The newly instituted Dubai Film and TV Commission, established under the directives of His Highness Sheikh Hamdan Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of Dubai Executive Council, today held its inaugural board meeting. Confirmed board members alongside key stakeholders from the film production value chain in the public and private sector attended the session.
Headed by Jamal Al Sharif, Chairman of Dubai Film and TV Commission, the discussion focused on the commission’s mandate to increase local production and attract international players from both the film and TV sectors. The commission also identified processes to decrease the cost of media production to enhance Dubai’s attractiveness to regional and international production companies and film studios. Additionally, the board members identified a core priority to develop an incentive scheme that fosters local talent.
Jamal Al Sharif said: “Dubai’s strategic approach to investment in the media industry has established the city as the regional trailblazer. This approach has benefitted both Dubai and the UAE at large.
“With the film industry in Dubai and the UAE on the threshold of tremendous growth, the commission will deliver a much-needed boost to the landscape. Furthermore, the timely decision to establish this body will offer both regional and international filmmakers an enabling platform to film in Dubai, which will in turn drive the growth of the local film and television industry.”
Board members represented at the first meeting of the Dubai Film and TV Commission included: Adel Omar, Executive Director – Public Relations Special Projects, Dubai Media Office; Lieutenant Colonel Khabeer Mohammed Essa Al Adab – Dubai Police; Eyad Abdul Rahman, Executive Director – Media Relations and Business Development Department, Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing; Hamad Al Abdooli, Promotion Investment Manager – Foreign Direct Investment Department, Department of Economic Development; Shivani Pandya, Managing Director- Dubai International Film Festival (DIFF); Samer Al Marzooqi, Manager – Dubai Film Market, DIFF; Boutros Boutros, Divisional Senior Vice-President Corporate Communications, Emirates Airlines; and Marwan Al Ali, Senior Vice-President – Operations, Middle East, Africa and South Asia, Jumeirah Group.
The Dubai Film and TV Commission has been founded on the ethos that the film and TV industry has a high multiplier effect on the macro economy, impacting the tourism, transportation, storage, financial services and construction sectors and ultimately contributing to an increase in the overall GDP of the UAE.
