Imagenation's Emirati films will share culture

An Abu Dhabi-based film venture is to make six Emirati films over the next two years, which, it says, will help to share UAE culture with audiences across the world. The six films, which will largely be shot in the UAE, with most of the dialogue in Arabic, will be developed, financed and produced over the next two years by Imagenation Abu Dhabi, which launched in late 2008 and comprises a US$1billion film fund.

One of the films, inspired and named after the Abu Dhabi TV show Million's Poet, tells the story of a young Emirati girl named Salamah, who finds that her passion for poetry is at odds with her strict upbringing. The other film projects include a horror thriller called Djinn, an adventure comedy called Alaska, a romantic comedy called Monsoon and a romance entitled Alis and Aishas. A "coming of age" movie called Sea Shadow, announced last month at the Cannes Film Festival, will begin shooting in the UAE later this year.

Part of Imagenation's mandate is to facilitate the creation of local content, and to encourage Emirati nationals to enter the filmmaking profession. "Not only are we aiming to make commercially-viable films, but we are also hoping to share the local Emirati culture with moviegoers around the world," said Edward Borgerding, the CEO of Imagenation Abu Dhabi. Stefan Brunner, the chief operating officer of Imagenation Abu Dhabi, said the company is in discussions with distribution companies as it looks for a way to maximise potential audiences across cinema, TV and internet. "We want the movies to be seen throughout the Mena region, and beyond," he said.

Imagenation - which was also involved in the production of the Bollywood hit My Name is Khan - is part of the Abu Dhabi Media Company, which publishes The National. [e-mail]