Pioneering Emirati filmmaker Ali Mostafa ("From A To B") is reteaming with Image Nation Abu Dhabi on his next feature, "The Worthy," which will go into production later this year.
The "From A to B" director will be joined by Hollywood veterans Peter Safran ("The Conjuring," "Annabelle") and Steven Schneider ("Paranormal Activity," "Insidious") who have come on board to produce the project with Mostafa’s regional producer Rami Yasin ( Sea Shadow," "From A to B").
"The Worthy" is set in a dystopian future which has been plunged into chaos due to a chronic water shortage. The story follows a small group of survivors seeking refuge with the only clean remaining water source in the area. When two visitors infiltrate their compound, they soon become pawns in a test for survival, where only one of them shall be chosen worthy.
Ali Mostafa was joined by producer Rami Yasin and Image Nation’s head of narrative, Ben Ross in Cannes to make the announcement.
Mostafa said: “As the first action/thriller I’m directing, 'The Worth' is a new adventure for me. My producers, Peter and Steven, have produced some of the best genre movies ever made with critical and commercial hits such as 'The Conjuring' and 'Paranormal Activity.' They are really at the top of their game right now and their expertise will be invaluable on The Worthy so I’m excited to be working with them and with Image Nation again on 'The Worthy.'”
Producer Peter Safan said: “The film industry in Abu Dhabi is at an extremely exciting time in its development, I am looking forward to playing a small part in its growth by working on this fantastic film.”
Steven Schneider said about joining the project as a producer: “Image Nation is a pioneering force in the UAE community and Ali Mostafa is such a unique talent. I think we have an amazing team working on this project and I’m grateful to be a part of it.”
The announcement comes on the heels of Mostafa’s last film "From A to B," co-produced by twofour54 and Image Nation, topping iTunes charts across the Middle East. The hit comedy drama is set to be released theatrically in the UK and Italy this year.
Mohamed Al Mubarak, Chairman of Image Nation, said of the upcoming project: “We’re so happy to be working with Ali Mostafa again on this exciting new genre film. He is a true talent and shares our vision for growing the local and regional film industry.”
Michael Garin, CEO of Image Nation said: “Image Nation Abu Dhabi is able to create projects like this due to our unique ability to team Hollywood expertise with local talent.”
Image Nation has been ramping up its film and TV production output over the last year and recently wrapped its next feature film from first time feature Emirati director, Majid Al Ansari. "Zinzana" is set to release in the UAE this fall. The news follows the recent announcement that The Media Zone Authority is set to focus on new initiatives to further support local and Arab films and filmmakers.
Michael added: “This announcement comes at an exciting time as we prepare to enter a new era of filmmaking in the UAE and the region. To be announcing two huge productions with Emirati directors in such a short period of time is an incredible step and is reflective of how we are continuing to grow rapidly as a local industry.”
Earlier this week, Image Nation announced they will be fully financing James Ponsoldt’s upcoming feature adaptation of Dave Eggers’ contemporary thriller "The Circle" starring Tom Hanks and Alicia Vikander. The film will be presented by Image Nation in association with Parkes MacDonald Productions. The film is being produced by Hanks and Goetzman for Playtone, Anthony Bregman for Likely Story, and Ponsoldt.
Image Nation’s documentary slate includes the high-profile feature documentary "He Named Me Malala," directed by Oscar-winning filmmaker Davis Guggenheim ("An Inconvenient Truth") and co-produced by Participant Media. Fox Searchlight will open the film in the U.S. on October 2. And directed by award-winning filmmaker Tom Roberts, "Every Last Child" follows the lives of five people caught up in the current Polio crisis in Pakistan. Zeitgeist Films releases "Every Last Child" in the U.S. from June 3, and the film recently screened as part of the Special Presentations lineup at the Hot Docs international documentary festival in Canada.
The "From A to B" director will be joined by Hollywood veterans Peter Safran ("The Conjuring," "Annabelle") and Steven Schneider ("Paranormal Activity," "Insidious") who have come on board to produce the project with Mostafa’s regional producer Rami Yasin ( Sea Shadow," "From A to B").
"The Worthy" is set in a dystopian future which has been plunged into chaos due to a chronic water shortage. The story follows a small group of survivors seeking refuge with the only clean remaining water source in the area. When two visitors infiltrate their compound, they soon become pawns in a test for survival, where only one of them shall be chosen worthy.
Ali Mostafa was joined by producer Rami Yasin and Image Nation’s head of narrative, Ben Ross in Cannes to make the announcement.
Mostafa said: “As the first action/thriller I’m directing, 'The Worth' is a new adventure for me. My producers, Peter and Steven, have produced some of the best genre movies ever made with critical and commercial hits such as 'The Conjuring' and 'Paranormal Activity.' They are really at the top of their game right now and their expertise will be invaluable on The Worthy so I’m excited to be working with them and with Image Nation again on 'The Worthy.'”
Producer Peter Safan said: “The film industry in Abu Dhabi is at an extremely exciting time in its development, I am looking forward to playing a small part in its growth by working on this fantastic film.”
Steven Schneider said about joining the project as a producer: “Image Nation is a pioneering force in the UAE community and Ali Mostafa is such a unique talent. I think we have an amazing team working on this project and I’m grateful to be a part of it.”
The announcement comes on the heels of Mostafa’s last film "From A to B," co-produced by twofour54 and Image Nation, topping iTunes charts across the Middle East. The hit comedy drama is set to be released theatrically in the UK and Italy this year.
Mohamed Al Mubarak, Chairman of Image Nation, said of the upcoming project: “We’re so happy to be working with Ali Mostafa again on this exciting new genre film. He is a true talent and shares our vision for growing the local and regional film industry.”
Michael Garin, CEO of Image Nation said: “Image Nation Abu Dhabi is able to create projects like this due to our unique ability to team Hollywood expertise with local talent.”
Image Nation has been ramping up its film and TV production output over the last year and recently wrapped its next feature film from first time feature Emirati director, Majid Al Ansari. "Zinzana" is set to release in the UAE this fall. The news follows the recent announcement that The Media Zone Authority is set to focus on new initiatives to further support local and Arab films and filmmakers.
Michael added: “This announcement comes at an exciting time as we prepare to enter a new era of filmmaking in the UAE and the region. To be announcing two huge productions with Emirati directors in such a short period of time is an incredible step and is reflective of how we are continuing to grow rapidly as a local industry.”
Earlier this week, Image Nation announced they will be fully financing James Ponsoldt’s upcoming feature adaptation of Dave Eggers’ contemporary thriller "The Circle" starring Tom Hanks and Alicia Vikander. The film will be presented by Image Nation in association with Parkes MacDonald Productions. The film is being produced by Hanks and Goetzman for Playtone, Anthony Bregman for Likely Story, and Ponsoldt.
Image Nation’s documentary slate includes the high-profile feature documentary "He Named Me Malala," directed by Oscar-winning filmmaker Davis Guggenheim ("An Inconvenient Truth") and co-produced by Participant Media. Fox Searchlight will open the film in the U.S. on October 2. And directed by award-winning filmmaker Tom Roberts, "Every Last Child" follows the lives of five people caught up in the current Polio crisis in Pakistan. Zeitgeist Films releases "Every Last Child" in the U.S. from June 3, and the film recently screened as part of the Special Presentations lineup at the Hot Docs international documentary festival in Canada.
- 5/21/2015
- by Sydney Levine
- Sydney's Buzz
Mostafa teaming with Image Nation and Us producers Peter Safran and Steven Schneider.
Image Nation Abu Dhabi and Us producers Peter Safran and Steven Schneider have boarded Emirati filmmaker Ali Mostafa’s next feature The Worthy.
Set in a dystopian future plunged into chaos by a chronic water shortage, the story follows a group of survivors seeking refuge near a rare remaining clean water source
When two visitors infiltrate their compound, they soon become pawns in a test for survival, where only one of them shall be chosen as worthy.
It is a first action thriller for Mostafa whose last film was the tragi-comic Middle East road movie From to A to B.
“The Worthy is a new adventure for me. Peter and Steven, have produced some of the best genre movies ever made with critical and commercial hits such as The Conjuring and Paranormal Activity,” said Mostafa who was in Cannes on Friday (May 15) to promote...
Image Nation Abu Dhabi and Us producers Peter Safran and Steven Schneider have boarded Emirati filmmaker Ali Mostafa’s next feature The Worthy.
Set in a dystopian future plunged into chaos by a chronic water shortage, the story follows a group of survivors seeking refuge near a rare remaining clean water source
When two visitors infiltrate their compound, they soon become pawns in a test for survival, where only one of them shall be chosen as worthy.
It is a first action thriller for Mostafa whose last film was the tragi-comic Middle East road movie From to A to B.
“The Worthy is a new adventure for me. Peter and Steven, have produced some of the best genre movies ever made with critical and commercial hits such as The Conjuring and Paranormal Activity,” said Mostafa who was in Cannes on Friday (May 15) to promote...
- 5/15/2015
- ScreenDaily
Exclusive: Paul Baboudjian’s new Dubai-based company Tharwa has boarded Emirati filmmaker Nawaf Al-Janahi’s upcoming English-language psychological thriller Transparent.
The film revolves around a man who loses his grasp of reality after cheating on his wife during a business trip to the port city of Marseilles.
It marks Al-Janahi’s third picture, after The Circle and Sea Shadow, and his first English-language film. Dubai-based writer Nicolas Forzy wrote the original screenplay.
“I love the thriller genre but what also attracted me is the human depth of the story too,” said Al-Janahi.
Baboudjian – best known as the founding, executive director of the Screen Institute Beirut – launched Tharwa in October with the announcement of Saudi filmmaker Ahd’s upcoming film Sandfish.
The tale of a beautiful young orphan who is sold off to an old pearl merchant, the film is based on Maha Gargash’s bestseller The Sand Fish set in the region in the 1950s and 60s...
The film revolves around a man who loses his grasp of reality after cheating on his wife during a business trip to the port city of Marseilles.
It marks Al-Janahi’s third picture, after The Circle and Sea Shadow, and his first English-language film. Dubai-based writer Nicolas Forzy wrote the original screenplay.
“I love the thriller genre but what also attracted me is the human depth of the story too,” said Al-Janahi.
Baboudjian – best known as the founding, executive director of the Screen Institute Beirut – launched Tharwa in October with the announcement of Saudi filmmaker Ahd’s upcoming film Sandfish.
The tale of a beautiful young orphan who is sold off to an old pearl merchant, the film is based on Maha Gargash’s bestseller The Sand Fish set in the region in the 1950s and 60s...
- 12/15/2014
- ScreenDaily
The Abu Dhabi Film Festival (formerly the Middle East International Film Fest), opening today and running through October 22, is committed to presenting works by Arab filmmakers in competition alongside the major talents of world cinema. The Festival and Mubi are presenting two features you can now watch for free.
Nawaf Al-Janahi's Sea Shadow is the story of two boys "learning about the men they will become as they make the journey from Ras al Khaimah to Abu Dhabi," reported Kaleem Aftab for the National when the production first came together last year. "Sea Shadow also represents the coming of age of Emirati filmmaking in the capital." It's "about first loves, family relationships and cultural values. It follows two 16-year-old boys, Mansour and Kaltham, on a journey of self-discovery after their home life is disrupted by misunderstandings, mix-ups and wrong decisions."
"A historical fiction, [Hisham Lasri's] The End opens in July 1999, on...
Nawaf Al-Janahi's Sea Shadow is the story of two boys "learning about the men they will become as they make the journey from Ras al Khaimah to Abu Dhabi," reported Kaleem Aftab for the National when the production first came together last year. "Sea Shadow also represents the coming of age of Emirati filmmaking in the capital." It's "about first loves, family relationships and cultural values. It follows two 16-year-old boys, Mansour and Kaltham, on a journey of self-discovery after their home life is disrupted by misunderstandings, mix-ups and wrong decisions."
"A historical fiction, [Hisham Lasri's] The End opens in July 1999, on...
- 10/15/2011
- MUBI
A while back we mentioned that a big name horror director would be lending his talents to the upcoming flick Djinn. Finally said director has been announced, and it's gonna be great seeing his work back up on the big screen!
From the Press Release
The Master of Horror -- Tobe Hooper -- the director behind the legendary classic The Texas Chain Saw Massacre as well as the three-time Academy Award-nominated, Steven Spielberg-produced Poltergeist, will helm Imagenation Abu Dhabi’s Arabian horror film Djinn. Penned by U.S writer David Tully (Hepzibah), this unique new take on the haunted house thriller uncovers the dark truth behind classic fairy tales of the Genie. Djinn tells the nightmarish story of a young Emirati couple who return home from the U.S. and discover that their new apartment in a luxury high-rise built on the site of an abandoned fishing village is...
From the Press Release
The Master of Horror -- Tobe Hooper -- the director behind the legendary classic The Texas Chain Saw Massacre as well as the three-time Academy Award-nominated, Steven Spielberg-produced Poltergeist, will helm Imagenation Abu Dhabi’s Arabian horror film Djinn. Penned by U.S writer David Tully (Hepzibah), this unique new take on the haunted house thriller uncovers the dark truth behind classic fairy tales of the Genie. Djinn tells the nightmarish story of a young Emirati couple who return home from the U.S. and discover that their new apartment in a luxury high-rise built on the site of an abandoned fishing village is...
- 2/28/2011
- by Uncle Creepy
- DreadCentral.com
Exclusive: Imagenation has experienced quite an executive shake-up in recent weeks. CEO Ed Borgerding left the Abu Dhabi-based film fund last week while COO Stefan Brunner exited shortly before that. The new CEO Michael Garin has spent the last 3½ years on the Executive Committee of Imagenation’s parent company Abu Dhabi Media Company. The former CEO of TV broadcaster Central European Media Enterprises, Garin was previously head of media at Dutch investment bank Ing and before that worked at Lorimar-Telepictures, which was eventually swallowed up by Warner Bros. I’m hearing that the reason why Borgerding left was because he was appointed by former Abu Dhabi Media Company chairman Mohamed Khalaf al Mazrouei and not its current chairman, Mohamed Mubarak Al Mazrouei. “Ed never had a personal relationship or the trust of Mohamed,” one source tells me. “Mohamed was put in charge to change things. How do you change things?...
- 2/11/2011
- by TIM ADLER in London
- Deadline London
Exclusive: He’s followed Stefan Brunner, ex-coo, out of the door. It is understood that Rami Yasin, the Arab-language production head of the $1 billion Abu Dhabi film fund, has also left. Frank Moory, CFO of Imagenation’s parent the Abu Dhabi Media Company, will run Imagenation for now while the board looks for a new CEO. In an email to staff, chairman Mohamed Mubarak Al Mazrouei said that Borgerding has decided “to concentrate on independent projects”. Borgerding, a former Disney executive, joined Imagenation in March 2008. Imagenation’s spokesman was unavailable for comment. Imagenation Abu Dhabi, the $1 billion film fund, launched in September 2008 and has announced a string of high-profile partnerships – including a $250 million joint venture with Participant Media; a $250 million deal with Hyde Park Entertainment; a $100 million deal with National Geographic; and a $10 million revolving development fund with Parkes/Macdonald (Dinner For Schmucks) to invest in projects developed through their DreamWorks first-look deal.
- 2/3/2011
- by TIM ADLER in London
- Deadline London
London -- Imagenation Abu Dhabi, the Emirati conglom, has announced a further five local Arabic filmmaking movie projects to be developed, financed and produced by the company.
The company said haunted house tale "Djinn," penned by U.S. writer David Tully and "Million's Poet," inspired by a TV show of the same name about a young Bedouin girl who strikes a deal with her brother to take part in a poetry contest have been added to the slate.
An adventure comedy, "Alaska" written by Ahmed El Arshi and detailing the story of two Abu Dhabi students on a road trip in the U.S. and rom com "Monsoon," penned by Yussef Ibrahim about an Emirati man looking to garner approval from his Indian girlfriend's mother by pretending to love all things India are also on the books.
The conglom is also putting together "Alis and Aishas," billed as a touching...
The company said haunted house tale "Djinn," penned by U.S. writer David Tully and "Million's Poet," inspired by a TV show of the same name about a young Bedouin girl who strikes a deal with her brother to take part in a poetry contest have been added to the slate.
An adventure comedy, "Alaska" written by Ahmed El Arshi and detailing the story of two Abu Dhabi students on a road trip in the U.S. and rom com "Monsoon," penned by Yussef Ibrahim about an Emirati man looking to garner approval from his Indian girlfriend's mother by pretending to love all things India are also on the books.
The conglom is also putting together "Alis and Aishas," billed as a touching...
- 6/1/2010
- by By Stuart Kemp
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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