The Dubai Film and TV Commission, instituted earlier this year, launched its
website yesterday with details of its products and services intended to increase
local production and attract international players from the film and TV
sectors.
“The idea of creating the Commission was to introduce a proper framework to
control and manage local production and give local companies an edge,” explained
Jamal Al Sharif, chairman, Dubai Film and TV Commission.
The Commission requires international companies filming in Dubai to hire a
local production company. “We’re not stipulating percentages of local hires as
Dubai’s a free market, but we are actively encouraging local companies, even
universities to engage their students with film units as interns or
volunteers.”
In addition to simplifying the process of securing permits to film, the
Commission serves as a one-stop shop for international film crews and has also
regularised the private location fees that were earlier unregulated. “You want
to film at iconic Dubai landmarks? We’ve fixed the rate for all private
venues
[such as Burj Khalifa, Burj Al Arab, Arabian Ranches] at AED15,000 per
day (that is roughly Rs 2,25,000 per day) and we sort out the permissions,”
added Al Sharif.
Since MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE GHOST PROTOCOL, interest in Dubai as a location has
skyrocketed with several big-budget and blockbuster films from Bollywood, China
and South India and popular Arab TV dramas filming in the emirate, and although
Al Sharif is keen on bringing back “another MISSION:IMPOSSIBLE type film”, he
wants the Commission to help nurture Emirati film production as well.
“There’s no industry if we can’t help the local film-makers. The immediate
strategy is to help them meet with the right fund sources and introduce more
training and talent development programmes and of course, the goal of attracting
high-profile international projects is also to involve local crews and increase
opportunities for them,” he said.
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- Jameel Al Sharif, Chairman Dubai
Film and TV Commission
On the web
Log on to the Dubai Film and TV Commission website
on
dubaifilmcommission.ae
full article on: www.filmytown.com