Image Nation International’s “The Help” and “Contagion”: Currently Number One and Two at the U.S. Box Office

Abu Dhabi, UAE, 14 September, 2011: Image Nation International, the division that oversees Image Nation’s international projects and partnerships, has co-produced the top two films at the US Box office: “Contagion” which opened this past weekend and is currently number one, and “The Help” which spent 25 days in the top spot and is currently number two.

Together, the films, co-produced through Image Nation’s partnership with Participant Media along with studio partners, have grossed a total of more than $150 million USD to date. “Contagion”, co-financed, produced and distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, was directed by Steven Soderbergh and stars Matt Damon, Kate Winslet, Jude Law and Gwyneth Paltrow in a physiological thriller focusing on the threat posed by an international deadly disease. “The Help”, co-financed and produced by DreamWorks Pictures and distributed by Disney is a book adaptation featuring Emma Stone and Viola Davis, telling the story of an aspiring writer who interviews African-American domestic workers who care for Southern families during the early days of the civil rights movement of the 1960s.

Mohammed Al Mubarak, Chairman of Image Nation explained, “We are proud of the strength of our international partnerships with companies such as Participant Media. Our international partnerships provide our young Emirati filmmakers with opportunities to work and learn their craft as we build the foundations of a film industry in the UAE.”

“The success of “Contagion” and “The Help” shows the quality of films produced through Image Nation’s international partnerships. The expertise we gain through these productions is critical to the success of our own Arabic film slate premiering this fall,” explained Michael Garin, Image Nation CEO. “We celebrate the success of these films and look forward to our forthcoming International releases including “The Double” with Richard Gere and “Ghost Rider—Spirit of Vengeance” starring Nicolas Cage.”

Image Nation will release its first locally produced film “Sea Shadow” this fall, followed by the release of the thriller “Djinn” in early 2012. “Contagion”, “The Double” and “The Help” are due to open in the UAE this fall.

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About Image Nation

Launched in 2008 as a subsidiary of the Abu Dhabi Media (ADM), Image Nation has rapidly become one of the world’s leading feature film producers, playing an instrumental role in the development of a film industry in the United Arab Emirates.

Image Nation develops, finances and produces Arabic and international features which offer fresh perspectives, have universal appeal and tell compelling stories that inspire, enlighten and entertain.

The company has formed strategic international partnerships to develop those stories with a range of high profile producers, including Participant Media, National Geographic Films, Hyde Park Entertainment, Parkes /Macdonald Productions, Warner Bros., and Singapore’s Media Development Authority (MDA). Together they are producing commercial films and content that opens a unique window to the Middle East, Africa and Asia. In addition, Imagenation Abu Dhabi partnered with Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment – co- financing video games.

Imagenation Abu Dhabi’s feature films include the Bollywood hit My Name is Khan, The Crazies, Shorts, Furry Vengeance, Peter Weir’s The Way Back, Doug Liman’s Fair Game, Jodie Foster’s The Beaver, box office hit The Help and their most recent release, Contagion, as well as a local slate of Emirati movies including supernatural horror thriller Djinn and coming of age story Sea Shadow.

For more information, please contact:

Georgia Thompson
Senior PR Executive, Communications – Abu Dhabi Media
Mob +971 50 641 2955
[email protected]