Canon Middle East and D-Seven Motion Pictures have announced a new partnership aimed at supporting would-be film makers in making their first steps in the UAE.
Canon has also named D-Seven boss Nayla Al Khaja as its Middle East brand ambassador, and she will now be the regional figurehead for both the Canon camera brand, and the BLOOM! Cine Startups initiative.
The new initiative will provide support to first-time film makers from assistance with permits, fund raising and script doctoring, through to making available three Canon D5 cameras, a pool of freelance professionals and D-Seven’s post production facilities, all at dramatic reductions or completely free-of charge.
Khaja explained at the launch that the first film made under the programme, a documentary about holy water shot across five countries, which was made prior to the announcement as a tester, was delivered for just AED 200,000, where market price would have been closer to AED 1million. She said: “BLOOM! Cine Startups will definitely deliver a tremendous boost towards the development of independent film making in the UAE and the Arab world.”
Canon MD Anurag Agrawal , added: “Canon is excited to partner with Nayla to develop young talent in the Middle East and offer them an opportunity to benefit from the technological brilliance of Canon’s DSLR cameras.
Nayla was an obvious choice for us as brand ambassador. She is an iconic figure who shares Canon’s passion for quality and innovation.”
The programme is open to all nationalities and ages, with the only proviso being that there must be a local angle of some description. More detailed criteria can be found at www.d-seven.com.
