Filmmakers invited to apply for Red Sea Fund grants toward movie production

The Red Sea Fund has made a significant impact in the film world, supporting movies that have premiered and won awards at prestigious festivals such as Berlin and Cannes. (Red Sea Fund/File)
The Red Sea Fund has made a significant impact in the film world, supporting movies that have premiered and won awards at prestigious festivals such as Berlin and Cannes. (Red Sea Fund/File)
Short Url
Updated 06 June 2023
Follow

Filmmakers invited to apply for Red Sea Fund grants toward movie production

Filmmakers invited to apply for Red Sea Fund grants toward movie production
  • 3rd funding round offers financial backing to directors in Arab world, Africa

LONDON: Officials behind a fund offering grants to help toward the production of Arab and African films are inviting new applications for financial backing.

Red Sea Film Festival Foundation organizers announced on Tuesday the opening of a third round of Red Sea Fund support grants.

Running from June 6 until July 2, applications are being invited for flicks ready to go into production, with up to $500,000 per movie available for filmmakers.

Head of the fund, Emad Eskander, said: “We are truly impressed by the exceptional talent that aspiring and world-renowned filmmakers brought to the table in our second edition.”

The third round of funding will support projects from directors in Saudi Arabia, Africa, and throughout the Arab world, with the aim of helping launch a new generation of movie producers while supporting established filmmakers as they take their work from script to screen.

“It’s clear that the bar has been set high, but we have no doubt that the filmmakers are up for the challenge.

“Looking ahead to the third edition’s production cycle, we are confident that filmmakers will continue to push the boundaries of creativity and innovation,” Eskander added.

The Red Sea Fund has made a significant impact in the film world, supporting movies that have premiered and won awards at prestigious festivals such as Berlin and Cannes.


Live Nation Middle East makes global push to promote Arabic music

Live Nation Middle East makes global push to promote Arabic music
Updated 17 sec ago
Follow

Live Nation Middle East makes global push to promote Arabic music

Live Nation Middle East makes global push to promote Arabic music
  • Newly appointed Amin T. Kabban to lead team promoting international tours for Arabic artists
  • Company is committed to growing regional talents, exporting Arabic music worldwide, Live Nation Middle East president said

LONDON: Live Nation Middle East, the regional arm of the entertainment giant, is making a global push to promote Arabic music.

The company has appointed Amin T. Kabbani to lead a newly formed team that will focus on booking and promoting international tours for Arabic artists.

“Expanding our operations to include international touring for Arabic talent is a natural progression for Live Nation Middle East,” said James Craven, president of Live Nation Middle East.

“While focusing on established names, Live Nation Middle East is equally dedicated to nurturing up-and-coming regional talent.”

As part of its initiative, the entertainment powerhouse will host events at some of the region’s iconic venues, such as Etihad Arena.

Craven said Live Nation is committed to nurturing up-and-coming Arabic talent and raising the profile of Arabic music around the world.

Kabbani, an industry leader with 15 years of experience, said that he is “truly honored and excited to join the Live Nation Middle East team on this incredible journey of transforming the Arabic touring market.”

He added that this is a “remarkable opportunity to not only shape the future of live entertainment but also to celebrate the rich Arabic culture through unforgettable performances.”

Live Nation Middle East will kick off its global touring business in early 2024 with an 18-stop tour headlined by an iconic Arab artist.


Arab Cinema Week returns for second year

Arab Cinema Week returns for second year
Updated 44 min 57 sec ago
Follow

Arab Cinema Week returns for second year

Arab Cinema Week returns for second year
  • Held under the theme ‘Human Bonds,’ the festival will feature films reflecting key events that have affected the Arab world

DUBAI: The second Arab Cinema Week is returning this month to Dubai, UAE.

The inaugural event last year screened nine feature films and six short films — with 11 Arab countries and nine female directors represented.

This year the festival is being held under the theme ‘Human Bonds’ and aims to explore an individual’s connection to a particular society and the effect customs and traditions have on a person’s upbringing, identity and relationships.

The featured films reflect key events that have affected the Arab world — such as the unrest in Lebanon, the earthquake in Morocco and the upheaval in Sudan.

For example, the documentary “Heroic Bodies” explores the position women hold in Sudanese society, and in “My Lost Country,” filmmaker Ishtar Yasin Gutierrez retraces her father’s roots in Iraq, 20 years after the invasion of the country.

Beirut holds a special place in the selection, said Rabih El-Khoury, curator of this year’s festival.

The lineup includes three Beirut-based films: Wissam Charaf’s “Dirty, Difficult, Dangerous,” which tells the story of a Syrian refugee and an Ethiopian domestic worker falling in love in Beirut; Mohamed Soueid’s documentary “The Insomnia of a Serial Dreamer” and Borhane Alaouie’s celebrated feature “Beirut the Encounter,” which was shot during the Lebanese civil war.

Other films this year include “Under the Fig Trees,” “Life Suits Me Well” and “Alam.”

El-Khoury said: “Arab Cinema Week is both an exploration and a celebration of Arab cinema. In a program that invites the spectators to investigate human bonds, Cinema Akil is also fortifying its ties with its tremendous audience and filmgoers, a human bond that remains invaluable.”

The 10-day event will be held at Cinema Akil in collaboration with the UK’s Safar Film Festival from Oct. 6 to Oct. 15.


India police search journalists’ homes and offices in the country’s latest raids on media

India police search journalists’ homes and offices in the country’s latest raids on media
Updated 03 October 2023
Follow

India police search journalists’ homes and offices in the country’s latest raids on media

India police search journalists’ homes and offices in the country’s latest raids on media
  • Indian authorities raid NewsClick over allegations of illicit funding
  • India’s crackdown on journalists and media outlets has raised international concerns

NEW DELHI: Indian police raided the offices of a news website that’s under investigation for allegedly receiving funds from China, as well as the homes of several of its journalists, in what critics described as an attack on one of India’s few remaining independent news outlets.
The raids came months after Indian authorities searched the BBC’s New Delhi and Mumbai offices over accusations of tax evasion in February.
NewsClick, founded in 2009, is known as a rare Indian news outlets that is willing to criticize Prime Minister Narendra Modi. A number of other news organizations have been investigated for financial impropriety under Modi’s Hindu nationalist government, as international monitors warn that press freedom is eroding in India.
Indian authorities registered a case against the site and its journalists on Aug. 17, weeks after a New York Times report alleged that the website had received funds from an American millionaire who, the Times wrote, has funded the spread of “Chinese propaganda.” NewsClick has denied the charges.
The case was filed under a wide-ranging anti-terrorism law that allows charges for “anti-national activities” and has been used against activists, journalists and critics of Modi, some of whom have spent years in jail before going to trial. No one has been arrested in connection with NewsClick so far.
The Press Trust of India news agency cited unidentified officials as saying that investigators took data from the laptops and mobile phones of journalists, and that two journalists were detained.
At least two journalists whose houses were raided by Delhi police confirmed their devices were seized.
“Delhi police landed at my home. Taking away my laptop and phone,” journalist Abhisar Sharma wrote on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter.
Delhi police did not immediately respond for a comment, but India’s junior minister for information and broadcasting, Anurag Thakur, told reporters that “if anyone has committed anything wrong, search agencies are free to carry out investigations against them.”
In August, Thakur accused NewsClick of spreading an “anti-India agenda,” citing the New York Times, and of working with the opposition Indian National Congress party. Both NewsClick and the Congress party denied the accusations.
Reporters Without Borders, an advocacy group for journalists, ranked the country 161st in its press freedom rankings this year, writing that the situation in the country has deteriorated from “problematic” to “very bad.”
The Press Club of India said it was “deeply concerned about the multiple raids conducted on the houses of journalists and writers associated with NewsClick.”
“The PCI stand in solidarity with the journalists and demands the government to come out with details,” it wrote in a statement on X.
Ties between India and China have been strained since 2020, when clashes between the two militaries in a disputed border area killed at least 20 Indian troops and four Chinese soldiers. Since then, New Delhi has banned many Chinese-owned apps, including TikTok, and launched tax probes into some Chinese mobile phone companies.
The Modi administration has also introduced rules that require government approval for investments by companies from China and other countries that neighbor India.


Saudi’s Alamiya to acquire Lyra Pictures in cinema industry push

Saudi’s Alamiya to acquire Lyra Pictures in cinema industry push
Updated 02 October 2023
Follow

Saudi’s Alamiya to acquire Lyra Pictures in cinema industry push

Saudi’s Alamiya to acquire Lyra Pictures in cinema industry push
  • ‘Transformative’ deal goes beyond business, Alamiya CEO says
  • Acquisition represents a return to the film industry for Alamiya after 40 years

LONDON: Alamiya has announced the acquisition of Lyra Pictures in the latest expansion into the cinema and media industry by the Saudi entertainment company.

The newly formed partnership, which has been labeled as “transformative,” marks a significant step toward the development of film production in the region.

Sultan Al-Muheisen, chairman and CEO of Alamiya, said that the acquisition was more than just a business deal as it allowed Alamiya to combine its resources and long-standing expertise with Lyra Pictures’ innovative film development strategies.

“It is about setting a precedent in the regional and local film industry,” Al-Muheisen said.

“With Lyra Pictures under our wing, we combine traditional and modern film approaches to create something new and different.”

As part of the deal, Alamiya will seek to implement Lyra Pictures’s expertise in storytelling and data-driven insights “to deliver unprecedented cinematic experiences to audiences.”

Founded in the 1970’s, Alamiya was the first cinema and television studio to be established in the Kingdom to meet the needs of the growing population and economy.

Following a change of business direction due to the ban on cinema, the acquisition of Lyra Pictures by the iconic entertainment giant reflects Saudi Arabia’s growing entertainment industry.

The strategic acquisition indicates a desire by Alamiya to reestablish itself in the film industry and signifies not only a merger of businesses, but also a combination of expertise and vision.

The move is set to give rise to a film studio located in the heart of the Kingdom, supporting the attraction of local talent and IP, while also facilitating opportunities for international films to be produced in Saudi Arabia.

“Alamiya’s scale and reach, paired with our story-first approach, will create a synergy that promises to introduce innovative strategies to storytelling in the Middle East,” Wesam Kattan, co-founder of Lyra Pictures said.

“We’re excited about what the future holds.”


Arabsat launches new platform for global content delivery

Arabsat launches new platform for global content delivery
Updated 02 October 2023
Follow

Arabsat launches new platform for global content delivery

Arabsat launches new platform for global content delivery
  • ‘Contribution Platform’ will make it easier for TV channels to share content globally
  • Arabsat also partnered with TVU Networks and Zixi to improve content distribution

LONDON: Arab Satellite Communications Organization, or Arabsat, has launched a new platform to make it easier for TV channels to share their content with people all over the world.

The platform, called the Contribution Platform, is compatible with all video formats and networks, meaning that TV channels and groups of channels can use it to broadcast from their studios to anywhere in the world.

In a statement, the Riyadh-based satellite services provider said the newly launched platform is poised to “revolutionize the broadcasting landscape” thanks to its greater compatibility, which enables “stakeholders to overcome traditional barriers and bring their content to global audiences seamlessly.”

Al-Hamedi Al-Anezi, CEO of Arabsat, said: “The launch of the new service is in line with our steadfast commitment to delivering cutting-edge technology to our customers.”

Arabsat also announced two new partnerships with American cloud-based workflow solutions provider TVU Networks, and Zixi, a company that focuses on live broadcast-quality video delivery over IP networks.

These partnerships will help Arabsat to provide its customers with a “seamless and high-quality content distribution experience.”

Al-Anezi added: “Our partnerships with TVU Networks and Zixi will enable us to utilize their cutting-edge solutions to improve the features of our platform.”