Dubai Press Club hosts panel discussion on regional film industry at Content Exhibition 2012

Titled 'Film industry in the region: can we return to the golden age?', the panel discussion was moderated by Santino Saguto, Partner at Deloitte and Leader for Telecommunications, Media, Technology(TMT) industries in the Middle East. The panelists included Jamal Al Sharif, Chairman, Dubai Film and TV Commission, Lebanese film director Zeina Sfeir from Lebanon, Mohammed Al Otaiba, Head of Imagination, Abu Dhabi, and Ben Kinely, Vice-President, Intigral.

The third edition of Content Exhibition opened today at the Dubai Convention and Exhibition Centre and will run until 28 November. Dubai Press Club is marking its participation at the event from its stand in Sheikh Saeed Hall 3.

Highlighting factors that contribute to the growth of the film industry, Jamal Al Sharif said: "During our experience in the production of the film 'Mission Impossible', we realized that Dubai needs to go a long way in broadening its resources in terms of expertise and equipment. We, therefore, need to redefine the local market and encourage university students to take up specialized education to fill this gap. We must engage them in major productions that come to Dubai to provide them with hands-on experience. It would also be useful to draw the involvement of native TV broadcasters in such production activities to further reduce our reliance on external expertise."

Zeina Sfeir added: "Egypt is the regional pioneer of the television and movie production industry in general, while Morocco has also undertaken some activity. More recently, we have seen the emergence of film makers from other countries in the Arab region such as Saudi Arabia and Jordan. A number of Arab films are increasingly being nominated at international film festivals. The Dubai International Film Festival, for instance, is thematically built around the Arab film landscape. As an Arab creator, I recognise the opportunity to produce movies for our audiences across the region."

Examining the primary challenges facing the film industry in the region, Mohammed Al Otaiba said: "We need to position the UAE as a hub of creativity by establishing a sustainable environment for the industry. Although our region is home to a number of talented people, we still face a lot of challenges and therefore need to tap better avenues for funding. We also need to look at ways for building a solid infrastructure for the entire industry value chain from the development of concept through to production and post-production. Furthermore, we need to establish educational institutes that provide in-depth training for local talent."

As part of its participation at Content Exhibition 2012, Dubai Press Club is show casing key projects related to content development such as the periodic report Arab Media Outlook, the annual Arab Journalism Awards and the Arab Media Forum.

The outcomes of the Arab Media Outlook 2011-2015 indicate that many markets worldwide are seeking to produce content locally for a native audience. The report also pointed out that high levels of content production could be considered a good indicator of the evolution of the media industry besides reflecting a commitment to cater to community preferences.

Organized by Index Conferences and Exhibitions, Content Exhibition 2012 has brought to gather experts and content creators from around 50 countries. The event provides niche opportunities for content generators, broadcasters, producers and distributors in the Middle East to evaluate, purchase, market, produce and finance programs.