Hollywood comes to the Middle East

Egypt has long led the way in the film making industry in the Middle East, with the highest number of Arabic movies filmed in the country. But things are beginning to change, as other Middle East countries show interest in developing their movie infrastructure for film making.

Experience shows that developing a movie doesn't have to be mission impossible, but selling tickets can be. And while we hear of new Arabic movies coming from Egypt, the situation is not the same in other Middle Eastern countries. Be it the resources, lack of ideas, or fear, the result is the same: the Arab film industry continues to be underdeveloped.

Sheila Whitaker, programmer for Cinema of the World and the Dubai International Film Festival (DIFF), thinks the infrastructure for film making is not well established in the Middle East, but she cites some serious efforts to build it now, as initiatives such as DIFF and the Dubai Studio City (DSC) in Dubailand establish themselves in the heart of the international industry.

Local talent

Studio City is Dubai's push to establish a film industry in the emirate and it is now creating resources as a first step towards establishing a well recognised film industry. The city will have the infrastructure for filming, radio production and broadcast.

DSC aims to attract production and broadcast companies, as well as those that provide support services, such as animation, dubbing, makeup, costume design, set design and construction, casting, telnet agencies, telecine (the process of transferring a film into electronic form, or the machine used in the process), and laboratory facilities.

However, developing infrastructure is not the only key to open the way for a Middle East Hollywood. Developing local talent and supporting good script-writers and directors is equally important and it's one side that needs much work currently.

This is a challenge the Middle East film industry as a whole is facing, and what makes it harder is the fact that there are currently not enough jobs in the industry to make professionals come and establish a base for the future generation.

'I think the challenges that any film industry faces in the world are the same. Get finance, infrastructure, a good story and a talented crew and then you will get a movie that will sell,' says Whitaker.

Academy Award winner

In the recent years, we've seen increasing interest in the region from international film-makers. 'Syriana', the Academy Award winning geopolitical movie, was shot between the UAE, US and Europe, and is one of George Clooney's most celebrated movies. And this year, Abu Dhabi provided the location for 'The Kingdom', another political thriller inspired by the bombings at a Riyadh compound in 2003.

Arab actors also played roles in international movies such as 'Kingdom of Heaven' and 'Syriana. To Whitaker, this is a sign of a global interest in the Arab region, which wasn't there 10 years ago. And therefore, this represents a chance for the Arab film-makers to speak for themselves and show the world what they have.

But a look at the movies that were partially filmed in the region, or even just had the region mentioned in them, suggest films here will be trapped in the political and terrorism genre, pushed into it by its instability.

'This is normal due to the overall situation prevailing here. Take Iraq and its complications or Lebanon or Iran for example. It's natural that people will want to make movies about it and show what's happening in these hot spots. And I think this happens to be the entrance to the region now, but eventually they will move on and start filming other things in the region as well,' argues Whitaker.

Hollywood invasion

Nonetheless, the advantages the region has are its weather and diversity, and this is driving people to it. Recently, we've seen two giants opening up to the United Arab Emirates and this might just be the starting point for the film-making industry.

One major step happened in Dubai, with Paramount pictures partnering with the Ruwaad real estate company to develop a multi-faceted destination which will include a Paramount-branded theme park. It will incorporate a blend of Hollywood, Bollywood and Arabian movie content. So far no details have been released on where this will be located or when it will be completed.

Another strategic partnership is between Warner Bros, Aldar, and Abu Dhabi Media Company in September. The three will establish a theme park, hotel and multiple cinemas in Abu Dhabi. It will have the facilities to make movies in the region.

Warner Bros considers it a great opportunity to expand its local language film production business to a new region. To this end, a film production fund was established between Aldar and Warner Bros to develop and produce mutually agreed-upon, broad-appeal films. Also, Warner Bros will work with Abu Dhabi Media Company to develop and produce a slate of Arabic-language films for local and pan-Arabic distribution.

And with the biggest production companies in Hollywood showing interest in making both international and Arab movies in one of the Middle Eastern countries, the region will not then take long before it opens to a new area of growth.