Middle East International Film Festival
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The Middle East International Film Festival – Abu Dhabi (MEIFF) will take place October 12-17, 2007. The festival will be produced by Pyramedia.
Jon Fitzgerald will direct the film festival. Over the past fifteen years, Jon Fitzgerald has guided the launch of a number of successful events (Slamdance, Bahamas, Gasparilla, Golden Star Shorts Fest) and helped to elevate many others (AFI, Santa Barbara, Newport Beach, San Diego, Ozone).
"The Middle East International Film Festival is shaping up as an original and innovative festival that will showcase the greatest talent from around the world. The diverse slate of films will also be complemented with a first class finance conference that will become a clearinghouse for film financing opportunities worldwide. Nurtured and supported by Abu Dhabi, which is rapidly becoming the cultural capital in the region, we are happy to announce that MEIFF will be led by Festival Executive Director, Nashwa Al-Ruwaini, considered one of the most powerful women in Arab media, and Festival Director, Jon Fitzgerald, veteran festival director and festival trend-setter. MEIFF has made the commitment to have significant impact in its first year," says Mohammed Al-Mazroui, Director General of the Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture and Heritage.
In addition to providing International and regional filmmakers with festival exposure, MEIFF will help to secure appropriate film financing opportunities for the International investment community. MEIFF aims to set itself apart from the plethora of festivals by developing a comprehensive Film Financing Conference, with industry leaders and filmmakers sharing their experience and vision for the future with festival guests, as well as the International and regional investment communities. "With so many film festivals, Abu Dhabi recognizes the value in finding a niche. This is a great opportunity to provide information, resources and education to an enthusiastic audience seeking investment opportunities in the motion picture space," says Executive Director Nashwa Al Ruwaini.
The event will provide the community and entertainment industry representatives with exposure to a combination of International and regional film artists. Filmmakers will compete for a number of prizes, with winners receiving the coveted Black Pearl. Taking the film financing concept a step further, the Festival will bestow Grand Jury Prize winners with financial production grant towards their next project.