Imagenation Abu Dhabi announced on Sunday that its first Emirati movie project will begin filming later this year.
The drama Sea Shadow, which will be developed, financed and produced by the company, will begin shooting in October/November.
It will be directed by acclaimed Emirati film director Nawaf Al-Janahi, and follows teens Mansour and Kaltham on a journey of self discovery that takes them from Ras al Khaimah to Abu Dhabi.
The announcement of the move comes just weeks after the launch of City of Life, the first feature film produced and set in Dubai, which made AED509,085 ($138,598) in its first four days after release.
Mohamed Khalaf Al Mazrouei, chairman of Imagenation Abu Dhabi, said: “Sea Shadow is a significant milestone in the evolution of the film industry in the UAE. This film signals our determination to help grow a generation of filmmakers whose work is of a quality and standard to appeal both to local and regional audiences, and which is powerful enough to resonate with discerning movie goers internationally.”
Edward Borgerding, CEO of Imagenation Abu Dhabi, added: “It’s our goal to be the media and entertainment group of choice in the Arab world. Films like Sea Shadow help us advance that ambition and also help us to nurture and attract the home-grown talent which are key to the future of the creative and media industry in the region.”
Imagenation Abu Dhabi said it has a number of international partnerships which have allowed it to bring best-in-class experience and expertise back to the UAE to both develop local content and work closely with local talent, sharing the skills of Hollywood and the international production community with the industry in the UAE.
