Award-winning Kuwaiti filmmaker Walid Al Awadi and his production company, C Sky Pictures, have signed a three year development deal with Twofour54 Abu Dhabi. The venture, called C Sky Abu Dhabi, will develop and produce a number of Arabic TV and film projects.
This is a significant step for the TV and film industry. With a population of more than 340 million people bound by a common language, a youthful demographic where 60% are under the age of 25 and limited content in Arabic, the development of a vibrant media industry in the Middle East and North Africa region will increase opportunities for western media companies and Arabic producers.
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.”
Notes and media contacts
About Twofour54Twofour54 is an Abu Dhabi government initiative and an integral part of its 2030 plan, which seeks to diversify the Emirate’s economy and establish the Emirate as the cultural capital of the Middle East.
Twofour54′s vision is to establish a sustainable Arabic media and entertainment content creation industry in Abu Dhabi; a regional centre of excellence which is internationally renowned. The aim is to stimulate creative and professional partnerships in the television, radio, film, publishing, online, mobile, music, gaming and animation industries.
The company provides a collaborative and supportive ecosystem that will allow the establishment of a world-class media industry for the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. The focus is on developing Arabic media and entertainment content by Arabs and for the Arab audience.
Twofour54 delivers its advanced cohesive infrastructure through three key pillars: Twofour54 tadreeb (the training academy), Twofour54 ibtikar (innovation and support) and Twofour54 intaj (state-of-the-art production facilities) supported by business enabler Twofour54 tawasol (one-stop-shop).
Twofour54 has already attracted several of the region and world’s largest and most influential content creation companies, including CNN, BBC, Thomson Foundation, Rotana Studios, Financial Times, Abu Dhabi Media Company, imagenation, C Sky Pictures, Thomson Reuters Foundation, Flash, PyraMedia, Getmo Arabia, Experience Media Studios and Baynounah Media Company.
Each of these partners has recognised the vast opportunity that the Arab world represents for growth and has committed significant investment and resources to business initiatives that will be led out of Twofour54.
The name Twofour54 is taken from Abu Dhabi’s geographical coordinates, which are latitude 24 north, longitude 54 east. This name was chosen to symbolise Abu Dhabi’s strategic position within the Middle East, which makes it the ideal location for the centre of excellence for content creation in the Arab region.
C SKY PICTURESA new and ambitious production house based in Abu Dhabi which is supported byTwofour54 Abu Dhabi through a recently announced development deal (May 2011).
Founded in 2009, by award-winning filmmaker Walid Al Awadi, C Sky Pictures produces 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.
For more information please call:
Olivia Quinn
Hill & Knowlton
050 625 7260
