Abu Dhabi launches regional multi-media center
ABU DHABI (Reuters) - The United Arab Emirates has launched a regional multimedia center to train, develop and promote Arab talent in journalism, broadcasting, film-making and publishing.
Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates, has been seeking to turn itself into an industrial, financial and cultural hub to rival and complement other Arab and Western capitals.
"This is an unprecedented step that will see home-grown content available to the rest of the world," Khaldoun al-Mubarak, chairman of the Abu Dhabi Media Zone, said at the launch on Sunday of the "twofour54," attended by Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahayan as well as editors and executives of global media companies.
"It is a major milestone in Abu Dhabi's development and an important step in the ongoing diversification of the Emirates."
Twofour54 has so far attracted global media and production companies, including CNN, BBC, the Financial Times, Thomson Reuters Foundation, Thomson Foundation, Random House, Harper Collins, Rotana Studios and C Sky pictures.
"With twofour54 we are launching a major initiative that will encourage, stimulate and support Arabic content creation by Arabs in the Arab world, embracing films, television and music through to animation, digital media and art," said Tony Ortsen, CEO of twofour54.
The government-sponsored company, built on a 200,000-square-meter waterfront site, is due to open in 2009. It will house studios, production and training facilities and provide funding for new media businesses.
The founders said the aim of the project was also to attract Arab talent from the West by creating the right infrastructure.
"It was time to come back home as a film-maker. We now have good infrastructure. We can inspire and motivate other film-makers. We bring knowledge from the West to the Arab world and can tell the many stories of the Arab world," said Walid al Awadi, CEO of C Sky pictures.
Abu Dhabi, the capital of the world's fifth-largest oil exporter, has over the past decade poured money into its fast-growing economy, launching multi-billion real estate and finance projects. But it recently began targeting a share in the media industry.
One of the main tasks of the media zone will be to provide training for young Arab media graduates and hone the skills of professionals.
"We hope to create a center of excellence to provide training for Arab journalists in fields that have not been touched in this region before such as multimedia said Monique Villa, CEO of the Thomson Reuters Foundation.
"We will focus on their needs by putting our expertise and high standards at the service of journalists in the region."
