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The recent US-brokered agreement under which Israel established diplomatic relations with two Arab states has quickly sparked formal ties in the film industry between Israel and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
The Abu Dhabi Film Commission, the Israel Film Fund and the Sam Spiegel School of Film and Television in Jerusalem (pictured) announced on Monday a broad agreement with the stated goal of “promoting tolerance, education and development of a deeper cultural understanding between Emiratis and Israeli people, ”they said in a statement.
The Israel / UAE agreement currently comprises bilateral workshops and training initiatives and also includes plans for a regional film festival “which will rotate between Abu Dhabi and Israel” and will show Emirati and Israeli productions and co-productions, according to the statement.
Training programs are being prepared for filmmakers from both countries to participate in “intensive script co-development workshops” with the aim of generating film and television co-productions between Israel and the United Arab Emirates.
The statement added that a co-production agreement between Israel and the United Arab Emirates is expected to be announced soon.
The deal is unlikely to sit well with Palestinian filmmakers who have close ties to the region.
In a separate but related development, it was announced last week that Goalstar, the long-running Israeli soccer documentary-reality series, produced by ADD Content, will film its next season in the United Arab Emirates, becoming the first Israeli television production. filmed in the UAE. .
Commenting on the partnership between Abu Dhabi and Israel, Mohamed Al Mubarak, who is president of the UAE state media entities twoofour54 and Image Nation Abu Dhabi, said that the pact will strengthen “the cultural ties between our creative industries and support the development of Abu Dhabi film and television sector through the creation of new opportunities for collaboration ”.
Israel Film Fund Executive Director Lisa Shiloach-Uzrad in the statement called the deal “a wonderful collaborative opportunity through which we can learn, create and grow closer to our neighbors in the Middle East.”
“I am confident that we will find many ways to work together on a creative and professional level for the great benefit of both parties,” she added.
Normalization between Israel and some Arab states has been underway for some time, as reflected in the recent popular Arab television series “Umm Haroun” (“Aaron’s mother”), which features popular Kuwaiti actress Hayat Al Fahad. (pictured), who plays a Jewish midwife, and also features the character of a rabbi, named Rabbi David.
The controversial show, produced by the United Arab Emirates-based broadcaster MBC, marks the first Arab production to describe the lives of Jews and their relationships with Muslims.
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