Board Members Explore Opportunities toDraw Global Players and Position Dubai as Regional Trailblazer
The newly instituted Dubai Film and TV Commission, established under the directives of His Highness Sheikh Hamdan Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of Dubai Executive Council, today held its inaugural board meeting. Confirmed board members alongside key stakeholders from the film production value chain in the public and private sector attended the session.
Headed by Jamal Al Sharif, Chairman of Dubai Film and TV Commission, the discussion focused on the commission’s mandate to increase local production and attract international players from both the film and TV sectors. The commission also identified processes to decrease the cost of media production to enhance Dubai’s attractiveness to regional and international production companies and film studios. Additionally, the board members identified a core priority to develop an incentive scheme that fosters local talent..
Jamal Al Sharif said: “Dubai’s strategic approach to investment in the media industry has established the city as the regional trailblazer. This approach has benefitted both Dubai and the UAE at large.
“With the film industry in Dubai and the UAE on the threshold of tremendous growth, the commission will deliver a much-needed boost to the landscape. Furthermore, the timely decision to establish this body will offer both regional and international filmmakers an enabling platform to film in Dubai, which will in turn drive the growth of the local film and television industry.”
Board members represented at the first meeting of the Dubai Film and TV Commissionincluded: Adel Omar, Executive Director - Public Relations Special Projects, Dubai Media Office; Lieutenant Colonel Khabeer Mohammed Essa Al Adab - Dubai Police; Eyad Abdul Rahman, Executive Director - Media Relations and Business Development Department, Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing; Hamad Al Abdooli, Promotion Investment Manager - Foreign Direct Investment Department, Department of Economic Development; Shivani Pandya, Managing Director- Dubai International Film Festival (DIFF); Samer Al Marzooqi, Manager - Dubai Film Market, DIFF; Boutros Boutros, Divisional Senior Vice-President Corporate Communications, Emirates Airlines; and Marwan Al Ali, Senior Vice-President - Operations, Middle East, Africa and South Asia, Jumeirah Group.
TheDubai Film and TV Commissionhas been founded on the ethos that the film and TV industry has a high multiplier effect on the macro economy, impacting the tourism, transportation, storage, financial services and construction sectors and ultimately contributing to an increase in the overall GDP of the UAE.
Jamal Al Sharif added: “An interesting emergent trend is that viewers are increasingly making travel decisions as a result of exposure to locations featured in popular films or TV shows. This has contributed to a 40 per cent increase in tourism at specific destinations, with governments citing that the attractions draw one in 10 visitors to their country.Some examples are Turkey and New Zealand.
“We also believe that incentivizing film and TV productions targeting international audiences has increased the overall creative talent pool and resulted in ‘fast-track’ development of the resident and indigenous industry. We are confident that the initiatives of the Dubai Film and TV Commission will help develop a rich resource of industry-specific talent in the UAE.”
Research indicates a strong growth in demand for production services in Dubai and interest from major international productions. Mission Impossible 4 recentlydrew the world’s attention to Dubai, leading to an increase in film productions from China, India and Europe.
After 11 years of establishing media zones, with 15 media zones either announced or operational in the region, Dubai continues to offer the highest concentration of media zones than that of any city. It punches above its weight in terms of advertising expenditure, coming second only to Saudi Arabia. This has, in part, been achieved by the presence of more than 2,000 major media companies and over 20,000 media knowledge workers from 129 nationalities.
Contacts
Zeba Ahmad
APCO Worldwide (JiWin Public Relations)
+9714 361 3590 (direct)
+9714 361 3333 (switchboard)
zahmad@apcoworldwide.com
Ashraf Abdullah
APCO Worldwide
+971 4 3692831
aabdullah@apcoworldwide.com
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