And directed by award-winning filmmaker Tom Roberts, "Every Last Child" follows the lives of five people caught up in the current Polio crisis in Pakistan. Zeitgeist Films releases "Every Last Child" in the U.S. from June 3, and the film recently screened as part of the Special Presentations lineup at the Hot Docs international documentary festival in Canada.

Exclusive: Filmmaker also co-producing Dictynna Hood’s upcoming Trojan Women.

Palestinian director Annemarie Jacir has revealed details of her next feature Wajib, about an estranged father and son’s attempts to reconnect.

“It’s a dark comedy about the relationship between a father and son, who has returned home after a long absence,” said Jacir. “It will unfold against the course of one day in the city of Nazareth. It’s got dark humour.”

The filmmaker, whose credits include the award-winning When I Saw You and Salt of the Sea, is in Cannes talking to potential co-producing partners and sales companies.

Her long-term collaborator Ossama Bawardi is producing the film, under their joint Jordan-based Philistine Films banner.

Rising Palestinian actor Saleh Bakri, who starred in Salvo and is soon to be seen in Majid Al Ansari’s Zinzana, has signed to co-star.

It is the first time, Jacir, who hails from the West Bank town of Bethlehem...

Mostafa teaming with Image Nation and Us producers Peter Safran and Steven Schneider.

Image Nation Abu Dhabi and Us producers Peter Safran and Steven Schneider have boarded Emirati filmmaker Ali Mostafa’s next feature The Worthy.

Set in a dystopian future plunged into chaos by a chronic water shortage, the story follows a group of survivors seeking refuge near a rare remaining clean water source

When two visitors infiltrate their compound, they soon become pawns in a test for survival, where only one of them shall be chosen as worthy.

It is a first action thriller for Mostafa whose last film was the tragi-comic Middle East road movie From to A to B.

“The Worthy is a new adventure for me. Peter and Steven, have produced some of the best genre movies ever made with critical and commercial hits such as The Conjuring and Paranormal Activity,” said Mostafa who was in Cannes on Friday (May 15) to promote...