With an expected output of 650 hours of original multi-genre programming every year, the channel will contribute to the TV production value chain in Abu Dhabi, with production companies, content providers, freelancers and service providers expected to benefit. The channel will also provide career and talent development opportunities for young Arabs looking to enter the media industry.

“EMM’s existing digital audience will be drawn to the original and exciting offering from the distinctive new TV channel when we transmit across the Middle East & North Africa. Editorially, operationally and technically our TV programming will be distinctive, innovative, empowering and with high production values,” says EMM’s CEO, Nicholas Claxton.

The new channel will be produced and broadcast from the twofour54 facilities in Abu Dhabi. It will create a number of new jobs for the industry, initially with 20 technical and operational staff and as many as 30 creative production personnel. These numbers are expected to grow as output increases over the first five years.

The production facilities will also contribute to the training services provided by twofour54 by offering internships for young graduates and seminars and master-classes for thegrowing number of UAE National media studies students at colleges and universities throughout the UAE.

“twofour54’s commitment to make Abu Dhabi a regional media hub and centre of excellence for the Arabic media industry as a whole has been a major factor in our choice of deciding on Abu Dhabi & twofour54 as the home for our new TV channel,” added Claxton. “Furthermore, Abu Dhabi is increasingly being seen as a seriously strong and creative production base and as we share in their vision to make this a reality it made sense to establish our operations there and help make it the number one destination of choice.”

Commenting on the announcement, Wayne Borg, twofour54’s Deputy CEO & Chief Operating Officer, said, “This is a significant addition to the media ecosystem we are building at twofour54. Not only will EMM be creating and broadcasting engaging, contemporary Arabic content across multiple channels, but in doing so, they will add to the talent development and employment opportunities for young Arabs and, in particular, UAE Nationals. This is another step towards establishing a sustainable Arabic media industry in Abu Dhabi.”

EMM’s new TV Satellite Channel will be led by EMM’s CEO, Nicholas Claxton, who will spearhead the business as a whole, its strategy and its expansion plans. Nicholas Claxton has a wealth of broadcasting and digital experience. He is former MD of several UK based independent production companies and has worked with many of the world’s leading broadcasters including the BBC, ITV, Channel 4, Discovery, National Geographic , A&E Network, among several others. He is also an Emmy award-winning Producer/Director and holds several other international awards for a large variety of programming.

Meet our winners at the night of stars as well as watch interviews with our celebrity judges!

Jassem Al Jabbouri beat eleven other finalists who had been selected from entries from across the Middle East and North Africa. Jassem’s film was selected for its creativity, ingenuity and strong message and was a huge hit with the live crowd that gathered on Al Sahil Beach in Abu Dhabi for a night of great films hosted by Raya and Qusai from Arabs Got Talent. Walking the TROPFEST Arabia red carpet were Ahmed Helmy and Egyptian actress Mona Zaki along with the celebrity jury panel including; UAE filmmaker Nayla Al Khaja, Saudi filmmaker and actress Ahd, Saudi director Mamdouh Salem, Lebanese director Amin Dora; Egyptian producer and scriptwriter Mohammed Hefzy, Jordanian actor Eyad Nasser and TROPFEST Australia 2011 winner Damon Gameau.

Also walking the red carpet were Emirati filmmaker Abdulla Al Kaabi, actor and filmmaker Nawaf Al Janahi, poet and director Nujoom Al Ghanem, local poet Khaled Al Budoor, singer and performer Ruwaida Al Marouqi and Mohammed Al Otaiba, Head of Image Nation Abu Dhabi. The event was rounded off by performances from the cast members of Star Academy Arab World season eight.

Commenting on being crowned winner of TROPFEST Arabia 2011, Jassem Al Jabbour, said: "I'm so excited to win first place at the first ever TROPFEST Arabia.  This is the greatest achievement of my life and winning this will be a major step for my future career."

Commenting after the prize giving, John Polson, founder and director of TROPFEST, said: “What a great night, great films, great audience, great venue and great winner – I can’t wait for next year.”

As well as the prestige of winning the inaugural TROPFEST film festival, Jassem Al Jabbouri will receive US$12,500, a trip to LA to meet top film executives and a trip to Australia to be a judge at TROPFEST Australia 2012. In second place Lubna Saeed Al Amoodi from the UAE will win$7,500 and an internship with MBC, whilst Ahmed Ghazal from Egypt whose film won 3^rd place, will receive $5,000 and a colour grading of his short film at twofour54 intaj. The Best Actor award was won by Ali Salloum, and the Best Actress Award by Dana Dajani.

In its inaugural year, TROPFEST Arabia received short film submissions of exceptionally high standard from across MENA, reflecting the abundance of up-and-coming talent in the region. The twelve finalists were selected from more than a hundred entrants by John Polson, founder of TROPFEST and Ahmed Helmy, co-director of TROPFEST Arabia, based on their creativity and originality, with several filmmakers having never created a film before.

Powered by twofour54 and presented by MBC2, TROPFEST Arabia is part of Yasalam, Abu Dhabi’s city-wide celebrations throughout October and November. All short listed films will also be available online via TROPFEST website, YouTube and Facebook, giving some of the region’s rising talent an opportunity to showcase their creative work to the world.

For further details on the festival visit: www.tropfestarabia.com

Follow TROPFEST Arabia online at:

• http://www.facebook.com/TROPFEST.arabia
• http://twitter.com/TROPFESTarabia
• http://www.youtube.com/user/TROPFESTarabia

“Teta, Alf Marra” is inarguably the most successful and best travelled Arab documentary of the past year. It has received rave reviews by the world press and shown at sold out screenings in 28 cities to date- including Buenos Aires, New York, Rotterdam, and Mumbai.  It has won numerous international awards including Best Film at London International Documentary Festival and two Audience Awards for Best Documentary at the Doha Tribeca Film Festival and DOX BOX Film Fest. The film was also chosen to open Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art in Doha.

The 50-minute Arabic language film, with English subtitles, is a poetic insight into the life of Kaabour’s feisty Beiruti grandmother. The poignant and often playful documentary commemorates her many worlds before they are erased by the passage of time and her eventual death. 

Talking on the announcement, Mahmoud Kaabour, the founder of Veritas Films said: “It has been a thrill to tour the world for a full year and share this Arab story. But returning to the UAE for a theatrical release of the film is nothing less than the crowning jewel.”

“Family love is as integral to the UAE as it is to Arab culture, so I’m confident that local audiences will relate to the emotions in the film.  I hope that anyone who’s loved and cherished a grandmother will be charmed by what we have created,” he concluded.

“Teta, Alf Marra” will be released theatrically in Dubai from Oct 27th – Nov 9^th and in Abu Dhabi from Oct 27^th – Nov 5^th. The film is being distributed theatrically by Shooting Stars LLC. In Dubai, the film will be shown at The Picturehouse, Reel Cinemas at The Dubai Mall,  while in Abu Dhabi, the film will be shown at VOX Cinemas, Marina Mall.

The international sales agent of “Teta, Alf Marra” is Taskovski Films in London.

To view the film’s trailer please visit: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DpvOKewvlgs

For more information on the film, please follow Teta, Alf Marra on Facebook and on twitter @TetaAlfMarra.

The announcement comes with less than two months remaining for Arab filmmakers to submit a film to the inaugural Tropfest Arabia film festival, which will be staged in front of a live audience in Abu Dhabi on 4^th November 2011.

Joining Nayla Al Khaja on the judging panel are a number of celebrated actors, filmmakers and directors from across the Middle East, including: Saudi film maker and actress Ahd Kamel and the director Mamdouh Salem; Lebanese film maker and actress, Nadine Labaki; co-founder and director of Lebanese web series Shankaboot, Amin Dora; Egyptian producer and scriptwriter, Mohammed Hefzy and Tropfest Australia 2011 winner, Damon Gameau.

Commenting on the announcement, John Polson, founder of Tropfest said: “I could not be more excited about the fantastic line up for the inaugural Tropfest Arabia. Judging the festival will be some of the most celebrated and inspirational actors, directors and short filmmakers from across the region. Tropfest Arabia’s aim is to offer aspiring filmmakers a platform to showcase their films and this is why it is essential that we have the credibility of a team that completely understands the region’s film industry.”

Nayla Al Khaja is the first female film producer from the United Arab Emirates and the CEO of D-SEVEN Motion Pictures. In 2010, her script “MALAL” won the Best Script Award at the Gulf International Film Festival, and she also won first place in the Muhr Emirati category at the Dubai International Film Festival 2010. In 2007 Nayla won the award for Best Emirati Director in Dubai International Film Festival and was also listed as one of the most powerful 50 Arab Film by Good News Cinema magazine.

Ahmed Helmy is best known for his fast-paced wit and comedic acting and has been a major player in the Egyptian mainstream media since 1999, starring in films like “Omar 2000”; “Galteny Mogremen”; “Keda Reda”; “Asef Ala EL Ezaag” and Assal Eswed. His leading role in Egyptian cinema and popularity across the Middle East makes him the ideal co-director to support John Polson on the first ever Tropfest Arabia.

Tropfest Arabia aims to become one of the most influential and popular short film events on the region’s film circuit; helping to nurture the region’s growing film making community by taking a grass roots approach and supporting talent that might otherwise feel excluded from the region’s more established film festivals. The shortlisted films will be screened publicly in Abu Dhabi and will be available for online viewing, providing an excellent opportunity for the region’s talent to present their short films to the whole region.

One important element that the jury will be looking for in each of the submitted films is the Tropfest Signature Item (TSI), which for the opening year is ‘STAR’. The TSI was introduced to test the creativity of filmmakers by challenging them to reference it in their film, encouraging creativity and to also ensure that films are created specifically for Tropfest Arabia.

Aspiring film makers across the region can submit their entries to Tropfest Arabia until 22^nd September 2011. Judging will commence on 1^st October 2011, with the 12 short listed finalist films picked by a specialist jury announced on 16^th October 2011. These short listed films will then be premiered and screened at the Tropfest Arabia festival in Abu Dhabi.

To get further details on how to submit a film visit: www.tropfestarabia.com

Follow Tropfest Arabia online at:
http://www.facebook.com/tropfest.arabia
http://twitter.com/tropfestarabia
http://www.youtube.com/user/tropfestarabia

Speaking about the deal, Walid Al Awadi, Head of C Sky Pictures said, “This is a very exciting agreement which will add significantly to the amount of high quality, locally produced content for the Middle East and North Africa markets. We have very ambitious plans and will be offering audiences in the region superior quality, engaging content which looks to bridge the gap in cultural knowledge and understanding that exists between the Arab world and the western media productions.”

"Being at twofour54 means C Sky Abu Dhabi has access to the growing creative community as well as proximity to the support industry required to produce great content," added Al Awadi. “We expect to have a major impact on the region’s growing TV and film production industry and want to support and invest in the talent that clearly exists within the region.”

Commenting on behalf of twofour54, Wayne Borg, Deputy CEO and Chief Operating Officer, twofour54 said, “Walid Al Awadi and C Sky Pictures have established a reputation for delivering high quality, engaging content that resonates with regional audiences, which aligns with twofour54’s aims. Productions like Tora Bora add to our efforts to position Abu Dhabi as a regional centre for Arabic content and to highlight the regional opportunities that exist for international media companies.”

“This agreement also reinforces our commitment to support the Arabic creative and production community by providing job and talent development opportunities for Arabs from across the Middle East and North Africa.”

The workshops will commence with an introduction to Tropfest Arabia, which is the first short film festival of its kind in the region and will take place in Abu Dhabi in November 2011. One of the aims of Tropfest Arabia is to contribute to the development of the Arab film industry by providing an opportunity for the region’s filmmakers to bring their short films to the community.

The two hour workshop will be supported by well known local producer and director Nayla Al Khaja who will offer aspiring filmmakers a chance to learn more about the film industry with in-depth tutorial sessions on short filmmaking.

The workshops will outline the short filmmaking process and expose participants to past submissions. It will also give participants the opportunity to raise questions and gain further insight into the Tropfest Arabia festival and the role that short films are increasingly playing in the region’s growing media industry.

Tropfest Arabia aims to become one of the most influential and popular short film events on the region’s film calendar. One of Tropfest Arabia’s priorities is to help nurture the region’s growing film making community by taking a grass roots approach and supporting talent that might otherwise be excluded from the region’s film festivals.

In order to be eligible to submit a film to Tropfest Arabia, the film’s director must be a citizen of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region including Algeria, Bahrain , Djibouti, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Oman, Palestinian Territories, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Tunisia, UAE and Yemen. Entrants must conform to the religious, cultural and political sensitivities of the region and films must be appropriate for public screening in Abu Dhabi.

To register for Tropfest Arabia workshops or to get further details on how to submit a film visit: www.tropfestarabia.com.

Follow Tropfest Arabia online at:

http://www.facebook.com/tropfest.arabia

http://twitter.com/tropfestarabia

http://www.youtube.com/user/tropfestarabia

The workshops will commence with an introduction to Tropfest Arabia which is the first short film festival of its kind to take place in the region and will premiere in Abu Dhabi in November 2011. The aim of Tropfest Arabia is to contribute to the development of the Arab film industry by providing an opportunity for the region’s filmmakers to bring their short films to the community. The two hour workshops will be supported by well known local filmmaker Nawaf Al Janahi and twofour54 representatives, who will offer aspiring filmmakers a chance to learn more about the film industry with in-depth tutorial sessions on short filmmaking.

The workshops will outline the short filmmaking process and expose participants to past submissions. It will also give participants the opportunity to raise questions and gain further insight into the Tropfest Arabia festival and the role that short films are increasingly playing in the region’s burgeoning media industry.

Commenting on the Tropfest Arabia workshops, John Polson, founder of Tropfest said: “The film industry in the Middle East is developing rapidly. We are introducing Tropfest Arabia to the region to provide aspiring filmmakers a platform through which to showcase their films. These workshops are intended to provide filmmakers with the tools and knowledge required to develop their creative talents. I encourage all aspiring film makers not only to submit their films to Tropfest Arabia, but also to take advantage of this chance to develop their skills and learn more about the short film industry.”

Tropfest Arabia aims to become one of the most influential and popular short film events on the region’s film calendar. One of Tropfest Arabia’s priorities is to help nurture the region’s growing film making community by taking a grass roots approach and supporting talent that might otherwise be excluded from the region’s film festivals.

In order to be eligible to participate in the Tropfest Arabia workshops and  submit a  film entry, participants must be a citizen of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region including Algeria, Bahrain , Djibouti, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Oman, Palestinian Territories, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Tunisia, UAE and Yemen. Entrants must conform to the religious, cultural and political sensitivities of the region and films must be appropriate for public screening in Abu Dhabi.

To register for Tropfest Arabia workshops or to get further details on how to submit a film visit: www.tropfestarabia.com

The MoU was signed between Osman Sultan, CEO, du, and Tony Orsten, Chief Executive Officer, twofour54, in the presence of other senior officials from the two companies at twofour54’s premises in Abu Dhabi.

The MoU allows twofour54 to offer its partners flexibility through choice of telecom providers, with du’s significant experience in the media sector helping twofour54 and its partner companies improve their business communications efficiency and allowing them to focus on growing their business in the region.

In addition to the full suite of broadcast, mobile and fixed telecom services, du will also offer customized business solutions and dedicated account and project managers, coupled with its state of the art network.

du’s broadcast services are backed by Samacom, which is the leading regional teleport of satellite support services and currently serves more than 170 television stations throughout the Middle East and Asia. The teleport facility comprises satellite antennas that produce a wide global coverage, providing broadcasting services’ clients with an extensive household viewership footprint.

Osman Sultan, CEO, du said:”We are proud to announce this partnership with twofour54 as it reflects the trust they have in the broadcast and telecommunication services we offer. It is a significant moment for us in the run-up to the nationwide launch of our fixed services.”

“Our broadcast expertise, which is mission critical to many of the media companies at twofour54, is unparalleled in the region as our services are backed by Samacom, which is among the leading broadcast facilities worldwide,” he concluded.

Speaking on behalf of twofour54, Tony Orsten, Chief Executive Officer, said, “If we are to succeed in our goal of establishing Abu Dhabi as a regional centre of excellence for Arabic media industry, we need to provide the content creation community we are building with the very best in facilities and services. Providing flexibility and choice in the broadcast and telecommunications sector supports that goal and that is what this MoU with du brings to twofour54.”