Arab Cinema LAB Reveals Details on Its Programme at the 13th Dubai International Film Festival (DIFF)

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With the Participation of Key Names in the Arab and International Film Industry

Arab Cinema LAB Reveals Details on Its Programme at the 13th Dubai International Film Festival (DIFF)


The Arab Cinema Center (ACC) has revealed the programme of the Arab Cinema LAB held within the Dubai Film Market (DFM) at the 13th Dubai International Film Festival (DIFF) on Monday,
December 12, from 10:00 am till 1:00 pm at the festival's headquarters, the Arena Theatre in Madinat Jumeirah. The LAB brings together a select group of filmmakers, creative producers, funders, distributors and broadcasters with a mission to open new paths to production for the most promising Arab storytellers by showcasing their upcoming work and laying the groundwork for a more robust investment culture.

The Arab Cinema LAB guest speakers (in alphabetical order): Alaa Karkouti, Co-Founder and Managing Partner of MAD Solutions, Frank Albers, Film Prize Program Officer at Robert Bosch Stiftung Foundation, George David, Managing Director of Royal Film Commission - Jordan, Gianluca Chakra, Managing Director of Front Row Filmed Entertainment, Jacques Kruger, General Manager of VOX Cinemas, Mohamed Hefzy, Founder and General Manager of Film Clinic, and Vincenzo Bugno, Manager of the World Cinema Fund Project.

A highly curated, invitation-only extension of the Arab Cinema Center(ACC), the inaugural LAB will feature exclusive footage from a selection of the most highly anticipated Arab film projects that are currently in various stages of development and production. These are the productions that will be the talk of the Arab cinema world next year once they are unveiled as completed films on the international festival circuit and in movie-houses throughout 2017 and beyond.

The film projects that will be screened at the LAB (in alphabetical order): the feature Adham Sabry (Egypt), the documentary Amal by director Mohamed Siam (Germany, Egypt, Lebanon, France), the feature Kiss Me Not by director Ahmed Amer (Egypt), the animation Manivelle - Last Days of the Man of Tomorrow by director Fadi Baki (Germany, Lebanon), the feature Sheikh Jackson by director
Amr Salama (Egypt), the feature SHOOT by director Aymen Khouja (Saudi Arabia, USA), the feature The Journey by director Mohamed Al-Daraji (Iraq), and the feature Writing on Snow by director
Rashid Masharawi (Palestine, Tunisia).

Interspersed among these sneak previews will be a stimulating programme of brisk keynote presentations from leading industry figures that will be focused on building and fast-tracking a sustainable, self-sufficient ecosystem for Arab filmmakers.

Moderated by Colin Brown, Managing Partner and Director of International Operations at MAD Solutions, and the latest activity of the Arab Cinema Center(ACC), the LAB is a first-of-its-kind film financing incubator for accelerating the new film projects and new business ideas that will drive the Arab film industry forward over the coming year.

Arab Cinema Center (ACC) is operating as an international promotional platform for Arab cinema as it provides Arab filmmakers with a professional window to connect with filmmakers from all over the world through a number of events that it organizes and provides networking opportunities with representatives of companies and institutions specialized in co-production and international distribution, among others.