Qatar's ministers warns of indecent channels

‘Indecent TV channels threat to GCC’

DOHA, Nov 3, (KUNA): Secretary General of Qatar’s Supreme Council for Family Affairs (SCFA) Abdullah bin Nasser Al-Khalifa said in Doha on Sunday that the indecent materials aired by some satellite TV channels undermined the ethical systems of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states. Addressing the opening session of the international forum of “Satellite TV Channels and Their Impact on the Youth in Gulf States,” Al-Khalifa said the boom and the advanced technologies of satellite channels attract growing numbers of young viewers and impact their morality badly. “The improper products of the entertainment industry aired by such channels pose grave risks to the moral and ethical systems of the Gulf countries,” he underscored. Al-Khalifa accused the companies working in the entertainment sector profiteering as they “seek material gains regardless of any moral considerations.” In statements to the press on the sidelines of the forum, Qatari Minister of Culture Dr Hamad bin Abdul-Aziz Al-Kawari highlighted the role of families in minimizing the impact of improper TV material on the young generation. “Such negative social impact also affects grown-ups,” the minister warned. “New satellite TV channels are emerging every now and then without having a specific aim or positive message,” he noted, asserting the importance of the current forum in controlling the this dangerous phenomenon. For his part, GCC Secretary General Abdul-Rahman Al-Atiyyah urged offering all possible support to the TV channels that provide useful material and programs. “We are in need of TV programs that could direct youths to useful values and noble targets,” the GCC chief underscored. He voiced hope that the forum would yield results conducive to combat the negative impacts of offensive channels, calling on the participants to develop common stances and crystallize a common GCC media strategy. Meanwhile, legal experts, taking part in the forum, suggested international legislation to protect societies against indecent materials of TVs. Secretary General of the Kuwaiti National Anti-Narcotics Commission Dr Ahmad Dha’en Al-Samdan said in a paper tabled to the forum such legislations should serve as a media code of conduct in organizing the operation of satellite TV channels. The Arab world faces the danger of losing its identity amidst the current global revolution of information technology, he warned. The Arab world, which is involved in this revolution wily-nilly, has to cope with the revolution through modern legislation and toughened controls, Al-Samdan underlined. He outlined some suggestions on protection of young generation against the psychological impacts of globalization and negative impact of IT. In a similar paper to the forum Justice of Lebanon’s Juvenile Court and Member of Child Care Association Ghassan Rabah highlighted the role of TVs in spreading juvenile delinquencies. He held mass media, specially the TVs, responsible for the cultural and moral degeneration in the Arab world. For his part, Director of North Africa Studies Center of Cambridge University Dr Saad Jabbar pointed out in his paper that many of the offensive TV channels were broadcasting from Arab countries or financed by Arabs. The Arab region is in need of a penal code that incriminates all infringements on public order and ethics, he asserted. Liberalism and the freedom of the press have not to go counter to ethics or infringe on the morality of the young generation, he said, urging tackling the legal, political, cultural aspects of the problem in an objective way. Dr Patrick Truman, a US legal expert, noted that some TV programs promoted violence, hostility, sex and fierceness among teenagers. He urged for more efforts by governments and parents to control the obscene and offensive broadcasts and minimize their impacts on the young generation. Dr Mohammad Lutfi, professor of law at Bani-Suef University, Egypt, deemed the sponsorship of families as the most effective way for controlling “the flood of broadcasts.”  “Globalization has no mercy on the cultural identity of any community. To the contrary it works against the cultural diversification of world,” Lutfi pointed out. The two-day forum, being held under patronage of Sheikha Mozah Bint-Nasser Al-Missned, wife of Qatari Amir and SCFA Chairperson, seeks to develop a media strategy at the Gulf states-level, raise awareness among the youth and parents about the dangers of some satellite TVs, and highlight the ethical challenges posed by the new wave of the satellite TVs during the last few years. http://www.arabtimesonline.com/client/pagesdetails.asp?nid=24360&ccid=9

Gulf Film Industry

Middle East film industry faces triple expansion challenge

by Alexandra Dubsky on Sunday, 24 December 2006

 

the recent success of the Dubai International Film Festival (DIFF), the local film industry faces three major challenges if it is to expand, according to Fadi Fahim, managing director and executive producer of Final Cut Productions. “It needs to attract more professionals, increase access to production funding and develop local talent," he said.

“Filmmaking needs an entire crew with runners and assistants besides directors and producers. Those crew members usually work on a freelance basis, so in order for them to move to Dubai — an increasingly expensive city — they need to be sure that they can generate a certain amount of jobs every month.

The industry is however not big enough to grant that at present,” Fahim told Arabian Business on the sidelines of DIFF.

 “There is currently a South African and a Lebanese crew based in Dubai but they are not particularly good and are always booked,” Fahim added. “I estimate it will take another few years before the industry is fully established.” 

Fahim, who produced the film ‘Al Seefara Fil Eemara’ (Arabic for the 'Embassy in the building') last year — a film about an Egyptian worker in Dubai — explained that funding feature films is not an easy task in the UAE: “What usually happens when you produce a feature film is that the respective government of the country co-produces the movie with you.

“They are then also involved in the distribution and normally re-invest the profits to support the local industry, for example, by funding new films or film schools. However, when I produced my film last year, the UAE government did not do this.”

Fahim argued that the authorities need to support the local talent pool more in order to expand the Dubai film industry. “The young locals are very motivated, and three awards were presented for local films at the festival. It’s great that talent is starting to be recognised but I think Dubai needs a more established art scene for filmmaking to progress," Fahim said.

“Filmmaking is an art that descends from other fine arts like painting and photography. I think authorities should set up a film school with a veteran director and producer to assist newcomers, and they could stage short film competitions,” he added.

Fahim believes that Dubai has the potential to become a favoured destination for international filmmakers. “There are many advantages to shooting here — Dubai has sunny weather, the desert, authentic Arabic locations but also modern buildings that resemble Western landscapes. At the present there are no studios, but once Dubai Studio City opens filmmakers will be able to shoot an entire feature film exclusively in Dubai.”

With the Middle East’s current affairs being a heated topic in the US, Fahim believes that Dubai is becoming increasingly attractive for foreign movie backdrops such as the successful ‘Syriana’ released earlier this year. “When US filmmakers want to shoot in the Arab world they realistically have the choice between Morocco and Dubai in terms of a stable political environment, suitable locations, modern equipment and a decent crew.

“Dubai is more expensive, but has more diverse locations to offer so I would imagine that Dubai will take the lead in attracting international productions,” predicted Fahim.

The annual DIFF event launched in 2005 and Fahim said that this year's festival was an “immense improvement” on last year’s inaugural festival. “The festivals are growing quickly and DIFF’s chairman Abdulhamid Juma is very sharp and PR oriented. He will surely help to promote the local film industry.”

DIFF managing director Shiwani Pandya explained that this year’s festival was successful in putting Dubai’s film scene on the international map. “We had a lot of response from regional and global film makers who were all keen on attending the festival, especially from the US.”

Pandya, however, agreed with Fahim that film funding is a common problem for UAE producers.

“We are aware of the financial challenges of producing feature films in Dubai, so we are making an effort to get governmental organisations to offer more support. We should have a body set up to provide film funding by next year.”

 

 

http://www.arabianbusiness.com/5245

Middle East Film Industry

Hollywood comes to the Middle East

With stars such as George Clooney and Sharon Stone gracing the red carpet at the Dubai International Film Festival this week, it has put the spotlight on the movie business in the Middle East.

·                     Middle East: Wednesday, December 12 - 2007 at 12:59

Egypt has long led the way in the film making industry in the Middle East, with the highest number of Arabic movies filmed in the country. But things are beginning to change, as other Middle East countries show interest in developing their movie infrastructure for film making. 

Experience shows that developing a movie doesn't have to be mission impossible, but selling tickets can be. And while we hear of new Arabic movies coming from Egypt, the situation is not the same in other Middle Eastern countries. Be it the resources, lack of ideas, or fear, the result is the same: the Arab film industry continues to be underdeveloped. 

Sheila Whitaker, programmer for Cinema of the World and the Dubai International Film Festival (DIFF), thinks the infrastructure for film making is not well established in the Middle East, but she cites some serious efforts to build it now, as initiatives such as DIFF and the Dubai Studio City (DSC) in Dubailand establish themselves in the heart of the international industry. 

Local talent

Studio City is Dubai's push to establish a film industry in the emirate and it is now creating resources as a first step towards establishing a well recognised film industry. The city will have the infrastructure for filming, radio production and broadcast. 

DSC aims to attract production and broadcast companies, as well as those that provide support services, such as animation, dubbing, makeup, costume design, set design and construction, casting, telnet agencies, telecine (the process of transferring a film into electronic form, or the machine used in the process), and laboratory facilities. 

However, developing infrastructure is not the only key to open the way for a Middle East Hollywood. Developing local talent and supporting good script-writers and directors is equally important and it's one side that needs much work currently. 

This is a challenge the Middle East film industry as a whole is facing, and what makes it harder is the fact that there are currently not enough jobs in the industry to make professionals come and establish a base for the future generation. 

'I think the challenges that any film industry faces in the world are the same. Get finance, infrastructure, a good story and a talented crew and then you will get a movie that will sell,' says Whitaker. 

Academy Award winner

In the recent years, we've seen increasing interest in the region from international film-makers. 'Syriana', the Academy Award winning geopolitical movie, was shot between the UAE, US and Europe, and is one of George Clooney's most celebrated movies. And this year, Abu Dhabi provided the location for 'The Kingdom', another political thriller inspired by the bombings at a Riyadh compound in 2003. 

Arab actors also played roles in international movies such as 'Kingdom of Heaven' and 'Syriana. To Whitaker, this is a sign of a global interest in the Arab region, which wasn't there 10 years ago. And therefore, this represents a chance for the Arab film-makers to speak for themselves and show the world what they have. 

But a look at the movies that were partially filmed in the region, or even just had the region mentioned in them, suggest films here will be trapped in the political and terrorism genre, pushed into it by its instability. 

'This is normal due to the overall situation prevailing here. Take Iraq and its complications or Lebanon or Iran for example. It's natural that people will want to make movies about it and show what's happening in these hot spots. And I think this happens to be the entrance to the region now, but eventually they will move on and start filming other things in the region as well,' argues Whitaker. 

Hollywood invasion

Nonetheless, the advantages the region has are its weather and diversity, and this is driving people to it. Recently, we've seen two giants opening up to the United Arab Emirates and this might just be the starting point for the film-making industry. 

One major step happened in Dubai, with Paramount pictures partnering with the Ruwaad real estate company to develop a multi-faceted destination which will include a Paramount-branded theme park. It will incorporate a blend of Hollywood, Bollywood and Arabian movie content. So far no details have been released on where this will be located or when it will be completed. 

Another strategic partnership is between Warner Bros, Aldar, and Abu Dhabi Media Company in September. The three will establish a theme park, hotel and multiple cinemas in Abu Dhabi. It will have the facilities to make movies in the region. 

Warner Bros considers it a great opportunity to expand its local language film production business to a new region. To this end, a film production fund was established between Aldar and Warner Bros to develop and produce mutually agreed-upon, broad-appeal films. Also, Warner Bros will work with Abu Dhabi Media Company to develop and produce a slate of Arabic-language films for local and pan-Arabic distribution. 

And with the biggest production companies in Hollywood showing interest in making both international and Arab movies in one of the Middle Eastern countries, the region will not then take long before it opens to a new area of growth.

 

http://www.ameinfo.com/141679.html